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There's no making me happy - this has nothing to do with machinery.

wlhequipment

wlhequipment

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2017
Messages
489
Location
Sheridan, CO
Occupation
Mechanic
It's getting harder and harder for me to trust people. I had a guy come over to my house to talk to me about installing solar. here in Colorado, that actually makes good sense. I sat through this shpeel, and he sent a guy out to inspect my roof, and my power and all that a few days later. He then sent me the report that said aside from from perlin support they need to install, I'm ready to go. I told him my roof is over 15 years old, how does it make sense to install new solar panels on an old roof like that? He said my roof looked fine, and as soon as I make that payment, the project will take off. By the way, when his guy came out to "inspect my roof" there was 3" of snow on it. I said hold your horses, I need a second opinion. I called a roofer and talked about it. He said if your roof is over 5 years old, you need to consider replacing it when doing solar because removing the solar panels adds 5-8 grand to the job, so you don't want to pay that more than you have to. That makes sense to me, so I scheduled his guy to come out. His guy said (of course) I should install a new roof, and by the way, they do solar too, and can offer a package deal, which also sounds good to me.

I didn't buy the solar guy's BS because all he wanted was my check. I wanted someone to tell me my roof sucks and needs to be replaced. I got that, and I don't believe his BS either for the same reasons. Man oh man I'm getting grouchy, and I'm just 52. Life is going to be fun for my wife when I'm 80.
 
skyking1

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,682
Location
washington
Well I'm going to tell you straight up that if you put solar on a roof in Colorado that's not a standing seam metal roof. You get what you deserve.
Quit dinking around. Put standing seam metal on there, put the S5! Clips on there and bolt your solar to your roof without any holes drilled whatsoever.
50 years later when the paint begins to fade on that roof, the next guy can worry about it.
 
wlhequipment

wlhequipment

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2017
Messages
489
Location
Sheridan, CO
Occupation
Mechanic
skyking1 said:
Well I'm going to tell you straight up that if you put solar on a roof in Colorado that's not a standing seam metal roof. You get what you deserve.
Quit dinking around. Put standing seam metal on there, put the S5! Clips on there and bolt your solar to your roof without any holes drilled whatsoever.
50 years later when the paint begins to fade on that roof, the next guy can worry about it.
Click to expand...
LOL I can see you're just as angry as me.
 
H

HarleyHappy

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2020
Messages
479
Location
So NH
Occupation
Welder/Mechanic
I built a new house 2 years ago and had those solar guys out here before the occupancy permit.
2 said 40k and one said it wouldn’t be any good.
Looked into doing it myself and Eversource told me no net metering if I did that, even if it was inspected.
ROI would have been 22 years, no thanks.
Not quite sure how other people are doing it.
It’s like nobody is smart enough to figure out ROI.
Of course, I expect everyone’s electricity to go up.
Will see what happens in November.
 
S

Spud_Monkey

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
6,536
Location
Your six
Occupation
Decommissioned
DON'T put solar on your roof unless you plan on climbing up there to knock snow off of them, would be useless most of the winter if you did. At 52 years old putting solar on a new metal roof that will last you 50 years, yet the solar degrades at about 1% per a year in half the years panels wouldn't put out much in 25 years making them almost useless requiring to drill more holes in your roof in your 70's for more panels.

If you are already hooked up to power don't waste your money, ROI (return on investment) will never net you what you spent on the system. Two reasons one needs to go solar, 1. cause it's cost prohibitive to get power lines to you and 2. cause you want to feel better about your greed with power so you need to offset that $300 bill when lifestyle change can offset it.
 
Georgia Iron

Georgia Iron

Senior Member
Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
877
Location
USA - Georgia
Occupation
Concrete building slab and grading contractor
wlhequipment said:
It's getting harder and harder for me to trust people. I had a guy come over to my house to talk to me about installing solar. here in Colorado, that actually makes good sense. I sat through this shpeel, and he sent a guy out to inspect my roof, and my power and all that a few days later. He then sent me the report that said aside from from perlin support they need to install, I'm ready to go. I told him my roof is over 15 years old, how does it make sense to install new solar panels on an old roof like that? He said my roof looked fine, and as soon as I make that payment, the project will take off. By the way, when his guy came out to "inspect my roof" there was 3" of snow on it. I said hold your horses, I need a second opinion. I called a roofer and talked about it. He said if your roof is over 5 years old, you need to consider replacing it when doing solar because removing the solar panels adds 5-8 grand to the job, so you don't want to pay that more than you have to. That makes sense to me, so I scheduled his guy to come out. His guy said (of course) I should install a new roof, and by the way, they do solar too, and can offer a package deal, which also sounds good to me.

I didn't buy the solar guy's BS because all he wanted was my check. I wanted someone to tell me my roof sucks and needs to be replaced. I got that, and I don't believe his BS either for the same reasons. Man oh man I'm getting grouchy, and I'm just 52. Life is going to be fun for my wife when I'm 80.
Click to expand...
Imagine being the solar guy. No way the first guy wanted to tell you to get a roof. He might loose the job due to funds.

Second guy told you what you wanted to hear. Whether he is right or not only YOU can decide.


In Georgia every house that has a septic system must have an environmental inspection before a permit will be issued to build an accessory building. The look on someone's face when they now need a 10k septic system before they can get a new 2 car garage.

If it makes you feel better, I can suggest to go ahead and get a new roof.
 
DMiller

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,587
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Looked into Solar as we built new, wanted on a Frame Work On Grade where could get at it, Two Contractors stated HAD to go on roof, told them to pack out. Last one to hand over a quote stated was smart to stand mount as could aim better than building the house for aim. He noted with a Ground Source and all the LED lighting and low impact electrical would be a more modest Net Metering out recovery, the panels would NOT pay off in my lifetime and as obsolete in under five could be sitting on a Hazmat Hauloff when not so much IF they failed.

Cost for supplemental was over $28k in 2014, at the modest level of power expense here, just at 24 years to recover, that said, lifespan as noted is 10-15 even as "Guaranteed" for Life, mainly of the sales company that evolve and disappear as quickly.

Engineer at work before retired noted contain Cadmium, Lead and Arsenic, NON Landfill Disposable. No known recyclers around the state. 4mw Scottsbluff NE site was Hail Damaged, site is now considered a HAZMAT Cleanup site as Glass is on grade, and damaged cells shot heavy metal and arsenic particulates all across the site. CANNOT ship the damaged cells off site except as Permit Only HZMT, so for time being are stored in CONEX Containers on site. System owner is trying to cover costs not paid by insurer as to replacing the system.
 
DMiller

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,587
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
At least your system is a Stand Alone, 99% of the units being installed for Homeowners are Supplemental ONLY and if Grid drops they cease production. EXTRA Expense for a Stand Alone to power a Home when Grid fails. Batteries, Rectifiers for Constant consistent Voltage, Inverters and wave form Smoothing capacitor banks, Sync system when grid comes back, ALL very Pricey.
 
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