[SanDiegoCool]

Hello,

I am the original owner of a two story home in San Diego that was built in 1997. My wife and I are thinking about installing solar panels this year. One of our preferred solar vendors said that due to the age of our roof (22 years), they would need to replace the roof on any areas that have panels installed. In all the years we lived here we had one roof leak near the front of our house that needed repair 4 or 5 years ago. This company, which has its own in house roofing division, would install a dual layer roof that would come with a 25 year warranty against leaks. (Note when I looked at his written proposal the only roof warranty listed was 10 years for roofing penetration - I need to ask about this discrepancy).

I have no idea of the manufacturer of our original roofing. Our total roof area is 3,000 square feet divided into 9 sections. The solar company also mentioned that coding has changed for roofs and that when ours was built you needed 2 vents per 500 square feet but now you need 4. So if we replaced the roof we would double the number of vents. I mention this because for years I have considered installing an attic fan to help with an HVAC problem we have during the summer. Parts of our second floor that face west run much hotter than other areas and I thought venting the super hot air in the attic would help. He thinks these additional vents would help this situation.

Now that you have the background information, here are my questions:
1. How long do roofs typically last in Southern California? The solar contractor said roofs are usually only good for 20 years and that ours is at end of life.
2. Would it be prudent to replace the whole roof now, before we have any problems?
3. Is there any type of roof we should look to use?
4. How long a warranty should I expect?

Thank you for any insights you can give. I am not sure if I am allowed to post the price he quoted for the work. Is there a typical range of $X per square foot? Our roof is sloped with concrete tiles, if that matters. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Chip

 

[SPS-1]

I assume you currently have asphalt/composite shingles.

Up here, a roof lasts about 20-25 years. Maybe more if you get better shingles. Unlikely builder put the best shingles money can buy on your house. My house was built around 97 -- I replaced my roof a couple of years ago. Shingles were still good but some of the rubber flashings around penetrations were going bad, plus found plenty of sheathing rot due to poor drip edge. At twenty years, I was not about to spend money on band-aids. So, yes, I would be replacing the whole roof. Get separate prices for the roofing, and treat roofing and solar as two independent decisions.

A roofing warranty isn't worth the paper its printed on, so be careful judging based on warranty. But I can't think of a better way of evaluating shingles. Do your research.

 

[Oso954]

He said concrete tile. (Next to last line.)

Out here, I’d expect something in the range of 50 or more years from one if people stay off of it, kids are not bouncing heavy objects, plalm fronds are not falling on it, etc.

Here is an article on PV on tile roofs.
https://www.thesolarnerd.com/blog/solar-panels-on-a-tile-roof-avoid-leaks/

Best way to determine the going price in your area is 3 or more different bids, covering the same work scope.

 

[carpdad]

In nj and even if you have architectural shingles, you're not throwing out too much value by replacing. As sps-1 said, roofing warranty has a history of being not worth the printed paper. The posts in this forum alone is full of substandard roofs and it feels as if getting a good roof depends on luck. As such, I would let the solar company do the roof as well. At least you will know the who installed it and solar company, according to you, has a history and reputation in the area.


Tell the company about your worries and ask for detailed installation. Ask to name names of the roofing parts, such as drip edge, flashing, cricket, around the chimney, dormers, whatever that applies. Take photos if you can or ask the roofer to take your camera and take photos of important parts. Ask the solar company about what kind of frame, posts and flashing for the panels. If flashing, how wide a flashing and such. 2-3 inch of flashing would be iffy to me. That is because rain water can travel sideways. Get the photos and install descriptions and post again here for what we think. Tell your installer that you intend to look over their shoulders and preview their methods. You have the time so do some homework and get to know your roof before you start the work.


Sorry, just learned that you have concrete tiles. I'm not sure, but I read that solar panel has about 25 yr life. As such, I would not redo the roof.

 

[SPS-1]

Ask the solar company about what kind of frame, posts and flashing for the panels. If flashing, how wide a flashing and such.

Not sure how much good its going to do to ask about their frames and posts, but I would ask how they flash the penetration through the roof. A lot of them are not are not going to use a flashing, but simply put a hanger bolt into the structure, and then put some sealant around it. But "we do it 100% to code and we have never had a problem". Maybe. But its going to tough to make a sale to me without a flashing over the penetration.

 

[SanDiegoCool]

Hi, thank you all for your comments. Just to confirm, we do have concrete shingles. I have a few extra in the garage and will post a photo. Over the 22 years we owned the house the only times I am aware of someone walking on the roof was a month ago when we had our gutters cleaned for the only time, 5 years ago when we had a roof leak in the front of the house and that section of roof was repaired, and maybe once for painting. It is only subject to wind and rain, tree branches have never fallen on it and the only sports balls that have ever hit it are maybe some tennis balls and a rubber bouncy ball (and only the portion of roof over the garage). I will ask the company for more detail on exactly what they would be doing. I saw them do this exact roof replace on a neighbors house 2 months ago and may go over and try to talk with them. My understanding is that they pull the concrete shingles off, pull off the old roofing paper and lay down a dual layer paper and replace shingles. He said to replace the whole roof would be a full day job. Hope I am not about to violate rules, but the quote for the whole roof is roughly 14k. That seems like an awful lot to me when we are talking maybe 30 hours or so of labor, 3500 square feet of roofing paper, and roughly 24 vents. I do like your suggestion to get a bod from a roofing company. I have been told that it is not a good thing to have separate companies do the roof and solar. Because the solar installation will invalidate the roof warranty and the two companies will point fingers at each other if a leak develops.

 

[Old Thomas]

There is a solar panel system that replaces roofing. It goes on the roof deck and is roofed around similar to a skylight. I would not want roofing with a myriad of penetrations for solar mounting under solar panels. How do you fix leaks?