# Leak proof dream......



## Dry (Aug 28, 2010)

Hi Guys, 

New to the forum and I'm from the other side of the fence. I own a few buildings and while I was looking up TPO info, I came across this site. 

Anywho....here is my problem. 

I want to install solar panels on a 50,000 sq ft roof. I will pay him rent for that roof (20 years) and part of the contract reads that I am responsible for any leaks. The solar equipment is worth about 2.5 million and the LAST thing I want to do is knock down and move solar panels to find leaks. Right now, the building has bitumen 4 layer and I wanted to remove all of it and replace it with.....a couple of ideas....

1...go down to bare metal, drill 1/8 hole every 50 feet in ALL the valleys and dam them by a bit of spray foam. That way, I can isolate the leaks within a 50 foot area AND the valleys will isolate them even more. Put 4 inches of iso board, screw it down and then I was going to top it off with 80 mill TPO. 

2....spray foam the entire roof from deck up. Unless one of you guys has a brilliant idea on how to make it flat, the ONLY way I thought about doing it is to place 3 inch iso board risers every two feet, stick a 1" iso board on top and spray inside the 3 inch high gap. I don't know if the idea is practical (need to test it). The top it off with seam welded, glued down 80 mil TPO. If that doesn't make it water proof for at least 2 decades, then I don't know what will. 

What I don't want to do is knock down solar panel arrays searching for elusive leaks. With all the work involved, I may be introducing MORE leaks simply by trying to find the old ones. 

The reason I'm going with TPO is that I dropped broken glass on it and it didn't penetrate it. The thing is like armor. :blink:

Tar roofs are illegal here. 

If you guys have any better ideas, I can certainly use them. 





BTW, I'm doing my roof right now with 60 mill white TPO. I "should" get 15 years out of it.


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## RooferJim (Oct 20, 2008)

PVC membrane is a lot better than TPO. For many reasons. Some TPO's are having some serious issues.


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## gograiley (Jul 26, 2010)

Whats your qualifications for writing this spec.? Don’t try and reinvent the wheel. If your gona be spending that kind of money do yourself a favor and hire a good consultant. I don’t know what state you are in but there are a lot of used car dealer types in the solar industry telling lots of lies, be careful.


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## Dry (Aug 28, 2010)

gograiley said:


> Whats your qualifications for writing this spec.? Don’t try and reinvent the wheel. If your gona be spending that kind of money do yourself a favor and hire a good consultant. I don’t know what state you are in but there are a lot of used car dealer types in the solar industry telling lots of lies, be careful.


Solar installations are new up here and EVERY solar installer I have met (so far) is full of "don't worry, be happy" when it comes to roofs. The will "guarantee it for 20 years" in writng....for the next year or two that they are in business.

The last "consultant" I talked to recommended I go with 80 mil TPO. Then he recomended that I go with...2 inch iso, 1 mil EPDM, 2 inch iso, 80 mil TPO. When I asked him how we are going to locate a leak in the TPO if the second barrier stops it, he response that it was a "hell of question". Then there is the issued of how to hold down the TPO. He said the solar panel balalst system was enough. I asked him what would happen if there was so much wind that it shifted some panels AND the TPO. He said it was....."hell of a question". I guess I'm full of them. 

So here we are....

I was hoping that some of you have already been involved in solar panels installation and had some insight.


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## gograiley (Jul 26, 2010)

I don’t know the details, but system selection shouldn’t be all too hard. You are going to have to do some checking into things to be sure everything complies with the manufactures warranty. Did you contact any material manufactures? Carlisle or Firestone or anyone yet? As far as finding leaks, as long as you have the right team up there is shouldn’t be much of an issue. 
Using the ballast of the panels as the wind uplift resistance for the roof system is not something that should be done. I did not really understand if that is what you meant or if it was going to be used to hold down the sacrificial material? Talk to a few material manufactures and get a better consultant. 
I have been involved with solar panel installations but there is more than one way to do something right. I don’t think your gona get a clear answer on how to exactly do it from the internet.


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## Dry (Aug 28, 2010)

gograiley said:


> I don’t know the details, but system selection shouldn’t be all too hard. You are going to have to do some checking into things to be sure everything complies with the manufactures warranty. Did you contact any material manufactures? Carlisle or Firestone or anyone yet? As far as finding leaks, as long as you have the right team up there is shouldn’t be much of an issue.
> Using the ballast of the panels as the wind uplift resistance for the roof system is not something that should be done. I did not really understand if that is what you meant or if it was going to be used to hold down the sacrificial material? Talk to a few material manufactures and get a better consultant.
> I have been involved with solar panel installations but there is more than one way to do something right. I don’t think your gona get a clear answer on how to exactly do it from the internet.


What do you mean I'm not going to to ge the answers on the internet? That's how I learned about sex! 

There is no sacrificial material to speak off other then where the panel frame are standing on. The EPDM in the middle is to make sure that no leaks get past it. The intent is that even if the panels are hit by extreme wind event and topple, it will be almost impossible to get past the TPO _and_ 2 inch iso. The question mark in that system are the glues....and it's getting expensive. Basically, two roof on top of each other. OUCH!

Yes, I have spoken to two manufacturers who make TPO and EPDM. Like I said, solar panels is something new in our part of the world and manufacturers want the greenwash sales, but they wont stick their necks out. I asked both of them to give me contact names of large installers in Cali.

The manufacturers are sending me some material and we setting up an 8'x8' section to test the "worst" case damage. The 1st project is not set to go until next March. By that time, I'll have a solution.


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## gograiley (Jul 26, 2010)

Ill send you a PM


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