We've had several of these over the last two decades and they can be annoying and difficult to remedy. I think the underlying home construction is usually the cause. Either the structure has some weaknesses or discontinuities as mentioned above, or sheathing was attached while the rafters were still wet, or the sheathing was damp when the roofing went on, etc. Then all the wood starts to gradually dry out. Our general solution is to go back, hopefully during a dry, mid-temperature mid-humidity day and take off the modules, loosen all the nuts and bolts and re-tighten the rack and install the array. In some cases we have installed locknuts with teflon washers between L-feet and rail to allow a little lateral movement. After doing all this rework, we rarely get further callbacks.
On Wed, Oct 20, 2021 at 10:03 PM Nick Soleil <nsol...@enphaseenergy.com> wrote: > I had a similar experience 13 years ago on a house that had an addition > built onto it. The array spanned between the original home and the > addition, and the structure would creak in the evening as the aluminum > racking and modules cooled. The creaking was a result of weaknesses in the > structure, but I fixed the issue by splitting the array where the two > structures met. It wasn't a very easy fix, but it did resolve the issue. > > Cordially, > > Nick Soleil > > Enphase Energy Senior Product Manager > > (707) 763-4784 x7267 // office > > (707) 321-2937 // cell > > *Powering What’s Next*™* | *The Enphase Energy Management System > <https://enphase.com/en-us/products-and-services/envoy> > > NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer #03262011-300 > > California C10 Licensed Electrician #986315 > > ------------------------------ > *From:* RE-wrenches <re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org> on behalf > of Ray Walters <r...@solarray.com> > *Sent:* Wednesday, October 20, 2021 5:20 PM > *To:* re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org > > > *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] Strange noises from the roof > > *EXTERNAL EMAIL* - *Use caution when responding, clicking, and/or > downloading attachments.* > > > > > > Is this something else we need to put into our contracts? > > "Not responsible for sounds due to normal thermal expansion and > contraction of racking, modules, and roof"..... > > Ray Walters > Remote Solar > On 10/20/2021 2:58 PM, Jason Szumlanski wrote: > > These were Black framed Axitec panels. The clowns used zip ties (which > were all over the roof, brittle and broken). There wasn't a single metallic > wire clip on site. > > This went on for 6 months, with no discernable improvement or worsening > according to the client. It was every day and night in every climate. I'm > quite baffled. > > She thought she was being burglarized the first night. Then she hired a > pest/vermin company thinking it was racoons. It didn't take long to put two > and two together and realize it was coming from the solar array. But the > original contractor couldn't figure it out. > > Pic attached of what's there now. > > Jaso > > > > On Wed, Oct 20, 2021, 3:55 PM Nick A Lucchese <luccheseso...@me.com> > wrote: > > Hello Jason, > > I installed a 36 module array on a standing seam metal roof in June that I > observed “tinging” sounds while working on it over a few days. It also > employed the Ironridge UFO system but differs in that mine connected to the > standing seams with L-feet paired with S-5! clamps and every single bolt > and set screw was hand tightened and torqued to specifications. At first I > thought a couple of my metal Acme cable clips holding the PV wire under the > frames were popping off or letting down a conductor from it’s grasp but > after looking into it repeatedly I determined it was likely just small > expansion/contraction events. Temperatures were in the upper 90’s and > they’re the black REC 365 modules. The building sits away from the client’s > house so if it were still occurring likely know one would notice but I did > not notice it the few times I was there working on other details on > slightly cooler days. However, if it continued to occur the way I had heard > it I could see how it would get the attention of someone if it were a > habitable structure. > > Nick A Lucchese > > > > On Oct 19, 2021, at 1:04 PM, Jason Szumlanski < > ja...@floridasolardesigngroup.com> wrote: > > > > Someone reached out to me who had a PV system installed two years ago by > another contractor on her shingle roof. Almost immediately it started > having loud popping noises intermittently, but pretty consistently day to > day. The homeowner thought it sounded like expansion and contraction. That > made sense, so the original contractor came back multiple times to tighten > things up. The problem never went away and lasted about 6 months until it > was driving her crazy and she had the panels only removed. The sounds > stopped. Legal proceedings ensued. Everything was dropped and she now has > rails up, panels in garage, and no clamps. > > > > The panels have been in her garage for 18 months. I went to inspect > today. She has Quickmount LMount flashings, Ironridge XR100 rails and had > UFOs. The UFOs were tightened so much that they were tearing the t-bolts > out of the top channel of the rail. I don't know if that was from the > original installation or after they came back to try to resolve the issue. > The UFOs had also dug in pretty deeply to the top of the module frames. > None of the glass was broken. > > > > I could not find much evidence of module frames slipping on the rails > and causing marks. The flashings and L-feet are all properly installed in > trusses at 48 or 24-in centers. The square bolts securing the L-feet to > rails are all tight and show no evidence of slippage. The attic looks > great. 5/8 ply over manufactured trusses (southern pine). It's a Gable roof > with about 20 feet eave to ridge. Again, everything looks great in the > attic. > > > > There are two rows of panels. I thought maybe the two rows were rubbing > on each other. But I could not find any evidence on the short sides of the > modules that would suggest this was the problem. > > > > Has anyone seen this issue before? I'm thinking about putting a few test > panels back up with standard mid clamps rather than UFOs just to see if > that changes anything. > > > > Jason Szumlanski > > Florida Solar Design Group > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > Pay optional member dues here: http://re-wrenches.org > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://re-wrenches.org__;!!J0D89H32QIeNiQ!h1DDe6hACpe4QiTi472fYaJ0eHDMWW2n8X9YDO1-NsA8--q2yDHfciVxee4euZTMtvw$> > > List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org > > Change listserver email address & > settings:http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org__;!!J0D89H32QIeNiQ!h1DDe6hACpe4QiTi472fYaJ0eHDMWW2n8X9YDO1-NsA8--q2yDHfciVxee4e-kJjoJI$> > > There are two list archives for searching. 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