Solar Panels and Your Roof: What to Sort Before They Go On
Solar panels are a long-term fixture, so the roof beneath them needs to be right first. This covers what to check and sort before panels go on to avoid costly work later.
Fully licensed & accredited — Builders Registration BC105819 · Painters Registration PC102072 · Patent ID AU-A-2020100623
Solar installers are electricians. They are good at electrical work and the roof is something they have to get through to do it.
Sorting the roof before panels go on is considerably cheaper than sorting it afterwards and it is the single most common source of new Leaking Roof Repairs Perth we attend.
Why the order matters
Panels have a service life measured in decades. If your roof needs restoration or repair within that period, the panels have to come off and go back on to do it.
That means paying an electrical contractor to remove and refit an array, plus the roofing work itself, plus a period without generation. Doing the roof first avoids all of it.
The rule of thumb is straightforward: if the roof would need work within the next five to ten years, do it before the panels rather than after.
What to check before you sign anything
Ridge and hip pointing. If the mortar has perished, it will need Roof Bedding & Pointing Perth within the panel's life and that means lifting the array.
Tile condition. Broken and Tile Roof Repairs Perth under an array are far harder to reach afterwards.
Roof Valley Repairs Perth. Corroded valley irons need replacing and that means lifting tiles either side, which is considerably more difficult with panels above.
Battens. This is the important one. Mounting feet fix into the roof structure and battens that will not hold a fixing will not hold an array either.
Surface condition. If the roof is due for cleaning and coating, do it now while the whole surface is accessible.
How panels actually attach, and where leaks start
Mounting feet penetrate the roof covering to reach the structure beneath. On tile that usually means specialist tile brackets. On metal it means fixings through the sheeting, sealed appropriately.
Every one of those penetrations is a potential entry point and the detailing determines whether it stays watertight for twenty years or two.
Good installers detail them properly. Not every installer is good and the work is invisible from the ground once panels are in place.
If your leak started within a year of an installation, that is where we look first and it is a very common finding.
Questions worth asking your solar installer
How do the mounts attach and what happens to the tiles at each penetration.
Who is responsible if a leak develops at a mounting point and for how long.
Will any tiles be cut or drilled and how are those sealed.
Is there clearance for a roofer to work around the array later, or does it need removing for any maintenance.
Those answers vary considerably between installers and they are worth having in writing.
Panel layout and the roof underneath
Arrays are laid out for generation, which is entirely reasonable, but layout affects future access.
Panels sitting across a valley, over a ridge line or directly above a flashing junction make future maintenance considerably harder and more expensive.
It is worth asking whether the layout can avoid those areas, even at a small cost in output. A few percent of generation against the cost of removing an array is usually a straightforward trade.
Living with panels on the roof
Debris accumulates under and around them, particularly on lower pitch roofs where it does not blow clear. That holds moisture against the surface and feeds growth.
The shaded area beneath panels stays damp longer, so organic growth establishes there faster than on open roof.
Gutter Replacement Perth and valleys still need clearing and the area around the array needs attention that open roof does not.
Accumulated dust on the panels themselves reduces output and rinsing helps, though it needs low pressure and care around the frames.
If panels are already on
It is not a disaster and it does not prevent roof work. It changes the sequence and adds coordination with an electrical contractor.
For a restoration, panels typically come off, the work proceeds and they go back on. We coordinate that rather than leaving you to organise it.
For targeted repairs it depends entirely on where the fault is relative to the array.
Ring 0421 768 842 before you commit to an installation and we will tell you honestly whether your roof needs anything first. Frequently the answer is no.
Roof types and how they take an array
Concrete tile is the most common in Perth and takes tile brackets, which replace or sit under a tile and carry the rail above. The detailing at each bracket is what determines whether it leaks.
Terracotta is more brittle and less forgiving. Brackets need care and breakages during installation are more likely, particularly on discontinued profiles that cannot easily be matched.
Sheet metal is the simplest, with fixings through the sheeting sealed at each point. Fewer things to go wrong, provided the fixings suit the exposure.
Asbestos cement should not have panels installed on it at all. Drilling releases fibres and that is a removal conversation before it is a solar one.
Weight, wind and the structure underneath
An array adds weight, though modern panels are light enough that it is rarely the governing factor on a sound roof.
Wind uplift is the real consideration. Panels present a surface to the wind and the mounting system has to resist that, which is why fixings must reach structure rather than just the covering.
On an exposed or elevated block that matters more and it is another reason batten condition is worth establishing before rather than after.
Where battens will not hold a fixing, the array has nothing to hold onto regardless of how good the mounting hardware is.
The conversation worth having with both trades
Tell your solar installer the roof's age and any known issues. Tell your roofer that solar is planned.
Where both are engaged, agreeing sequence and responsibility in advance avoids the situation where a leak appears and each points at the other.
We are happy to inspect a roof specifically ahead of a solar installation and tell you honestly whether anything needs doing first. Frequently nothing does and that is a useful answer to have in writing.
Ring 0421 768 842 before you commit rather than afterwards. It is the cheapest phone call in the whole project.
A checklist before the installers arrive
Have the roof inspected, including the roof space and get the findings in writing. Batten condition is the one that matters most and it cannot be assessed from outside.
Address anything that would need doing within the next decade: pointing, valleys, broken tiles and surface condition. Those all become considerably harder and more expensive under an array.
Agree the panel layout with future maintenance in mind, keeping arrays clear of valleys, ridge lines and flashing junctions where output allows.
Get the mounting method and the leak responsibility in writing from the installer, including how long they stand behind the penetrations.
Photograph the roof before installation. If a leak appears afterwards, images of the prior condition settle the question of what caused it quickly.
Keep the roof documentation and the solar documentation together, because the next tradesman who works up there will need both.
One last point. Solar rebates and feed in tariffs change and installers understandably encourage moving quickly while an offer stands.
A roof problem discovered under a new array costs far more than a fortnight of waiting saved. Get the inspection done first regardless of what any deadline suggests.
Battery installations add another consideration, since inverters and batteries mount on walls rather than roofs but the cabling penetrates somewhere. Ask where and how that penetration is sealed.
Panel cleaning affects output measurably and dust accumulation in Perth summers is considerable. That work wants low pressure and care around frames and edges, not a domestic washer at full setting.
Optimisers and microinverters sit under individual panels, which means any fault requires lifting that panel. Layout that allows access without dismantling neighbouring rows saves money later.
Warranty documentation for the array, the inverter and the roof should live together in one folder. Three separate warranties from three separate parties is exactly the situation where paperwork goes missing.
Consider shading before layout is finalised. A neighbour's tree, a chimney or an adjacent two storey wall casts shadow that moves seasonally and panels positioned without accounting for winter sun angles underperform in exactly the months generation matters most.
Roof orientation governs the rest. North facing planes yield most across the year in Perth, west facing arrays skew output toward afternoon peak demand and east facing suits households consuming most before midday.
None of that is a roofing decision and all of it interacts with where the mounting penetrations end up.
Dulux AcraTex accredited applicators
Powerdrive Roofing is an accredited applicator for the Dulux AcraTex roof restoration system, so your coating carries the manufacturer’s product warranty alongside our own 10-year workmanship warranty. How the Dulux AcraTex warranty works →
What Perth homeowners say
Two hundred and six people have reviewed us on Google. If we have worked on your roof, adding yours genuinely helps the next person deciding who to trust with theirs.
Products we specify and why
Two documents should exist at the end of a coating job. The manufacturer warranty on the Dulux AcraTex roof restoration system, which is only available through accredited applicators, and a written workmanship warranty from whoever did the work. They cover different failures. Tile matching, where it is needed, comes from Bristile Roofing or salvage stock at Roof Top Industries.
Need your roof sorted? Let's talk.
Tell us about your roof and the problem, we'll tell you the likely cause and what it'll take to fix.