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Metal vs Asphalt Roof with Solar?

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DIYrich

Solar Wizard
Joined
Mar 6, 2022
Messages
3,022
Location
New England, USA
Doing a new roof, and have the choice of Asphalt Architectural Shingles or Metal roof.

Any thoughts on Solar Panels over a Metal Roof (assuming the roofer and solar people coordinate)?

Any other words of wisdom on considering a metal roof? Are they worth the additional cost?
 
Metal? Is that stone coated steel or raised seam?

I found the stone coated steel really needs to have the brackets for solar installed at the same time and very few contractors had the experience to do this. Ended up with asphalt as the retrofit by a solar installer is easy and common.
 
Without question, hands down, not even a horse race, go with metal.

Basically worry-free if installed properly, and sheds snow easily. I'll never own another shingled building unless I buy it that way. As for solar mounting, check out S-5 products.
 
Abandoned other forms of roofing and went all metal (Tin). Do get it with "Condenstop" coating underneath, cuts the rain noise and prevents condensation issues. Depending on type of metal roof, there are brackets for the different types. Normally it's a Stepped U shape bracket to clear ridges and to mount the Solar Rails that hold the panels. This also creates a "gap" of roughly 2.5" between the roof surface & panels.

NOTE: If you choose a "white" roof and install Bi-Facial Panels there is more energy generation potential. Also a Lighter coloured roof will help in keeping the home cooler. If that can be coupled with a Cool Roof System (easy to retrofit) there are really big gains to be had aside from just solar generation. A Cool roof is thermally broken preventing heat absorption in summer & heat losses during winter and it is very significant.
 
I went with a residential, snap together, standing seam roof approximately 15 years ago. I did it myself, so the cost wasn't too prohibitive. Later I installed solar - very easy with the available clamps. No roof penetrations, except where the PV wires are combined & sent down through the attic to the PV disconnect. One thing that I would definitely change would be to use a lighter color. I used a forest green color, and while I love the color and it goes with my wooded surroundings, it does not reflect heat as well as a lighter color, and it is beginning to lighten up - it is not as bright green as it was. And yes, it was the premium paint finish, kynar, I believe.

As others have said above, go with metal. If you use a good quality metal, you'll never regret it.

Edit: AND, if you went with asphalt, you WILL be replacing the roofing much, much sooner than with metal (maybe never have to change out). What are you going to do then; try to stictch in replacement shingles around your panels? R & R all of the solar install? What about the ya-hoo roofers up on your roof working near your solar installation? Don't chance it, use metal or use a ground mount install.
 
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I do not like metal roofs for the following reasons.
1. They can be very noisy in rain and hail etc
2. Almost no one knows this but the screws need to be retightened every couple of years, no one does it and the screws start backing out.
3. In my part of the world near the coast I see many roofs that have started to rust from the bottom edge upwards. Obviously installers are not treating the edge when they cut the sheets.
4. I just feel that if the wind gets under them it'll tear the roof open like a can opener.
5. I am not sure of the physical sturdiness of attaching brackets to the standing seam, I much prefer screwing a lag bolt into the rafter or truss.

For better or worse I went with a light colored shingle roof on my new house and will be adding solar panels. Time will tell.
 
Quattrohead said:
I do not like metal roofs for the following reasons.
1. They can be very noisy in rain and hail etc
Click to expand...
not quite true. ive had two metal roof houses and noise is a non-issue
Quattrohead said:
2. Almost no one knows this but the screws need to be retightened every couple of years, no one does it and the screws start backing out.
Click to expand...
for exposed fasteners with dark colored roof, yes. standing seam , or light colored roofs dont have this problem
 
When I bought my house in 99, it was advertised as having an aluminum roof.
I met with the seller to i quire WTF an aluminum was...

He had it installed in 61, and it came with a 200year warranty...

Ive never had any issues with it, it appears to be as good as the day i bought the house, and i have never had any noise from the rain... even through hurricanes, heavy thunderstorms, hail, etc...

Mine has a wave seam... so not as easy to mount panels to...
Also, the surface of the roofing is textured, so leaves etc stick to it quite easily.

Ive never had any issues with snowfall sticking to it.
Not that it snows much here in the charlotte area.
 
hautions11 said:
Installed panels last week on standing seam. Very easy DIY and very inexpensive. I used 4” mini rails from Signature solar, under $700 for 24 panels. I have a dark roof, but vented air under the roof with a 3/8 mesh product and honeycomb plast material under the drip edge.View attachment 189675View attachment 189676
Click to expand...
Wow. So no need for rails? I’m building a workshop, that looks like a really good solution.
 
Danke said:
Wow. So no need for rails? I’m building a workshop, that looks like a really good solution.
Click to expand...

No rails needed if the proper clamp is used. I forgot the company name, but they (and others), make clamp profiles for any number of different roof panel seam profiles. Fairly easy to install, just get the first row straight! And go from there.
 
1201 said:
for exposed fasteners with dark colored roof, yes. standing seam , or light colored roofs dont have this problem
Click to expand...
Can you explain this further? I’m interested in what type of metal roof this system would work well with.
 
1201 said:
I don't quite understand the question
Click to expand...
Dark vs light and standing seams. I’m not understanding exactly what you’re saying. What type of metal roof works best so fasteners don’t need to be tightened periodically. That was what you were responding to earlier.

Quattrohead said:
2. Almost no one knows this but the screws need to be retightened every couple of years, no one does it and the screws start backing out.
Click to expand...
You: for exposed fasteners with dark colored roof, yes. standing seam , or light colored roofs dont have this problem
 
Danke said:
Dark vs light and standing seams. I’m not understanding exactly what you’re saying. What type of metal roof works best so fasteners don’t need to be tightened periodically. That was what you were responding to earlier.
Click to expand...
True standing seam metal roof don't have fasteners that screw through the metal. The fasteners are also installed in a way that allows for movement.


If you are saving money and buying an exposed fastener metal roof, like I did with my second roof, A light colored roof(in my case white) greatly reduces the thermal expansion that causes screws to get loose over time
 
Madcodger said:
Without question, hands down, not even a horse race, go with metal.

Basically worry-free if installed properly, and sheds snow easily. I'll never own another shingled building unless I buy it that way. As for solar mounting, check out S-5 products.
Click to expand...
Agree. Standing seam metal is the way to go. Especially in a high wind zone like hurricanes. S-5 has all your panel mounts.
 
xagijon said:
We are replacing our solar system and the asphalt roof though in decent shape should probably be replaced as its 25 years old (we used three layer shingles and did a killer job, some of the shingles are shiny in areas as the little rocks of come off but that's it in terms of wear).

Anyway, all the roofers are booked through Oct/Nov but my younger son and his buddy are currently available. Was wondering whether metal roofing would be a good option.
Click to expand...
Personally, I wouldn't tackle standing seam roofing as a DIY project, but the screw-down type is super easy if they are competent builders/carpenters. Be sure to use the proper underlayment and replace any damaged sheathing as part of the project. And have them use proper safety harnessing in case of falls! Whatever you do, it would be an exceptionally bad idea to install solar over a 25-year-old shingle roof.
 
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