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Cheapest rooftop racking options

journeyman846

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Joined
Jan 31, 2022
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I'm been searching everywhere to find a good source for rooftop racking solutions that doesn't require freight shipping. Is there anything out there besides sourcing unistrut from a local hardware store? I have searched for dealers and unfortunately not much exists here in the Texas panhandle. I trying to install about 6 panels on a small shed roof, so about two 12 foot runs.
 
Are you mounting on your roof and what wind speed do you need to build for? IronRidge and Unirac are great products if you have hurricane-force winds. But, if you're well shielded from wind by trees/hills and building on the ground wood might do.

The design tools @Ampster mentions are really sweet.... they tell you things like the minimum bolt distance to meet engineering guidelines. For example, to meet code imy hurricane zone I need 3 rails instead of the normal two.

There's a couple threads on unistrut that might interest you.
 
Are you mounting on your roof and what wind speed do you need to build for? IronRidge and Unirac are great products if you have hurricane-force winds. But, if you're well shielded from wind by trees/hills and building on the ground wood might do.

The design tools @Ampster mentions are really sweet.... they tell you things like the minimum bolt distance to meet engineering guidelines. For example, to meet code imy hurricane zone I need 3 rails instead of the normal two.

There's a couple threads on unistrut that might interest you.
I don't have much room to build on the ground so it will be a rooftop install. And here in the Texas Panhandle we get some pretty strong winds, maybe not hurricane force, but 60-70 mph winds are not uncommon. I went through the design tool on IronRidges website and think I have a pretty good idea of what is needed now. Ordering 7 foot rails from solar-electric.com with a total of over $500 is free shipping. So I think I will go that route.
 
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I bought uni-strut from both Home Depot and Lowes. They have the two sizes of the strut. They have most if not all the various bolts and stuff that can be used to mount solar panels. The down side is the longest they carry is 10 feet.
 
I ordered these from https://www.solar-electric.com/ for a small shed and I think it shipped UPS. You'll need more splices, but will probable save on freight.

IronRidge XR-100-066A Aluminum Solar Mounting Rail 5.5ft
IronRidge XR-100-SPLC-BD Bonded Rail Splice Kit
Do these come with all the parts needed for attaching the panels and grounding them, or did you have to buy those separately?
 
These ship UPS and come with all parts except the roof bolts :


I used the QB2 roof QuickBolt, also available there. Be sure to order the QB2 without L feet since Tamarack includes their own L feet in the original package.
I'm looking at mounting systems, and this kit plus the QuickBolt system look perfect. I have 4 panels to mount, which is what this kit is for.

How did you like the installation and the quality?
 
I'm looking at mounting systems, and this kit plus the QuickBolt system look perfect. I have 4 panels to mount, which is what this kit is for.

How did you like the installation and the quality?
I used Tamarack as well, was very happy with it. Easy installation and quality, imo.
 

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I used Tamarack as well, was very happy with it. Easy installation and quality, imo.
Well I looked at a few systems but decided on the Tamarack. I like that it's everything in one kit sized perfectly for what I need. Thanks for posting the pics, it's a clean installation.
 
Well I looked at a few systems but decided on the Tamarack. I like that it's everything in one kit sized perfectly for what I need. Thanks for posting the pics, it's a clean installation.
No problem. I didn't buy the 'kit' I made my own since I had no need for the micro inventor mounts. It was also actually cheaper piecing together what I needed and I ordered extra panel mounts and L brackets.
Solar Electric shipped fast, I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again.
Good luck with the build.
 
Attached is what I used to mount to metal roof.
 

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Iron ridge all the way. A tip is to find your local electric supply company that carries iron ridge, Unirac and the will deliver to the area on their trucks or do will call and drive there to pickup. Shipping for long items is a pain.

Check out Rexel, ced green tech, iesupply…
 
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