Specifications

www.aetsolar.com Open Loop / PV - Page 11
ARRAY MOUNTING ON TILE ROOFS
Tile roofs are a little more difficult to mount solar collectors on but following this procedure will render a
leak free installation. The solar panels are mounted on two rails located at the top and bottom of the solar
collectors. The collectors are secured to the rails using the AE rack mount hardware (AE-RM). The 1-5/8”
Aluminum unistrut rails are anchored to the roof by using six or ten inch stainless steel 3/8” hanger bolts.
These bolts are lag screw on the bottom and 3/8 NPT thread on the top. A ten foot length of unistrut
should be anchored at three points, the middle and both ends.
Procedure:
1. Cut 12” x 12” square pieces of lead flashing.
2. Locate the roof rafters beneath the tile where the hanger bolts will be attached. Drill a 3/8” hole
through the tile.
3. Slide the 12” x 12” lead flashing under the tile located above the 3/8” hole, then drill through the
lead flashing into the hole.
4. Screw lag portion of the 3/8” hanger bolt into the rafter.
5. Cut strips of the lead flashing about 1-1/2” long and wide enough that when you fold it into a tube
is slightly larger in diameter as the hanger bolt.
6. Using an acid core solder, weld the seam of the tube together.
7. Slip this tube over the top of the hanger bolt protruding from the roof, and then solder it to the 12”
x 12” lead flashing.
8. Thread down a stainless 3/8” nut to the bottom of the thread and seal the top of lead tube to the
nut with a polybutylene caulk.
9. Slip a 3/8” stainless washer on top o the nut.
10. Place the 1-5/8” aluminum unistrut rail on the hanger bolt and secure with another 3/8” stainless
washer and net.
11. The rail is now secured, weather tight to the tile roof. Next, mount the AET solar collector to the
rail using the AE rack mounts (AE-RM). See Figure 10.
Figure 10