Quick novice q - I'm mounting my panels on my box corrugated roof and tilting them on struts to be the optimal angle. They will be in landscape mode. As they are less high, and as they are attached by hinged feet at the bottom, do I still need two rails across them, or will just the one do near the top where the struts will attach? And if only one rail, would you bolt a flat aluminium plate between the panels just for slightly increased rigidity, or leave the feet to do the work? Panels have the usual 30mm all frame round them and appear reasonably stiff, but it's not overly thick alu, obviously.
angled roof mount and rails
- Thread starter xcentric
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Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
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- Mar 28, 2020
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Consider how the four piece frame of PV panel is assembled.
It just has small screws. I would not want to rely on those to keep panel attached to mount.
Maybe if feet at bottom and rail at top connect to shorter PV frame pieces (and restrain those pieces from moving apart), that would be OK. Not if they connect to longer pieces, which could pull off glass and let panel come loose.
Normal mounting has two (or three) rails which bolt or clamp to frame pieces and don't let those move off the glass laminate.
I've had similar ideas for securing more panels to fewer rails, and thought I would need to add ties between PV frames.
It just has small screws. I would not want to rely on those to keep panel attached to mount.
Maybe if feet at bottom and rail at top connect to shorter PV frame pieces (and restrain those pieces from moving apart), that would be OK. Not if they connect to longer pieces, which could pull off glass and let panel come loose.
Normal mounting has two (or three) rails which bolt or clamp to frame pieces and don't let those move off the glass laminate.
I've had similar ideas for securing more panels to fewer rails, and thought I would need to add ties between PV frames.
registered-bum
New Member
With support only at the ends, the mechanical stresses across the panel's frame may exceed the strength of the frame, leading to cracked glass/substrate.
Also, kinda depends on the width of the panels; low risk for a 20-30 in wide panel, but higher for 44-48 in panel (going w landscape mode).
Apologies for being stuck in Yankee units as me default measure.
Also, kinda depends on the width of the panels; low risk for a 20-30 in wide panel, but higher for 44-48 in panel (going w landscape mode).
Apologies for being stuck in Yankee units as me default measure.
panels are 1772 x 1134 x 30mm (so 46 in US units). Sounds like it's advisable to have the 2 rails. Weird when the mounting rails and hardware cost nearly the same as the panels..... Mind you I did look into just using aluminium box section and sewing into that with large washers to hold the frames into position, but it's only marginally cheaper than extruded mounting rails and proper bolts, so not worth the saving.
