It should go without saying, South Africa has an energy problem. If you need to know more, we’ve been sitting with this issue since 2007 with no solution in sight.
With this in mind, when planning your next home in South Africa you need to ensure that you have plans to provide your own electricity – like installing solar panels.
Here are some truss aspects to think about when planning to place solar panels on your roof.
Truss Weight Capacity
We spoke about Uniform, Dead, and Live Loads in a previous blog. For a quick definition, a uniform load is a combination of live and dead loads, with live weight referring to temporary stresses and dead referring to permanent items.
Your solar panel will be a dead load on your roof. Make sure to ask the solar company how much each panel and their electricities weigh. Then, as the solar panels will need to be maintained and cleaned, so the uniform load must also bear the additional live load of an average human.
But, if you provide us with the weights we can punch it into our Roofcon Software.
Size of The Trusses Matter
Area size matters when installing solar panels. It’s also worth mentioning that you need to estimate what you’re planning on using these panels to power.
If you’re looking to go off-grid completely, you’ll need loads of space, while for those planning on powering a geyser, it’ll be less.
For those who do not have enough roof space, there’s always the option to erect a simple, covered braai area. After all, we do projects of any size.
Positioning Of Trusses
If you’re looking to get the most out of your solar panel it needs to be facing the right direction.
In the Southern Hemisphere, your roof needs to be facing a northerly direction to harness the most sunlight.
With our Roofcon software, we can ensure this happens. Also, with the software, we can tell you where there are water pooling areas, which is our next problem to consider.
Waterproofing
When planning your roof truss you need to plan for potential water pooling areas and gutters. Fastening the solar panels , to the chords does open the possibilities for more leaks.
Ensuring your roof is waterproof is important, as roof leaks are hard to locate and fix. Rather invest in the best now and not have to pay for repairs later.
As with anything in life, there will always be unique problems. That’s why we work closely with our clients to ensure that every potential issue is dealt with quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.
If you have a project you need help with you can contact us here.
