solar panel mounting from bunnings bits?

If it's any help, I secured my Solar Sponge using four flexible metal strips from Bunnings:

It's survived gale force winds no problems.

Dave.

Thanks for the solarsponge link Dave, will have to build one of those one day.

Will get to Bunnings this weekend to see if they have suitable aluminium extrusions for solar rails and perhaps galvanised brackets.

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The only problem I could see with that arrangement, is the strips buckling, if there is any significant weight on the box, or downward pressure. (from wind for example) If you have something underneath (that can't be seen in these pics) that is supporting the panel from underneath and holding the panel up, and the strips are just there to tie it down and stop it from lifting up in strong wind, then this isn't a problem.

Those strips are very strong, builders use versions of them (versions with and without punched holes) them as cross bracing in steel shed construction, and I have seen similar used in general cavity wall construction too.

You can also look at places that sell folded steel forms usually used in colour bond shed construction, there might be some very useful bits and pieces there for making a support for your solar panel. .

From the pictures other people have posted, the rail seems to be a standard U channel with a lip designed to hold a hex bolt head. AFAIK, it is a fairly common extrusion and used in a variety of places such as trade roof racks, etc. Caveat, I've olny see it in galvansed or colourbonded steel, not aluminium.

There is nothing else holding the box up at the back (unless you count the ducting), only the front edge of the box is resting on the roof. It's been up for around 4 years now, with several gale force winds in that time, no problem at all.

Not sure if they'd be suitable for solar panels, but they are cheap and simple and can be bent up under the tile and attached to the rafter.

If I was going to do a cheap home made solar panel mount then (on first thought) I'd probbly use several of these strips to attach to the rathers and then pop-rivit a piece of long 1" square aluminium tubing to these bracks to use as a mounting suport bar. Same top and bottom and then attach the solar panels to the support bars. The whole system might rattle a tiny bit in very high wind, but it won't go anywhere. As you say, these strips are incredibly strong.

Dave.

:I Have scrounged a few 40 w used panels and have been looking for the :under tile :brackets, rails bolts to mount them on the roof. Unfortunately solar :installers charge :a fortune for them - (almost as much as my panels!). Has anyone found :any generic roof :brackets that work just as well, perhaps from Bunnings? I need about a :2 x 4m rail which normally costs over $200ea. : :ie rails :

Whichever system you finally adopt it is important to make sure that there is a substantial gap between the roof and the underside of the PV panels to allow convection cooling. A gap of at least 150mm is recommended.