Solar Panels on a Tile Roof – How to Prepare Your Roof for Installation

Solar panels are now being installed at a rapid pace. Tile roofs are a Finnish favorite, and panels are mounted to the roof trusses using mounting brackets. Solar panels have a longer lifespan than the maintenance interval of a tile roof. That’s why servicing your roof before installing panels ensures more worry-free, maintenance-free years and saves you time and money in the long run.

Keep these tips handy if you’ve decided to install solar panels on your tile roof!

Why and How Should a Tile Roof Be Serviced Before Installing Solar Panels?

Tile roofs need maintenance from time to time. It’s good to clean a tile roof of debris, for example, in spring and fall. Coating, on the other hand, typically becomes necessary about every 10 years.

At Minimum Cleaning, Coating if Needed

Before installing solar panels on your tile roof, the first step is cleaning the roof: the roof must be cleared of leaves, branches, and other debris.

Has the tile color faded? Does the surface look uneven and porous? Coating a tile roof is timely when the factory-applied or previously applied coating has worn away, exposing the tile’s porosity, and moss begins to grow on the roof.

Moss growth must be removed, and the roof should be treated with a moss-repellent agent, such as Tikkurila’s Kilpi Roof Cleaner.

Coating a tile roof is timely when the tile surface begins to look porous and moss starts to grow on it.

Water remains in the porous, worn surface, and it’s also an ideal growing medium for moss, which literally absorbs water. The trapped water freezes and thaws alternately as temperatures fluctuate. Water expands when it freezes, stressing the tile, so this phenomenon called frost weathering weakens the tile and eventually causes it to crack. This in turn leads to water reaching the underlayment.

With a new coating, water runs happily down the roof. A new coating also gives your home a handsome appearance.

When planning to install solar panels on a tile roof, it’s important to ensure that the roof beneath the panels is in good condition: Is the tile coating intact? Are there broken or cracked tiles visible on the roof? Is the underlayment intact and the penetrations flawless?

Save Time and Money

By servicing your tile roof before installing solar panels, you save time and money. Coating or cleaning a tile roof is naturally easier to do on a roof that doesn’t yet have panels.

Checklist for Those Planning Solar Panels on a Tile Roof

• It makes sense to get a tile roof in good condition before installing solar panels. This avoids a situation where the tile roof needs maintenance after just a few years. Removing and reinstalling solar panels is time-consuming and expensive.
• If the tile surface is porous and moss is growing on the roof, the tile roof should be coated. The coating creates a water-protective surface on the tile. This prevents water from settling in the porous surface, avoiding frost weathering and moss growth.
• Before installing panels, it’s also good to check the condition of the underlayment and penetrations. Damaged tiles should also be replaced with intact ones.

If you’re planning to install solar panels on your tile roof, we’re happy to service your roof to installation-ready condition with the confidence that comes from years of experience.

Request a FREE assessment visit from our expert: we’ll inspect the tile roof’s condition and if we see maintenance work as necessary, we’ll calculate a quote for the work.

Watch the video below to see how smoothly our team handles tile roof coating work: