Hello Earl,
By way of introduction I'm an architect and have more than a little experience with edge details - roof / wall / gutter / eaves that are impacted by snow. I would prefer to know more physical details about the house to provide a better explanation but I think you have described something of a classic problem that results from basic home-builder construction driven by speculation and low cost rather than quality design detailing and workmanship. You have mentioned these important aspects that we can begin with: a low slope roof in a snow zone so I surmise a freeze / thaw cycle; the roof is shingled which will allow ice to migrate up the slope and between shingles; and, the install of the panels near the roof edge thus near the gutters which exacerbates the ice flow due to snow build-up. You have not mentioned the overhanging eave dimension, if the eave cavity is vented, the color and age of the shingles, and I can only assume the brick is a veneer in front of a traditional wood stud frame wall. And I suspect a poor or non-existent closure between the eave cavity and the attic / joist space, in other words the wall assembly does not close to the underside of the roof.
Finally, if you remember, what was the snow build-up condition prior to the install of solar panels? And can you compare conditions to the northern facing roof slope? I suspect there were no known or noticeable problems prior to the solar panel install although the conditions for eventual failure were built into the edge condition. The fact that this is a southern facing slope does in fact create a daily freeze / thaw (night / day) cycle but after the solar panel install the daytime solar warming of the roof is now blocked by the panels. This also contributes to the build-up of snow that will slide off the warm, black panels but not the cold roof. Color does matter. And more water is coming off the panels, concentrated at the eave than would have existed prior to the panel install. And once the snow builds the roof sees no sun and remains frozen below the snow. This is the classic ice damn.
A properly constructed roof in your climate should have an ice & water shield that is applied to the roof deck, below the shingles, along the entire perimeter of the roof. The shield is usually a peel & stick material that starts at the drip edge and extends beyond the wall line - in other words it must extend into the area above the attic space or living space that is insulated or heated. We are assuming here that the eave cavity is not insulated and heated air cannot enter the cavity. When snow is allowed to dwell at the edge it does melt at the underside due largely from heat loss from the house. The melt will then freeze as temps drop at night. The freezing water will climb up the slope, between the shingles, and eventually reach the plywood deck, where it will melt and penetrate the deck at joints and nail holes. The ice & water shield is intended to prevent the penetration because it is a self-healing material; but, it must also extend beyond the climbing ice.
As to the fault and cause of the leaking, it is possible, even likely, that the screws used to install the panel racking have become the point of entry for the melt water. You should be able to verify this by observing discoloration at the underside of the deck, from inside the attic or joist cavity. Then again, shingle nails would also allow water penetration and show the same discoloration. If the roof / eave / wall had been built properly, and here I have to agree with your solar panel installer to a point, the proximity to the roof edge would not have mattered. While they are not responsible for the existing roof, they show poor professional evaluation of the building condition, due largely to lack of experience - not uncommon in the residential service market today.
But finally Earl, I think you have some responsibility as well. You are an equal party to the contract. What ever was not known about the house construction or about the installation of the racking and panels should have been asked and answered. From this point I can only advise a careful reading of their proposal before you consider any legal action.
So what's the quick solution? 1) Install electric resistance heat ice-melt line along the eave and control it with a thermostat. 2) Relocate the panels up slope and away from the edge, preferably beyond the wall line. Or relocate down slope so the panels shed directly into the gutters. 3) Make corrections to the inside wall to roof intersection to block the heat loss from the house into the eave cavity. This last option should be the long term goal for overall performance and efficiency.
I hope this helps. Cheers
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[Dennis] [Garde AIA, LEED AP]
[OMTC, NEC Ankara, Turkey]
[US Dept. of State / OBO]
[Savannah] [GA]
[
Dennis.Garde@gmail.com]
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-11-2022 11:48 AM
From: Robert Foster
Subject: Water infiltration after solar installation
Hi Earl,
Maybe using snow guards at the edge of your roof will stop the problem and keep the snow/ice from filling up your gutter. See example at
https://www.bridgersteel.com/blog/what-are-snow-guards
Best of luck
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Robert Foster
Assistant Professor
New Mexico State University, College of Engineering
Las Cruces NM
rfoster@ases.org
Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2022 04:11 PM
From: Earl Lewis
Subject: Water infiltration after solar installation
Not sure this is even allowed here so please feel free to delete it if not, but I'm seeking advice from people with experience installing solar systems. We had our system installed about 18 months ago and just this spring we noticed some water damage to the interior of our dining room wall. After looking into it quite a bit it appears that because of the low angle of my roof and the proximity of the panels to the roof edge and gutters, when it snows and the snow eventually sheds off the panels the snow dumps directly into my gutters and sits there until it melts. As you might imagine the snow builds up well above the level of the gutter and above the edge of the roof.
Apparently, as that snow melts it's basically dammed from below by the buildup in the gutter and the water backs up under the shingles and is leaking through a screw hole where the solar panel mounts are screwed to the roof. This then leaks down along the soffit supports, along the bottom edge of those supports, onto the top of the brick wall construction and then tries to make it's way into the house.
I contacted my solar installer company and after several weeks of waiting for them to let me know what they found, they came back and said the screw hole is not the cause of the leak, it's the water backing up from the gutter and "improper construction" of my roof at the edge of the roof. So since the leak wasn't directly caused by the screw through the roofing they are denying any responsibility for the damage that's been caused to my home.
I understand their position, but it seems pretty clear to me that the location of the solar panels and proximity to the gutters is a direct cause of the leak and therefore the damage to my home.
One thing I need to mention is that I was never asked about the installation location of the panels, nor did anyone ever mention that snow buildup might be a problem that we'd need to deal with.
Are there any installers out there that might want to weigh in with your opinion about this situation? I'm pretty peeved with the solar company for washing their hands of this problem. And now I'm in a position where I need to make a claim on my homeowners insurance and possibly consider suing the company for the damages (the ceiling in my dining room is compromised and I suspect it might fall in on our heads any day). Any and all feedback, pro-installer or otherwise, is welcome. Thanks.
Earl
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Earl Lewis
earl.lewis.1@gmail.com
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