L feet for shingles

Yep, that beats any stud finder I've seen
the scanner provides about a 7-1/2 In. measuring depth to detect even deep objects. The 3.5 In. color display provides clear readability,
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If you're drilling all your holes from the attic they won't line up with the comp. shingle coursework as they need to for most flashed mounts.

If you're willing to go into the attic, you only need one hole.
Drill a hole up through roof, right next to a rafter near the top of the array.

Measure over horizontally to each rafter.
( either call out these distances to your partner on the roof who has a crayon, or jot these numbers down yourself.)
Copy that onto the shingles from the outside.
Snap lines downhill vertically to the rafter tails.

(Otherwise, It's not fun drilling multiple holes at the bottom of a 15 degree pitch attic, full of fiberglass and rat s***, hoping your leg won't punch through the sheetrock ceiling. While it's 110°+)

However ....with flashings, and all the caulking we add underneath it, I don't mind eyeballing up from a rafter tail or tapping out the first rafter with a hammer.....and then measuring over on the roof. We may be a fraction of an inch off and drill a couple holes. That's what the flashing is for. They will be covered well.
 
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I would never use those Quickbolt discs.
ramsy said:
Lets engineer this procedure from 5-steps to 1.

From inside the attic snap a line across framing, send long pilot thru center of each board first time, insert flag into hole, and repeat.
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🤣 No company would ever make this SOP. We're generally not sending crews into an attic unless we totally have to. Can't assume the mounting points are even accessible, especially low down on the roof. Snapping a line assumes there's no obstructions across the bottom of the rafters, which will not be true 90% of the time.
 
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jaggedben said:
Can't assume the mounting points are even accessible
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Nails in head & back hurt less when yelling with anger. Don't forget Tetanus vaccine.

Remember glasses go on after N95 respirator, and head lamp & gloves go last.

If you don’t expect cut off joists at can lights, then you wont last long before crashing down.
 

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electrofelon said:
I do very little roof mounted solar. I was recently doing some AC side connection work for a solar contractor, and noticed they've been using these L feet that have mastic on the bottom and they just screw them right down on the shingles with no flashing or boot or anything. Are these becoming common? What do you guys think of them? What do you use for your typical shingled roof?
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I use RoofTech mounts which are a similar concept, but the area of the base is much larger and the Lfoot bolts on separately. They work great and will not leak if installed properly.
 
solarken said:
RoofTech mounts
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There are a couple different mount options.
roof-tech.us

Solar PV mounting systems for every roof!

Roof Tech Inc brings you the most innovative, waterproof mounting systems ever developed for solar photovoltaic systems. We offer versatile PV mounting solutions available for residential home installations. Our AlphaSeal™ Technology has made us the Pioneers in rooftop solar and PV rail-less...
roof-tech.us roof-tech.us
No pilot holes needed per ASTM D 1761 (for Mechanical Fasteners in Wood)
1 option offers Stamped PE letters in 40 states, the other mount has NRTL listings.
Instructions require engineer of record to certify roof can handle the load
 
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ramsy said:
Nails in head & back hurt less when yelling with anger. Don't forget Tetanus vaccine.

Remember glasses go on after N95 respirator, and head lamp & gloves go last.

If you don’t expect cut off joists at can lights, then you wont last long before crashing down.
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I'd say the nuclear stud gun pays for itself on that one job.
Or a hammer and a roll of aluminum flashing. Just drill the hell outta the roof and patch with solid aluminum flashings and caulking.

I cant believe someone cut a ceiling joist in half. That's insane.

We gotta get you outta the attic!

Cutting my head with shiners (nail ends)..... rolling in sweat and pink fiberglass sticking to me , inhalng 100 year old crud, almost falling thru ceiling , crawling around exposed old wiring......hell no. Been there, done that.
 
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We use SnapNRack top speeds (https://snapnrack.com/products/topspeed-mounting-system/). It's rail-less and works really well. The entire cavity underneath is filled with Chemlink M-1 and there's a small gap in the foam gasket underneath that you watch for squeezeout. We did the same thing everyone's talking about using IronRidge flashed L feet, then we switched to SnapNRack flashed L feet, then to this. I've never had a leak yet, I'm sure it'll happen, but it's a pretty fool proof method watching for squeeze out and their stainless fasteners are pretty bullet proof.
 
Zee said:
I cant believe someone cut a ceiling joist in half. That's insane.
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I'm pretty sure that what was being referred to wasn't an actual joist but an extension of the framing to mount a light fixture. Such a thing might only extend to the light; if you assume that it continues past the light and step there through the insulation you might fall through the ceiling.
 
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Zee said:
cant believe someone cut a ceiling joist in half. That's insane.
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Yes, structural joist was cut. Your house will look worse soon.

Real-estate sales drives remodel defects with their underground house-flipping economy, and system of home inspectors, to avoid property-tax assessment that comes with building permits, which is never invited to the real-estate party.
 

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Ah, L feet. Isn't that what people attached the 2X4s to that the modules were mounted on back in the 80's?
 
I started using the rooftech's rt-mini back in January 2019 in MO & KS. I haven't had a roof leak with them or similar such products yet; I did stop resi installs in 2022. I like them because pilot holes are a thing of the past, and so is prying up shingles or disturbing the shingle sealent. Aim for the rafters, but if you miss, you can take it from (2) screws to (5) screws. Per the manual, add a horseshoe line of chaulk around the rt-mini. I'm confident they will last past their warranty term if installed correctly, but let's be realistic - most shingle roofs will be replaced before that time ever comes, meaning these PV systems will be removed and reset - and will likely need fresh attachments.

IMO, flashing causes more damage than a rt-mini or HUG. I will say: I'm not a fan of types that require a chamber to be filled with caulk. I've hear of installers forgetting to go back and insert the caulk into the squeeze holes. I prefer the peal, stick, and screw method.
 

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solarken said:
I am not sure you will find too many roofers that know anything about solar flashings or mounts.
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I am not sure you will find too many solar installers that know anything about composition shingle and flashing methodologies.
 
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