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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Guidelines for the installation of solar components on low-sloped roofs

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6515795· OSTI ID:6515795
Guidelines were prepared for the installation of solar collectors and related equipment on low-sloped roofs of commercial and industrial type buildings. The guidelines are concerned primarily with the waterproofing integrity of the roofing system, access to the collectors and roofing, attachment of different types of collector support frames and safety. Technical information from the literature, building codes, roofing field surveys and acceptable roofing practice provided the basis for the guidelines. The guidelines include recommendations for the design of the solar installation with regard to roofing performance, workmanship during collector installation and maintenance of roofs with solar components. A field survey was conducted to inspect the condition of low-sloped built-up roofing systems which were retrofitted with solar collector systems. Literature and field surveys were conducted to identify roofing problems attributed to solar equipment installation on roofs and the effect of the installation on roofing performance. The results of the literature and field surveys are presented. Applicable building codes and related documents were examined to obtain information concerning the effect of the installation of solar components on rooftop safety.
Research Organization:
National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC (USA). Center for Building Technology
DOE Contract Number:
AI01-76PR06010
OSTI ID:
6515795
Report Number(s):
NBS-TN-1134
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English