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Permalink Reply by Greenman on June 3, 2008 at 9:51pm

Also consider that most solar panels are later additions to the house and not part of the original design. So the roof system is probably not engineered to support the additional live load and the presence of Solar panels on the roof increases the likelihood of failure in the roof trusses during a fire, a serious consideration not only for personnel on the roof, but for interior personnel as well.

GM

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Permalink Reply by FETC on January 13, 2009 at 9:13am

I have read the update from the secret list. Things to ponder...

400 volts DC can and will kill you. There is definately an electrical hazard there but it is not a hazard if the units are NOT damaged. The original poster on the internet was pushing the fact that you may have to let the fire burn without suppression efforts. Which is crazy. The panels are not dangerous, you can spray water on them... but if you strike the case and break it open when ventilating, then the inner workings and live electrical are exposed.

The roof loading factor is a true concern, most of these are fitted after the roof was built, is there additional concern with snow load being held up by the panels or mounting brackets?

How do you ventilate a roof with solar panels? Just stay clear of them and go vent somewhere else...

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