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Who is ProSolar?
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ProSolar is the more common name
for Professional Solar Products.
We are the original patent
holding U.S. manufacturer of the
RoofTrac® "Top-Down" solar
mounting system. ProSolar
provides the best value to the
solar industry in terms of
quality, price, and service.
ProSolar is used by all major
U.S. installation companies and
has been manufacturing solar
equipment for over 20 years.
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What is RoofTrac®?
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RoofTrac® is ProSolar's patented
rail/clamping system. Prior to
ProSolar, all solar modules were
bolted from behind the module,
making installation difficult
and nearly impossible on a roof.
ProSolar created and patented
the RoofTrac® "Top-Down" system
in the U.S., allowing installers
to clamp modules from the top,
down to the RoofTrac® support
rail. This revolutionary
"Top-Down" is now the industry
standard.
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What is the attachment span for
your rails?
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1-1/2" tall rail spans 4 foot on
center
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2-1/2" and 3" tall rail spans 6
foot on center with SolarWedge®
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3" tall rail spans 8 foot on
center for SolarWedge® XD
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Can I span 8 foot on center for
residential applications?
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ProSolar does not recommend 8
foot spans on residential
structures as most residential
structures are not designed for
the resulting higher point
loads. Costly site specific
structural engineering is
usually required, which is more
expensive than installing
additional attachments and
appropriately distributing the
load.
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Why does ProSolar only use clear
anodized Aluminum rail and not
mill finish?
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Anodized rails are better
looking, corrosion resistant,
wear resistant and abrasion
resistant. Unfortunately, some
companies offer mill finish
aluminum rail to reduce
production cost. This passes the
hardship to the installer and
homeowner. Anodized rails match
the solar modules which use
anodized aluminum frames. Mill
finish rails tend to discolor
and create installation
problems. Homeowners prefer
anodized rails.
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ProSolar anodizes rail and
sliding support nuts to enable
the installer to glide the
clamping hardware along the
rails, freeing both hands to
handle the modules. If these
parts are not anodized, the
installer will have to fight the
nuts through the rail, making
the installation costly and
difficult.
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Why is mill finish aluminum rail
inferior?
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Mill finish
is the natural appearance of
non-coated aluminum. All
aluminum has an oxide of some
varying thickness. Anodizing is
a very heavy controlled oxide,
approximately 0.0003 inches
thick. Mill Finish has a natural
oxidized film which can be
wiped off with your finger.
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What is the cantilever (distance
from the end of the rail to the
last attachment) for your
rails?
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The cantilever should be limited
to approximately 20" for all
RoofTrac® rails
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How much rail do I need?
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Use the following values for the
component rail length
requirement and add totals.
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Inter-Module Clamp: 0.60 inches
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End
Clamp:
2 inches
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Module width:
Reference
project module datasheet
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Note: Extra rail is easily
trimmed in seconds and matching
rail end caps "button" up the
system.
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How many continuous rails can be
spliced?
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Four (4) rails for SolarWedge®
mounting system, three (3) rails
for residential RoofTrac®
. Review the RoofTrac®
install guide to properly
install the splice kit.
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What is the purpose of removing
one of the bolts from the splice
kit after the rail is
installed?
Aluminum will
expand/contract approximately 1"
over a 60 foot run at a 100
degree temperature difference.
By removing one of the bolts,
you allow the rail to move
within the splice which
"absorbs" the
expansion/contraction.
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If the bolt remains fastened,
the rail expansion/contraction
transfers to the roof
attachment, possibly
compromising the integrity of
the roof attachment as well as
causing roof creaking during
cold evenings or hot days.
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Can I flush mount your product
on a roof?
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DO NOT FLUSH MOUNT. Per Sandia
National Laboratories (U.S.
authority in Solar), flush
mounting is not
recommended due to inadequate
ventilation which leads to
significant system performance
decrease as well as difficulty
in testing/repairing. Based on
module manufacturer performance
data, a 20° hotter flush mounted
system will produce about 10%
loss in power (an equivalent
$3000 loss for a $30,000
system).
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Lack of roof ventilation also
leads to roof damage, such as
dry rot, which requires
expensive ongoing roof repairs,
likely in excess of
$10,000 for complete roof
replacement
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Sandia recommends a minimum of
3" of roof clearance. ProSolar
systems are designed to meet
this recommendation.
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What is the
difference between SolarWedge
and SolarWedge XD?
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SolarWedge® is based on the
2-1/2" tall RoofTrac® support
rail and spans 6 foot on center.
SolarWedge® XD is based on the
3" tall RoofTrac® support rail
and spans 8 foot on center. Both
SolarWedge® and SolarWedge® XD
share the same roof attachment.
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What kind of roof attachments do
you offer?
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We offer two patented lines of
attachments, the TileTrac® line
and FastJack® line.The FastJack®
line can be used with
inexpensive and readily
available standard flashings.
The TileTrac® line is a
non-flashing product based on a
compression seal.
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Does TileTrac® and FastJack®
include the necessary hardware?
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Yes. The TileTrac, FastJack, and
FastJack E-Series attachments
include the Stainless Steel
hardware including the 5/16" x
3-1/2" Stainless Steel lag bolt.
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What is the difference between FastJack® and FastJack®
E-Series?
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The FastJack® E-Series is the
Experienced installer series
which does not include the
integrated pilot hole drill
guide included with the standard
FastJack® base. The integrated
pilot hole drill guide is
replaced by a one time purchase
of the FastJack® drill guide
tool which is used by the higher
volume installers.
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How many modules can be tilted
with 1 box of RoofTrac® tilt
kits?
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Twelve 32" wide modules or nine
39" wide modules
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Why should I bother to use a
carbide drill bit to drill my
pilot hole through the
composition tiles?
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The carbide drill bit prevents
the premature wear on your wood
drill bit. The carbide drill bit
should be used to only break
through the composition tile.
The wood drill bit is used to
drill your actual pilot hole.
The experienced installer will
have two cordless drills, one
with a carbide bit and one with
the wood drill bit. By having
two drills, you save time and
money.
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Is an Oatey® flashing only used
for lower profile applications?
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The Oatey® flashing is
approximately 2-1/2" tall and
can be used with any ProSolar
FastJack® product.
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Can I use a standard all metal
flashing with a 3" FastJack®?
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Standard all metal flashings are
approximately 4-1/4" tall,
requiring a minimum of a 4-1/2"
tall FastJack®.
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Why does ProSolar only use
Aluminum and Stainless Steel
material?
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ProSolar only uses Aluminum and
Stainless Steel to ensure long
term performance and quality,
including corrosion (better
known as rust)resistance. Solar
module manufacturers require
Aluminum and Stainless Steel for
the same reasons.
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What is the maximum span for GroundTrac®?
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The support rail span is 7' OC
from upper to lower schedule 40
pipe support. The non-snow load
footing spacings are 10 foot
max. The front to rear footing
spacing depends on your tilt
angle with a 7 foot maximum.
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What tilt angles are available
for GroundTrac®?
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GroundTrac® is adjustable from
1° to 35° fixed tilt angles
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What is the pipe overhang for GroundTrac®?
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The pipes can overhang a maximum
of 24"
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What is the maximum height for GroundTrac®
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The rear vertical pipe support
can be 6 feet above grade (with
the 1' OD concrete form cap
above grade option)
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When pouring GroundTrac system
footings, is it recommended to
use the cylindrical
concrete forms?
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1' OD cylindrical concrete forms
are used to increase the height
an additional 12" from the top
of the grade. The 1 foot
cylindrical concrete form is
only used as a "cap" above the
grade level as there is a
frictional load value between
the bare footing and soil.(back
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How are
your products tested?
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There are two
types of testing performed on
all of our products
System Static Load Testing
All
ProSolar mounting systems are
installed with modules onto a
representative structure and
load tested to a specific load
pressure (lb/ft2)
in both the positive and
negative direction. These loads
vary between 30-55 lb/ft2
which results in typical loads
of approximately 3,000 lbs. on a
panel of 4 modules. All testing
is performed with a state
licensed Professional Engineer.
These loads
are relative to 100-130 mph wind
speeds per the 2007 California
Building Code and 2006
International Building Code.
Attachment
Laboratory Testing
All
ProSolar structural attachments
are independently laboratory
tested to failure to determine
the ultimate load values.
These two
types of tests verify all
ProSolar mounting systems can
withstand the applicable loads
when used with ProSolar
structural attachments.
The
following photo illustrates the
importance of ProSolar's
rigorous engineering and
testing. The photo was taken of
a Florida roof in 2005 after a
hurricane. The 100+ mph winds
tore off existing roofing
material, yet the RoofTrac®
mounting system remains
completely unaffected.
Photo Courtesy of
Sharp Electronics Corporation
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