Solar panels n Eternabond tape

Silverado23 said:

I used an combination of butyl rubber adhesive sealant to adhere the panels to the roof and dicor to seal the edges of the panels.

I think this is the stuff I used for the adhesive.
https://www.menards.com/main/paint/...rubber-caulk-10-oz/p-1444452827032-c-7930.htm

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The panels I used were flexible thin film panels.

I used externabond to fasten the cables down but have had to replace sections of externabond that failed over the winter as dust and water/ice worked it apart.


Here is a link to more details about my installation.
https://heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/64104-Solar-Panels?p=526169&viewfull=1#post526169

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schew said:

Has anyone used Eternabond tape to tape down your solar panels in lieu of mechanical fasterners?
The thought of drilling into my roof makes me nervous.

My plan is to top tape all four sides of the solar panel down but I'm concerned about creating an area for rainwater to pool on top of the panels, as the tape will possibly prohibit the water from running off the panels.
Would like to hear from others who have advice or experience on this matter..

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danemayer said:

Eternabond will never, ever, neeevvvveeerrr come up from the roof. If you ever have to change a solar panel, life could get interesting.

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jesstalkn said:

No it is just a sealant.
I would just mount them the right way. If you use the Dycor sealant you will be fine. That stuff works great and is very easy to use.
I would put a little bit under the mounting bracket then screw it down then put some on top of the screw and the bracket.
If you try gluing them on you'll risk damaging the rubber roof if the wind we're to get underneath them while traveling down the road.
Also if you did that you would only be mounting them to the rubber membrane​ and not the roof.
So I don't see anything​ good to your​ plan !!!

Just my opinion
Hope this helps

Jerrod

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

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schew said:

Has anyone used Eternabond tape to tape down your solar panels in lieu of mechanical fasterners?
The thought of drilling into my roof makes me nervous.

My plan is to top tape all four sides of the solar panel down but I'm concerned about creating an area for rainwater to pool on top of the panels, as the tape will possibly prohibit the water from running off the panels.
Would like to hear from others who have advice or experience on this matter..

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schew said:

Can Dicor be used as an adhesive glue to glue down the panels?

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Silverado23 said:

The short answer is no. Not according the contact I had with Dicor support. It is not designed for that purpose. That is why I used the Butyl Rubber sealant that is designed as an adhesive and is compatible with EPDM rubber roofs. Dicor is designed to seal edges of materials. The Butyl Rubber sealant is less than half the cost of even the best price I could get for a large quantity of Dicor. I paid around $3 a tube for 24 tubes of Butyl rubber sealant and $8 a tube for over a dozen tubes of dicor. I used a little over two tubes of butyl rubber sealant per panel and about a tube and a half of dicor to seal the edges per panel.

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schew said:

I figured as much. I'll look into the adhesive you used in combination of dicor on top.
This is purely from a visual standpoint but I'm wondering if I could use Blue painters tape to create a straight edge before applying the Dicor? I'd apply the Dicor and at some point try and peel the painter tape, leaving a clean straight edge.
Judging by the nature of Dicor I doubt I would be able to do this though.

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