My installer was pretty clear about it—if the roof needs work later, removing and reinstalling panels is usually on you, warranty or not. Definitely worth clarifying upfront. And yeah, squirrels...had one chew through attic wiring once. Little jerks cost me a fortune.
Yeah, that's spot-on advice. We had solar installed about five years ago, and I made the rookie mistake of not checking our roof thoroughly beforehand. Sure enough, a couple years later we had a leak and had to pay out of pocket to pull panels off, fix the shingles, and reinstall everything. Definitely not cheap. And squirrels...man, don't get me started. Had one nesting under our panels too—little guy chewed right through the mesh barrier. Learned my lesson: critter guards are worth every penny.
"Had one nesting under our panels too—little guy chewed right through the mesh barrier."
Haha, man, your squirrel story hits home. Couple months into owning my first house and I already feel like I'm living in a National Geographic special:
- Had a roofer out to check things before installing solar (thankfully!), and he found some shingles that were basically held together by moss and hope.
- The solar guy said we were lucky we checked first, or we'd have been in the same boat as you with leaks down the line.
- But squirrels...yeah, they're relentless. No solar yet, but they're already eyeballing my attic vents like it's prime real estate. Critter guards are definitely on my shopping list now.
Thanks for sharing your experience—now I know to double-check everything before panels go up and maybe invest in some anti-squirrel tech. Homeownership is just full of surprises, isn't it?
Had a similar battle myself:
- Tried metal guards... squirrels laughed at me.
- Finally went with heavy-duty galvanized mesh—no issues yet.
- Roofing guy swears by trimming back branches too, says it makes a huge difference.
Good luck man, squirrels are crafty little devils.
Trimming branches definitely helps, but honestly, squirrels are insanely clever. Had a customer who thought galvanized mesh was foolproof until they found a tiny gap—chewed right through. Keep an eye out regularly...these little guys don't quit easily.