NARROW FLASHING FOR WATERPROOF MOUNTING OF SOLAR PANELS TO A ROOF
Improved versions of flat flashings are used for waterproofing mounting hardware that holds photovoltaic solar panels on a roof; typically, such a roof is a pitched, composition shingle roof. The flashings are narrow in width, and have chamfered and/or rounded corners, and a variety of alignment marks printed on the flashing for aligning the flashing with adjacent shingles. The height/width aspect ratio of the flashing can range from 1.4 to 2.0, or more.
This invention pertains to structures for mounting and attaching photovoltaic solar panels on roofs.
Introduction and Related ArtThe term “flashing” refers to a thin, generally flat sheet of metal or plastic or composite material that serves as part of an integrated system that waterproofs the mounting structures that hold photovoltaic solar panels on a roof, typically a pitched, composition shingle roof. The flashing serves as a replacement shingle that drains water off of the roof during a rainstorm. The flashing slips underneath the existing shingles at the point where a solar panel is mounted to the roof, typically above an underlying structural beam (rafter). Pipe vent flashings existed before solar attachment flashings, and were the basis for solar flashings. Flashing widths for pipe vent flashings were designed to provide water shedding for roof penetrations due to pipe vents. Pipe vents, and thus roof penetrations due to pipe vents, range in diameter typically from one to four inches. Flashing widths for solar flashings should be designed to provide water shedding for roof penetrations due to lag bolts (solar system attachment purposes). Lag bolts are typically 5/16 inch in diameter. Since the diameters of lag bolts are significantly less than pipe vents, “solar” flashing used to flash lag bolts should be significantly narrower than pipe vent flashings. The length of a flashing is somewhat fixed due to the need for a flashing to extend into the third course of composition shingles. Since a flashing length (height) is fixed, but the proposed width of a solar flashing can be narrower (e.g., less than 7 inches) due to the smaller penetration diameter being flashed, the aspect ratio of a solar flashing can be as high as 2.0, or more. Further, the distance from the flashing aperture to the downslope edge of a typical solar flashing is 3 inches. Exposure of the roof penetration, at the attachment fastener, to rain, snow, snow melt, etc., is then 3 inches from the downslope edge of the flashing. In the present invention, one embodiment is to apply the 3 inch distance to the downslope edge to the edge distance to the sides of the flashing, resulting in a 6 inch wide flashing. Since flashings are typically made of stamped sheet metal, flashings can result in at least two problems: (1) dropping a flashing with a sharp corner onto a roof surface can result in the sharp corner penetrating or lancing an element of the roofing system/water sealing system, and (2) sharp corners can result in cuts to installers' hands, especially in retrofit applications (installation of flashing onto existing roofing systems), since an installer must forcefully insert a flashing under adhered and nailed composition shingles. The use of butyl tape has long been used in the roofing industry (attachment directly to composition shingles, interleaf on corrugated metal roofs, etc.). The application of a butyl pad to provide water sealing between a solar mounting attachment and a metal flashing is a new application and provides a cost advantage over typical solar flashings in that it requires fewer operations and yet results in a product that is equal to if not superior to traditional solar flashings with protrusions at the aperture and some type of EPDM/elastomeric sealing washer.
A large number of flashing patents in a single patent family have been granted to EcoFasten, Inc., including U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,151,522, 8,153,700, 8,209,914, 8,413,388, 8,245,454, 8,166,713, 8,146,299, 8,181,398, 8,701,354, 8,272,174, 8,225,557, 9,127,464, 9,422,721, 9,134,044, 9,422,723, and 9,447,988. U.S. Patent Application Publications 2016/0344332 and 2016/0344333 are also of interest. These types of flashings typically have a cone-shaped, raised protrusion that sticks out above the roofline.
Flashing patents have also been granted to D-Three Enterprises (Zilla) for flashings with raised protrusions, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,661,765, 8,869,490, 8,479,455, 8,448,405, 9,068,339, 8,707,654, 8,707,655, 8,752,338, 8,833,032, 8,689,517, and 8,833,033.
Other flashing patents have been granted to Quick Mount PV for flashings with raised protrusions, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,762,027, 8,938,932, 7,895,808, and 7,905,064. U.S. Patent Application Publications 2015/0168021 and 2016/0164452 are also of interest.
Still other flashing patents have been granted to Solar City (ZEP) for flashings with raised protrusions, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,756,881, 9,097,441, and 9,062,897. U.S. Patent Application Publications 2016/0087576 and 2016/0102460 are also of interest.
Further flashing patents have been granted to C. Lanza for flashings with slanted protrusions, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,316,592, 8,869,470, and 9,181,705. Also of interest is U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016/0087574.
Yet other flashing patents have been granted to SnapnRack (Mainstream Energy/Sunrun South) for flashings with raised protrusions, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,739,471, 8,539,719, 9,151,315, and 8,250,829. U.S. Patent Application Publications 2016/0043687, 2016/0043688, and 2016/0043689 are of interest as well.
At least one flashing patent application has been filed by Ecolibrium. This application for flashings is now published as U.S. Patent Application Publication 2015/0129517.
Several flashing patents have also been granted to Sunmodo for flashings with raised protrusions, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,122,648 and 8,935,893.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,713,858 has been granted to Magerack for flashings with raised protrusions.
A patent application by Ironridge for flashings has also been filed; this application is now published as U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016/0134230.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,607 has been granted to Thompson Technology Industries for flashings with raised protrusions.
Against this background, the present invention was developed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONImproved versions of flat flashings are used for waterproofing mounting hardware that holds photovoltaic solar panels on a roof; typically, such a roof would be a pitched, composition shingle roof. The flashings are narrow in width and have chamfered and/or rounded corners, and a variety of alignment marks printed on the flashing for aligning the flashing with adjacent shingles. The height/width (H/W) aspect ratio of the flashing can range from 1.4 to 2.0, or more.
The present invention relates to narrow flashings that are improved versions of flashings and are used for waterproofing mounting hardware that holds photovoltaic solar panels on a roof; typically, such a roof is a pitched, composition shingle roof. These narrow flashings are flat and have no raised protrusions. As such, they are less expensive to manufacture. Water sealing is accomplished through the use of a rubber, butyl, adhesive, or an EDPM washer, which is compressed underneath the head of a lag screw that screws through the roofing layers into an underlying rafter, and which is also used as a sealing pad disposed underneath a bracket (L-foot, slider bar, etc.) that is attached by the lag screw. The y-axis direction aligns with the long dimension of the flashing, and the x-axis aligns with the short dimension of the flashing, as indicated in the figures. The direction of a sloped roof is indicated in the figures as “slope”, and is parallel to the y-axis direction. The “downslope end” of the flashing refers to the bottom of the flashing when applied to a sloped roof, and the “upslope end” refers to the top of the flashing.
The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. A flat flashing for use in mounting solar panels to a roof, the flashing comprising:
- a flat sheet of metal or plastic with an aperture disposed in a lower portion of the flashing;
- first and second pairs of rounded upper corners at an upper end of the flashing, with a pair of angled straight-line segments of flashing perimeter disposed in between each adjacent first and second pair of rounded upper corners; and
- a third pair of rounded lower corners disposed in the lower portion of the flashing.
2. The flat flashing of claim 1, further comprising a pair of parallel lines printed on the flashing, disposed equidistant on either side of the aperture and aligned along a north-south direction.
3. The flat flashing of claim 1, further comprising a horizontal bar printed on the flashing, disposed above the aperture and aligned along an east-west direction.
4. A flat flashing for use in mounting solar panels to a roof, the flashing comprising:
- a flat sheet of metal or plastic with an aperture disposed in a lower portion of the flashing;
- a first pair of rounded upper corners disposed at an upper end of the flashing;
- a second pair of rounded lower corners disposed in the lower portion of the flashing; and
- a “cross” printed on the flashing, disposed above the horizontal bar and aligned along an east-west/north-south direction.
5. The flat flashing of claim 1, further comprising a pair of side marks printed on the flashing, and located on east and west sides of the flashing, at a height equal to a height of the aperture.
6. The flat flashing of claim 1, wherein a ratio of height divided by width of the flashing is equal to 1.4.
7. The flat flashing of claim 1, wherein a ratio of height divided by width of the flashing is greater than or equal to 2.0.
8. The flat flashing of claim 7, wherein the rounded lower corners disposed in the lower portion of the flashing combine to make a semi-circular rounded lower end of the flashing.
9. The flat flashing of claim 1, wherein a ratio of height divided by width of the flashing ranges from 1.4 to 2.0.
10. The flat flashing of claim 1, wherein the aperture is located midway across the flashing in an east-west direction, and approximately ¼ of the way up from a southern-most edge.
11. The flat flashing of claim 1, further comprising a “U”-shaped mark printed on the lower portion of the flashing, and disposed so that the U-shaped mark partially surrounds the aperture.
12. A flat flashing for use in mounting solar panels to a roof, the flashing comprising:
- a flat sheet of metal or plastic with an aperture disposed in a lower portion of the flashing;
- a first pair of chamfered, rounded upper corners disposed at an upper end of the flashing;
- a second pair of rounded lower corners disposed in the lower portion of the flashing;
- a pair of parallel lines printed on the flashing, disposed equidistant on either side of the aperture and aligned along a north-south direction;
- a horizontal bar printed on the flashing, disposed above the aperture and aligned along an east-west direction;
- a “cross” printed on the flashing, disposed above the horizontal bar and aligned along an east-west/north-south direction; and
- a pair of printed side marks located on east and west sides of the flashing, at a height equal to a height of the aperture;
- wherein a ratio of height divided by width of the flashing is equal to 1.4; and
- wherein the aperture is located midway across the flashing in an east-west direction, and approximately ¼ of the way up from a southernmost edge.
13. A flat flashing for use in mounting solar panels to a roof, the flashing comprising:
- a flat sheet of metal or plastic with an aperture disposed in a lower portion of the flashing;
- a first pair of rounded upper corners disposed at an upper end of the flashing;
- a second pair of rounded lower corners disposed in the lower portion of the flashing;
- a pair of parallel lines printed on the flashing, disposed equidistant on either side of the aperture, and aligned along a north-south direction;
- a horizontal bar printed on the flashing, disposed above the aperture, and aligned along an east-west direction;
- a “cross” printed on the flashing, disposed above the horizontal bar, and aligned along an east-west/north-south direction; and
- a pair of printed side marks located on east and west sides of the flashing, at a height equal to a height of the aperture;
- wherein a ratio of height divided by width of the flashing is equal to 2.0; and
- wherein the aperture is located midway across the flashing in an east-west direction, and approximately ¼ of the way up from a southernmost edge.
14. An assembly for mounting a solar panel to a roof, the assembly comprising:
- a flashing including a flat sheet of metal or plastic with an aperture disposed in a lower portion of the flashing, first and second pairs of rounded upper corners disposed at an upper end of the flashing, with a pair of angled straight-line segments of flashing perimeter disposed in between each adjacent first and second pairs of rounded upper corners, and a third pair of rounded lower corners disposed in the lower portion of the flashing;
- a bracket;
- a lag-screw including a head;
- an elastomeric washer disposed between the head of the lag screw and a lower flange of the bracket; and
- a sealing pad disposed in-between the lower flange of the bracket and the flashing for the purpose of water sealing.
15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein a ratio of height divided by width of the flashing is greater than or equal to 2.0.
16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the rounded lower corners disposed in the lower portion of the flashing combine to make a semi-circular rounded lower end of the flashing.
17. The assembly of claim 14, wherein a ratio of height divided by width of the flashing ranges from 1.4 to 2.0.
18. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the sealing pad comprises an elastomeric or butyl rubber.
19. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the sealing pad comprises an adhesive material.
20. The assembly of claim 14, wherein a radius of the rounded lower corners is at least 5 times greater than a radius of the rounded upper corners.
21. The assembly of claim 14, wherein a width of the flashing is less than or equal to 7 inches.
22. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the bracket is a slider bar; the elastomeric washer is disposed in-between the head of the lag screw and the slider bar; and the sealing pad is disposed in-between the slider bar and the flashing.
23. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the bracket is an L-foot.
24. A flat flashing for use in mounting solar panels to a roof, the flashing comprising:
- a flat sheet of metal or plastic with an aperture disposed in a lower portion of the flashing;
- a first pair of rounded upper corners disposed at an upper end of the flashing; and
- a second pair of rounded lower corners disposed in the lower portion of the flashing;
- wherein a radius of the second pair of rounded lower corners is greater than or equal to ¼ of a height of the flashing.
25. A flat flashing for use in mounting solar panels to a roof, the flashing comprising:
- a flat sheet of metal or plastic with an aperture disposed in a lower portion of the flashing;
- a first pair of rounded upper corners disposed at an upper end of the flashing; and
- a second pair of rounded lower corners disposed in the lower portion of the flashing;
- wherein a radius of the second pair of rounded lower corners is equal to a distance between a center of the aperture and a bottom end of the lower portion of the flashing.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 17, 2017
Publication Date: Apr 18, 2019
Inventors: Jason MAYFIELD (Albuquerque, NM), Nathan SCHUIT (Edgewood, NM)
Application Number: 15/785,492