What removal and reset means
The equipment is taken off the roof, stored safely, and reinstalled once the new roof is finished. For solar electric that means panels, rails and often the wiring management. For pool heating and water heating it means collectors, headers and the plumbing that penetrates the roof.
It is skilled work in both directions. Panels are heavy and fragile, thermal collectors are easy to damage, and everything that goes back through the roof deck is a potential leak if it is not flashed properly.
Sequencing it with your roofer
- Book the removal and the reset before the roofing is scheduled, not after. Roofing crews move fast and a gap in the middle costs everyone.
- Agree who is responsible for the flashing at each penetration on the new roof. This is the single most common source of argument later.
- Expect a gap between removal and reset. Your solar will not be producing during it, and a pool or water heating system will be offline.
- Anything that requires a permit or a utility notification takes calendar time. Ask early.
Photograph everything first
Before anybody touches the roof, take photographs from the ground of the full array, of each equipment label you can reach safely, and of the existing penetrations. Note the panel count.
This is the record that settles questions afterwards: whether a panel was already cracked, how many there were, where they sat. It takes five minutes and it is worth having.
Penetrations, flashing and warranties
Your new roof will have its own warranty from the roofer, and the interaction between that warranty and the solar mounting is worth confirming in writing before work starts.
AllSolar Energy offers a 25 Year Limited Solar Electric Penetration Warranty on its own solar electric installations, covering workmanship causing active water intrusion at AllSolar penetrations and flashing. It is labor only, it requires an annual paid AllSolar inspection to stay active, and it is solar electric only. It does not apply to pool heating or water heating collectors. The full terms are published with the official warranty documents.
Keep the removal and reset record
Years later, someone will ask when the roof was done, who removed the solar, whether anything was replaced at the same time, and whether the array went back exactly as it was. If that is written down, the conversation takes a minute. If it is not, it takes an inspection.