DIY Home Solar Installation: How to select the right Solar Rack Part 1

Tackling a solar home installation can be a challenge. A home solar installation will include up to or more than a thousand parts! Gathering the right component parts can be challenging, but in this article we will simplify at least one component in any home solar installation: panel mounts otherwise known as solar racking. Without further ado, here we go!

Each step will provide support in picking the correct solar rack (rail) for your solar installation. Environmental and structural conditions will vary, we will try to discuss the pros and cons about the different conditions in a future article.

The information here is provided by SolarTown, hopefully you will find this article helpful in installing solar in your home! As always, please confirm with an independent source before moving ahead with your project.

Good luck and more importantly enjoy!

Best Regards,

Tom_D SolarTown

Step 1 Measure the available space

Evaluate the available space on where you want the solar panels. Either on the roof, on the ground or on a pole, we need to know the available square footage before we begin. Take out your trusty tape measure (a wonderful invention) and start measuring, for those with a fancy laser-measure take it out and shoot the laser to find the length and width.

At this point you will have the length and width, I understand you’re excited but don’t forget to jot down the total length and width! We will elaborate more on surface types and their benefits and challenges in a later article .