Solar Panels and Your Roof:
What the Solar Company Won't Tell You

Re-Roof First. Solar Second. In That Order.

I get calls from homeowners who went solar a couple years ago and are now calling me because their roof is leaking. Maybe the roof was already close to done when they signed the solar contract and nobody flagged it. Maybe the installation foot traffic cracked tiles. Whatever the reason — now they've got two problems instead of one.

And here's the part that really stings: before I can touch their roof, every single panel has to come off. Then go back on. That's a separate cost — $250 to $300 per panel, just for removal and reinstallation. Take a house with 16 panels covering one facet. That's $4,800 before I've touched a single tile — just to get access to the roof.

And here's what most homeowners don't realize: spot fixes don't work when there are panels over the problem area. Most contractors won't touch it, because you can't warranty work you can't fully see and access. I can't pull two tiles, fix a flashing, and call it done if there's a panel field sitting over it. If the issue is under panels, the fix has to be a full tile lift and relay, a tile replacement, or at minimum a facet-wide repair — which means every panel on that section comes off first. No shortcuts exist on that job.

My rule of thumb: if your roof has fewer than 10 good years left, re-roof before you go solar. A 25-year solar loan on a roof that needs replacing in 5 years is not a deal — it's a setup. Get the roof right, get it warranted, then put panels on it.

Solar on a sound roof is a great investment. Solar on a roof that's already aged out is a problem you're financing.

The Underlayment Nobody's Talking About

This is something most homeowners never hear about, but it's one of the most consequential choices on any solar-adjacent roof job — and most contractors are getting it wrong.

When solar brackets get bolted through your roof, they're creating penetrations — holes through the tile and into the deck. How those penetrations get sealed is everything. A lot of contractors still use traditional felt underlayment. Some use Titanium UDL50, which is a synthetic from the same manufacturer as PSU30 — it's stronger than felt, but it still doesn't have a rubber backing. It doesn't seal around the hardware.

We use PSU30 peel-and-stick rubberized underlayment. PSU30 is a self-adhering modified bitumen membrane — it's not paper, it's rubber. I actually bring a material sample to consultations and show people the difference, because you have to feel it to understand it. When solar brackets are installed into a PSU30 field, the heat from install causes the rubberized material to melt slightly and mold around the base of the mount. It self-seals. The bracket becomes part of the membrane instead of just poking through it.

Felt tears. UDL50 tears. Neither one seals around the hardware — they just sit there and let water find a path. And remember, when that path finds its way in, you're not just fixing a leak — you're paying $250 to $300 per panel to move every panel off the roof before you can even get to it.

PSU30 also handles the heat cycling better than felt or synthetic sheet goods. IE rooftops hit 160°F in July. Felt gets brittle, cracks, and loses flexibility over time under that kind of heat. Rubberized membrane stays pliable. If you're committing to 25 years of solar on this roof, the underlayment needs to be able to go the distance.

Who's Actually Licensed to Touch Your Roof?

This is where I get real with people because the solar industry is not going to tell you this themselves.

Most solar companies in California hold a B General Contractor license. That's a general construction license — it covers a wide range of work but it does not make someone a roofing contractor. In California, specialty roofing work requires a C39 Roofing Contractor license — a separate classification with its own exam, its own experience requirements, and its own accountability.

When a solar crew is drilling through your roof deck, setting mounts, and sealing penetrations — that is roofing work. If they're doing it under a B license instead of a C39, the people on your roof are not held to roofing standards. Because legally, they're not roofers.

It gets messier when they sub it out. A lot of solar companies don't have their own install crew at all. They sell the job and hand it off to whoever's available. You signed a contract with one company, and somebody you've never heard of showed up on your roof. When it's not your crew, you have no control over the quality of the work — and if something goes wrong, good luck figuring out who's responsible.

Before anyone does roofing-adjacent work on your home — whether it's a solar company or anyone else — look them up on the CSLB website at cslb.ca.gov. The license number should be visible before they touch anything.

Solar Companies Go Out of Business

You've seen the stories. Big names in residential solar filing for bankruptcy, leaving tens of thousands of homeowners with no warranty support, no one to call, and a bunch of penetrations in their roof that nobody's responsible for anymore.

This happens all the time. The solar business runs on thin margins, aggressive financing, and a lot of customer acquisition spend. When the market shifts or rates move, companies fold fast. And when they go, your "roof warranty" goes with them — if they even issued one to begin with.

Your roof warranty needs to come from a licensed roofing contractor who's going to be around when you need them — not from the company that sold you the solar system. Those are two different things and they should stay two different things. The solar company handles the panels and the electrical. A C39 roofer handles anything touching the roof deck. Keep those separate and you know who's accountable for what.

Every mount is a hole through your roof. That hole needs to be sealed by someone licensed to seal it — and someone who'll still be in business when it matters.

Already Have Solar? Check These Things

If panels are already on your roof and you want to know what's going on underneath them, here's what I look for when I walk one of these:

• Flashing condition around each mount — this is where 90% of solar-related leaks originate
• Cracked or displaced tiles in the panel footprint — foot traffic during install is rough on tile if they weren't careful
• Sealant condition at the base of each bracket — if it's dried out, cracked, or pulling away from the tile, it's not doing anything
• Attic inspection below the panel area — staining, soft decking, or wet insulation tells you what's been happening up there
• Whether any felt underlayment is visible and torn around penetration points

If you're seeing any of those, don't start with the solar company — call a C39 roofer. The solar company's job is the panels and the power generation. Keeping water out of your home is a roofing problem.

The Short Version

If you're thinking about solar: get your roof inspected first by a licensed roofer. If it's got less than 10 years left, do the roof first and do it right — rubberized underlayment, proper warranty, the whole thing. Then go solar on a clean surface. A re-roof now is a fraction of the cost of a re-roof later plus $250–$300 per panel to move the system twice.

If you're already solar: find out who actually did the roofing work, check their C39 status, and have someone walk the roof if you haven't had it looked at since install. If there's a problem under a panel field, the sooner you catch it the better — because the fix doesn't get cheaper the longer you wait. The sun is free. A leak-damaged ceiling is not.