To replace or not replace shingles prior to install???

[dancudds]

I am scheduled for Tesla panels end of March. I had "40 year" class A singles installed in 2005 on the roof. The Tesla inspection didn't flag anything on the condition but should I replace???
Best case, I have another 25 years of usage from this roof. Worst case, they fail soon but could I hold Tesla to account on that?
What have others done? It's likely $6k I won't feel good about spending but will of course feel worse if I don't and it fails. Tesla won't give me a quote upfront for removal/replacement.

 

[Dan123]

I wouldn't replace shingles, unless you are told that they are near the end of their live. You can ask a roofer to inspect them.

 

[jboy210]

I think you you strongly consider having someone get up there and look at the shingles. If they are asphalt shingles I really question if they can last 40 years.

FWIW we are on our second "30-year" tile roof in since the 90s. It does not leak, but looks worn. Ripping it off to replace it with a solarglass roof.

 

[sewing1]

If you do replace your roof shingles in preparation for a solar panel install then you can include that cost in your 2020 26% federal solar credit.

 

[mswlogo]

I had our 10 year old shingles that were in great condition (probably 30 year shingles) replaced before installing Solar.

I'm glad I did it.

Keep in mind they are mounting a lot of hardware on the roof, 15 year old shingles are brittle and the sticky strip under the shingle melts/seals to the shingle below is dried out. When you start lifting them and poking holes through them, bad things (can) happen.

The fresh shingles are pliable and will adhere to the flashing used to mount the hardware.

There was a recent thread about someone complaining about leaks after an install with photos. I could immediately see it was not a fresh roof and bound to have problems.

P.S. I alway prefer "roof work" be done when it's good and warm for similar reasons.

 

[jboy210]

If you do replace your roof shingles in preparation for a solar panel install then you can include that cost in your 2020 26% federal solar credit.

Is that correct? A solar sales guy told us that, but our accountant did not believe that was legal because the roof was not producing solar power. However, She did say we could be eligible for other tax credit of 10% "non-business energy tax credit" if the roof was made with qualified material that reduced our energy needs. This same credit can be applied to window replacements and insulation that reduce energy needs.

Also, it brings up the question with a solar glass roof. Is the entire costs of the roof eligible for the 26% credit? Or is only the section that produces electricity. I thought it was just the latter, but hoping it is the former!

 

[woferry]

When Tesla wrote up my invoice it clearly indicated which things qualified for the credit and which things didn't. The actual roofing material and labor was split into these two buckets, as well as the taxes. None of the upgrades or extra roof work (extra tear-off, deck replacement, fascia repair, gutters, roof prep) were qualifying per Tesla, all of the Powerwall bits were qualifying. In fact there was even a section under the solar portion identified as "Non-qualifying materials in solar portion", it was ~1.5% of the solar portion's cost.

 

[jboy210]

When Tesla wrote up my invoice it clearly indicated which things qualified for the credit and which things didn't. The actual roofing material and labor was split into these two buckets, as well as the taxes. None of the upgrades or extra roof work (extra tear-off, deck replacement, fascia repair, gutters, roof prep) were qualifying per Tesla, all of the Powerwall bits were qualifying. In fact there was even a section under the solar portion identified as "Non-qualifying materials in solar portion", it was ~1.5% of the solar portion's cost.

Does that "non-qualifiying materials" include the inactive roof panels?

 

[woferry]

There were 3 lines for the actual roof materials:

Solar Roof (solar portion)
- Qualifying solar portion
- Non-qualifying materials in solar portion
Solar Roof (non-solar portion)

Of those 3 (the first line just being a section header), only "Qualifying solar portion" was marked as eligible for the ITC. The middle line was ~1.5% of the Solar Roof (solar portion) total. So no, the inactive tiles were all part of the last line.

 

[sevusal]

If you do replace your roof shingles in preparation for a solar panel install then you can include that cost in your 2020 26% federal solar credit.

I don’t think you can do legally. I had my roof replaced prior to solar installation and I can only claim solar on my tax return

 

[Ampster]

I had my roof replaced prior to solar installation and I can only claim solar on my tax return

Opinions vary. You might not be able take the entire roof but a good case can be made for that portion related to the solar installing. Most issues regarding the legality of something focus on the drawing of a line. Sometime that line can be fuzzy and sometimes is is a very fine line.

 

[patrick40363]

Read what the IRS code says for the tax credit. It includes items that don't produce which can't be denied. When I get a new solar roof this year I intend to write off the entire cost. My CPA isn't sure if you can/cannot.

 

[X-pilot]

Is that correct? A solar sales guy told us that, but our accountant did not believe that was legal because the roof was not producing solar power. However, She did say we could be eligible for other tax credit of 10% "non-business energy tax credit" if the roof was made with qualified material that reduced our energy needs. This same credit can be applied to window replacements and insulation that reduce energy needs.

Also, it brings up the question with a solar glass roof. Is the entire costs of the roof eligible for the 26% credit? Or is only the section that produces electricity. I thought it was just the latter, but hoping it is the former!

My understanding is that ALL of roofing repairs/replacement is included if done in conjunction with the solar panel install. I've had several different solar roofing companies state the same thing. It would include Powerwalls if installed at the same time, but not if done later.

 

[brucet999]

My understanding is that ALL of roofing repairs/replacement is included if done in conjunction with the solar panel install. I've had several different solar roofing companies state the same thing. It would include Powerwalls if installed at the same time, but not if done later.

You can reasonably include roofing work that is necessary for installation of solar, which could mean that part under the panels (especially if you have to replace shakes with composition or if the roof has to be re-inforced or re-sheathed to take the weight and/or wind loads of the solar installation.). You might even stretch the rule to cover cost of the whole plane of the roof where solar is installed, but other parts of the roof would not qualify.

 

[jboy210]

Opinions vary. You might not be able take the entire roof but a good case can be made for that portion related to the solar installing. Most issues regarding the legality of something focus on the drawing of a line. Sometime that line can be fuzzy and sometimes is is a very fine line.

And the problem is the line is subject to interpretation by different tax authorities. I try not to be overly aggressive having been audited before. Turned out we actually paid the correct taxes, but by the time you paid for accountant and tax attorney time we lost money on the deal even thought we won the case. So now days we do not draw the line with too much gray.

 

[jboy210]

I am scheduled for Tesla panels end of March. I had "40 year" class A singles installed in 2005 on the roof. The Tesla inspection didn't flag anything on the condition but should I replace???
Best case, I have another 25 years of usage from this roof. Worst case, they fail soon but could I hold Tesla to account on that?
What have others done? It's likely $6k I won't feel good about spending but will of course feel worse if I don't and it fails. Tesla won't give me a quote upfront for removal/replacement.

You might also get lucky. Telsa told this guy the roof was fine and when they got out to install the decided it needed to be replaced. So Tesla paid for the roof replacement!

He is really entertaining.

 

[cwied]

My understanding is that ALL of roofing repairs/replacement is included if done in conjunction with the solar panel install. I've had several different solar roofing companies state the same thing. It would include Powerwalls if installed at the same time, but not if done later.

I've heard that only the portion of the roof under the solar panels can be claimed.

One correction on the Powerwalls: as long as the powerwalls charge only from solar, they are eligible even if installed later. There is an IRS letter confirming this: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-wd/201809003.pdf

 

[TMThree]

You might also get lucky. Telsa told this guy the roof was fine and when they got out to install the decided it needed to be replaced. So Tesla paid for the roof replacement!

He is really entertaining.

Super risky if they decided to install on top of it.

If your roof needs to be replaced, a lot of shops will charge $5000 and up to tear down the install, and then reinstall it after the roofer is done.


40 year shingles are not really 40 year. It all depends on the environment, and also things like heat cycles, how much abuse they've been subjected to, granules and structure. It's more of a marketing term these days. My new roof has a 50 year warranty but in my neck of the woods, if you get 20 years out of shingles, you're doing well.

 

[Ulmo]

If your roof needs to be replaced, a lot of shops will charge $5000 and up to tear down the install, and then reinstall it after the roofer is done.

In the olden days, that is something family men would do for free, let the roofers come in and reroof, and then the men would go back up and put back the solar panels. The government wouldn't be involved at all in those days! It was much better in that way back then.

The dumbing down of what we are allowed to do has taken simple tasks that most humans are quite great at and turned them into illegal activities. We can easily learn the basics of safe solar panel installation if we are allowed to, but since we are not allowed to learn about it, then we don't get good at it, and tribal knowledge among neighbors does not form, and the cycle worsens. Back when most of us owned farms, we knew how to tend our farms just fine, and that's a lot more complicated than a few solar panels, racking, and wiring.

 

[Macbest]

Here was my situation. I have a 40 year tile roof in SF Bay Area. Tesla Inspector came out and said all was good. Waited three months for install. Day comes and they bring a team of 10 for solar and battery. They install the batteries, switching gear and some of the solar panels. Then they discover that the underlayment is rotten and needs to be replaced. They then proceed to remove everything they installed. I couldn’t get them to change that. I got a bid from tesla and they are working to get the underlayment replaced and then will proceed with reinstalling solar and battery!

Good news from this post is that charge clearly will apply to the tax credit. Bad news is who knows how long all this will take to get addressed and then installed. It’s no wonder install dates are so long out in terms of wait time when they do double work in my case (put on - take off).