DIY Solar on the Rooftop

Use your stud finder to locate each rafter running the length of your roof. These wooden beams will serve as the anchor points for your solar panel mounting brackets. Each panel will require at least two rafters, and the layout of your panel array will determine how many rafters you will need to locate. Use your marker to indicate both edges of each rafter.

Use your tape measure to mark the center of each rafter at one end, directly between the marks you made along each edge. Repeat the process at the other end of the rafters. Use your chalk line to snap a guideline along the center of each rafter. Use this line as your reference when drilling and installing the solar panel mounting brackets.

Use your power drill to make pilot holes through the roofing surface and into the rafters below. Drill the holes according to the solar panel mounting bracket manufacturer's instructions. Different types of brackets may require different amounts of holes and different hole locations. Drill your holes along the chalk guideline to keep them centered and the panels straight.

Use your ratchet set to tighten lag bolts through the mounting brackets and into the pilot holes. Install metal flashing to protect the exposed mounts and your roofing surface. Your flashing should wrap around the mounting brackets and extend outward at the base. Flashing keeps water away from vulnerable areas of your roof. Use a hammer and roofing nails to fasten the flashing to the roof. Use roofing tar to seal the inside edge of the flashing where it meets the brackets and the nail locations.

Raise your solar panels up to the roofing surface with the help of an assistant or two and a roof pulley system. Lay the panels onto the appropriate number of brackets, and use your ratchet set and the hardware provided by the manufacturer to fasten each panel in place.

Refer to local building codes and electrical regulations when installing the wiring for your solar panels. Run steel conduit along the next highest rafter on your roof, just above the panel array. Anchor the conduit to the rafter using lag bolts, and use wooden platforms to provide the necessary spacing between the rooftop surface and the conduit. Your local regulations will determine this height. It is important to keep the conduit away from the surface of the roof to prevent water seeping in and corroding the piping.

Install a steel junction box, also suspended above the rooftop surface, at the point where your panel wiring comes together. Connect the wiring according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Install a power inverter indoors somewhere near the panel array where the wiring can be easily run and where the inverter will remain dry and safe. The inverter converts the DC power from your panels into AC power that can be used in your home. Mount the inverter off the floor according to local regulations, and connect the panel wiring according to the manufacturer's instructions.