Do roof solar panels and hail mix?
Question:Live in Texas and would like to consider solar, but why invest lots of $$ if the first hail storm would destroy it? Would a typical solar panel stand up to softball size hail? Would insurance cover?
Answers:
There is little ... Let me change that .. there is no chance that anything could stand up to a softball size hail ball. However I have 8 solar modules in my back yard and they went through a hail storm that did over $10,000 damage to my home and almost $8,000 to my truck. These modules have a 4 pound hail impact rating. I did have one small cheapie module that that was not hail rated and broke which the Ins. paid me $900.00 for.
This link shows my setup and notice the small module setting on top of the metal barn has a dent in the glass on the left side. It still works and later gave it to a friend and he still uses it. The 8 modules in the array did not even get a scrach. The top two are Shell 85 watt. the next two down are Sunwize 90 watt and the 4 on the bottom are Ever Green 115 watt.
http://www.oynot.com/solar-panels.html...
So they are covered and you should get paid for damage depending on if you have home owners insurance or not. I don't know of any that excludes solar.
You have to make sure you get hail-resistant solar panels. Ask for details with different brands of panels. They have to have a certificate that they passed hail tests. I don't know to what size of hail the tests are valid, but the producers will probably tell you.
Sometimes the certificate says something like "impact resistant". But softball size seems a little bit too large for me. Make really sure before you buy. Maybe get just one and see if it lasts, then buy more.
Most solar panels are glazed with tempered glass and will take quite a beating, but softball sized hail? I would consult with the manufacturer or distributor.
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