Cracks on Ceiling after Installation of Solar Panels

Lpokalasp on 10/07/2021 - 16:56
Last edited 11/07/2021 - 12:22 by 1 other user

Around seven weeks ago, had solar panels installed at my house. We just realized there are few cracks on ceilings only around the places where solar panels installed.

I checked with Solar guy and he told me it's not because of Solar Panels installation. Also mentioned that he is happy to arrange installation guys to have a look but if it's proven wrong, I will have to pay for inspection call out fee of $150.

Can any one of you please suggest how to deal with this?

Should I arrange for a private inspection to evaluate or go with Solar guys installation team inspection first?

Please suggest.

Images:
https://imgur.com/78NmRhH
https://imgur.com/RJkBz7l
https://imgur.com/MOHgUsT
https://imgur.com/5vtVGWf
https://imgur.com/b91exl0
https://imgur.com/O9FFBfw
https://imgur.com/in50nSA
https://imgur.com/IpfFnXx

Home & Garden Solar Energy System

Comments

  • SF3 on 10/07/2021 - 17:02
    +3

    Maybe, it was caused by the installer whilst standing above where your ceilings were cracked?

  • avoidfullprice on 10/07/2021 - 17:05
    +11

    Get a private, and if he/she can prove the solar installer did it then get solar installer pay for the inspection and rectify it under warranty.

    Easier said than done.

    • MrFrugalSpend on 12/07/2021 - 23:20
      +1

      why would they replace it under warranty? presumably OP commissioned the install. Its not the solar panel installers problem to make sure the house engineering / framing / lining design isn't too poor to handle it without flexing.
      Most likely new house settling (as they do over first 10 years). Could have been brought forward by extra work / weight sure… but not really their problem.

      Is it on reactive clay site? M, H or E soil classification? All the cracking is also in the centre of the house. Easily caused by the slab conditions around the outside changing (e.g. drying out or vice versa - saucer effect / "dishing") whilst the centre stays as it was when the slab was poured. Good drainage and a well drained path sloping away from the house around the whole house solves this best. This is the cause of most cracks in slab on ground houses - especially in the height of winter.
      See: https://www.barrasonsengineers.com.au/cms/content/uploads/20…

  • mskeggs on 10/07/2021 - 17:39

    What kind of roof do you have?

    • pokalasp on 10/07/2021 - 17:42

      Tiles.

      • brad1-8tsi on 12/07/2021 - 11:42
        +1

        So it's a pitched roof.

        So if the installers lifted the tiles and attached the mounting brackets to the roof trusses, how did this transfer down to the ceiling joists?

        • sir-screwball on 12/07/2021 - 14:04
          +2

          Weight?

          Either from the installers walking around on the joists and trusses in the roof cavity, or of the added weight of all the solar components pressing down and stressing the cornice cement (which is where almost 100% of this damage comes from, it's just cement cracking away from the wall and/or ceiling).

          At the end of the day I don't know for sure, just dipping my wick into the conversation.

          • brad1-8tsi on 12/07/2021 - 15:19
            +3

            @sir-screwball: There's not a lot of static weight in panels or even the mounting hardware. Maybe once the wind loading is thrown in it might lift rather than provide downforce.

            Having been in lots of roof spaces and knowing how they are put together, I can't see how the cornices can go like that unless the ceiling joists aren't being fully supported by the wall plates which caused the ceiling plasterboard to flex.

            • sir-screwball on 12/07/2021 - 22:08

              @brad1-8tsi: Yeah I read another reply that talked about the panels picking up the joists. Absolutely fascinating.

              I live in a really old concrete home with tile roof, and none of my internal walls are load bearing so my cornice cracks like mad. I'm so used to just patching it up now I get indignant when others complain about little movements here and there.

  • joeyy17 on 10/07/2021 - 17:43

    You have any pictures?

  • scotty on 10/07/2021 - 19:32
    +2

    Someone also had ceiling damaged from solar panel installation last week, from installer accidentally dropped a tile on the roof. Also from Melbourne?

  • BeamMeUp on 10/07/2021 - 20:26
    +14

    Is it a newish house? Wouldn’t surprise me with how cheaply newer houses are constructed these days that the additional collective weight of the panels on the roof and the downward pressure on the timber’s causes the ceiling and plaster to flex or move causing some cracking. The plaster finishing is also done quickly and often badly so cracking of joins between sheets would also not be surprising. So it may not be as a direct result of action during the installation but cause and effect?

    • pokalasp on 11/07/2021 - 06:15
      +1

      It's an established (Mimosa built in Oct 2018) i bought couple of months ago.

      • snooksy on 11/07/2021 - 11:31
        +31

        House still settling. A plasterer or handyman can tidy that up. It’s your cornice not your plaster that needs repairing. You don’t have vaulted ceilings so unlikely directly caused by the solar panels. 3 years is a new house. Timber framing dries out for 10 years. Just a bit of movement perhaps due to the recent roof work

        • sir-screwball on 12/07/2021 - 14:05
          +1

          Full retail value would be well under $1000 to repair that.

  • YLD1 on 10/07/2021 - 20:36
    -8

    If id have to guess, I'd think the solar installers whilst in your roof dropped items such as tools accidentally that caused these cracks

    other thing is if your house is old and installed have put weight on your ceiling joists, the joists might have bowed a few mms and then caused the gyprock or plaster to crack

    all depends on the age of your house and what the ceiling is made up of

    Another thing is that the solar panels installation might have made holes in your tiles which has allowed water to enter your roof and then affect your ceiling

    • SBOB on 11/07/2021 - 07:24
      +8

      The cracks in the images they have posted won't be from anything being dropped.

      Most likely simply walking through the roof cavity to run conduit/cabling, which wont be due to negligence.

      • kzrocky on 13/07/2021 - 18:36

        I agree with SBOB.

        Cracks due to walking in roof cavity. The solar panels themselves unlikely to have caused damage to your plaster.
        Also, not negligent. Pay a plasterer to fixup, wont cost much.

  • Kranbone on 10/07/2021 - 22:42
    +1

    Get an independent report. Calling the original guy back he'll probably just say "yeah nah, not from me".

    • thatonethere on 10/07/2021 - 23:50
      +2

      Yeah will need an independent building inspector unfortunately. Probably looking at $500 plus.

      Then it will be he said she said…

      • MrFrugalSpend on 13/07/2021 - 21:47

        and given there is no significant damage here - just some very basic settling / flex crack repair, which happens in nearly all houses - its just simple low cost property maintenance, not worth any of this

        • Kranbone on 14/07/2021 - 12:02

          are you a professional and willing to stake your name to this?

          • MrFrugalSpend on 17/07/2021 - 18:50

            @Kranbone: yes I am a professional, over 20 years in the industry.
            I have no need to "stake my name to this" because this is the internet and couldn't be bothered making ridiculous statements like that

            Those are not structural cracks and are so small and in the usual places around cornices that flex causes cracking from settlement / seasonal movement etc.
            Cracks that are an issue are generally diagonally through something - e.g. across a wall or through bricks not the mortar, or more than 5mm wide, etc.

            By all means monitor - if it leads to or gets worse to something like that, then sure - but this - no.
            Years back, when I first saw cracks like this in a property I called in the structural engineer for the project and he basically laughed at me and said don't do buildings on clay soil if you don't like hairline cracks around the cornices.

    • SBOB on 11/07/2021 - 07:29
      +12

      Based on the locations of those not cracks it's not going to be due to things be dropped or stepping in the wrong places..that looks like movement in wall top beam areas.

      Either the weight of then walking through the roof cavity or the additional weight of the panels on your roof, has caused the compression on the roof beams/walls and the filler joint between cornice and wall has cracked

      A Bunnings trip for a scraper, sand paper, no gaps and matching paint for a touch up will fix that pretty easily.

      • wozz on 12/07/2021 - 07:09
        +4

        Agreed.. I can't imagine any possible way a solar install could damage or move your house frame unless it's made of paperwood, or maybe if they used jackhammer for the install..
        I don't think you have anything to worry about op, id just fill the gaps. Those have appeared in every house I've lived in, never anything to worry about except in 1 house (that was due to poor footings on clay soil)

        • Kangal on 12/07/2021 - 14:03

          SBOB wins this thread.
          I thought the exact same thing, especially considering the build cost plus age of the house, and the fluctuations in humidity and temperature.

          OP: just hire a handyman for 1-day and he can "touch up" these points for you. It seems you're not that adept with house-work and that's fine, but it looks mostly cosmetic at this stage anyway.

  • blwnhr on 11/07/2021 - 08:04
    +4

    There are a few here mentioning the additional weight of the solar panels. This is negligible, it's actually wind uplift forces that are the greatest. Wind gets under the panels and tries to rip them off, putting huge load on the structure underneath.

    Has it been very windy since you had the system installed?

    One scenario pops into my mind; When they were building your house there was a late change from Colorbond to tile roof (or it was meant to have a tile roof, but was under-designed to start with). Tiles are a lot heavier and require more structure. The roof structure may not have been revised in the change from Colorbond to tile, thus was working hard even before your solar panels were installed.
    Now you've had what amounts to a giant kite bolted to your roof, it's overloaded and cracks are the result.

    What's scary is, timber doesn't bend much. To open up gaps like that could mean things are right at the limit of failing, and timber give no warning before it fails.

    I suggest engaging a structural engineer to come out and inspect your roof. Probably reasonably urgently, moreso if your expecting strong weather.

    • stringbean402 on 12/07/2021 - 16:00

      I would be seriously worried, for the trusses to flex enough to cause cracks like that from walking on them something is not right.

      • blwnhr on 12/07/2021 - 17:57

        They wouldn't, it would have fallen down long before now.

        I would say the damage is cause by wind loads.

  • 10101010101 on 11/07/2021 - 08:55
    +2

    Given the house is a newish build then probably due to cheap building quality. I would get the builders to rectify based on original building warranty. The roof should not flex that much due to solar panel installation. Also arrange for an independent building inspector to assess safety because I'd hate for the roof to suddenly collapse. Yes it will cost you money but your family's safety is surely worth it

  • theguru1 on 11/07/2021 - 09:06
    +4

    Not caused by solar install. You just didn't notice before.

    Spend your money on a painter to fill the cracks.
    Fairly normal movement and easily repaired.

    Alternatively they installed the panels upside down and they are irradiating your ceiling.

  • filmw on 11/07/2021 - 09:52
    +7

    If your house is only built in 2018, perhaps another option is to get Mimosa to check for structural problem under 7 years structural warranty come with new houses? Either Mimosa has to fix it under warranty or they will have to prove it was done by solar installer to get out of fixing this?

    From experience, Builders can blame anything under the sun to try to get out of this. In this case I think they will say either solar installer or within normal movement threshold of new house.

    Good luck. That's all I can suggest.

  • kiitos on 11/07/2021 - 09:59

    Do you have photos of the solar install? Would be useful to see how many panels, size of them, where they cover.

  • TiLLiCoMe on 11/07/2021 - 11:21
    +3

    Have you gone up to the roof and check on the area where the installer have walked on? I advise you to go take a look and make sure none of the tiles are broken and check all tiles are in place.
    I had a leak in my ceiling and I suspected it was the installer. Got someone to inspect it and they found a few more tiles that will need to be replace around the area where the installer was walking. Otherwise on a sunny day go inside the cavity of your roof and see if there are any lights coming in.

  • OzHunterNSW on 11/07/2021 - 12:12
    -4

    What are you talking about? Where? How would people on the roof affect your ceiling?

    You have to think logically in ascertaining how this could be associated with people on the "out side" of your dwelling.

  • saliya on 11/07/2021 - 13:21
    +1

    Looks like some joists have moved down a little, causing the cornice to move.

    Had a slightly-different version of that happen when ducted reverse cycle aircon was installed (cornice cracked under the in-ceiling unit). I kept an eye on it for a few (16) years, it never moved any further. When we repainted the house, we replaced that section of cornice (about $30 for cornice + cement from Bunnings).

    Unlikely to be someone stepping directly on the ceiling, but you could verify by getting into the roof space and looking for footprints/disturbances that are not on joists…

  • HeWhoKnows on 11/07/2021 - 15:03
    -2

    Very minor issues and I see NO CRACKS!
    So petty..OMG

    This is a result of the timber expanding and contracting in the roof, possibly from changes in temperature and moisture content in the air.
    Its all quite natural and requires no immediate attention
    Can certainly be fixed during your next house paint job.

    As far as lodging a complaint, you have a huge task proving it had anything to do with the solar panels especially as it did not occur on the same day!

    If you must, it can be addressed with a minor push or tap with the palm of your hand and some polly-filler

  • WT on 11/07/2021 - 15:33

    It would be from the solar install but not their fault, that is the strongest part where the joist sits on the wall/wall frame. You can get a ladder and go up, if there are recent foot prints on the other side of the ceiling that would be 100% their fault, but doubtful an installer was that much of a noob. If the only evidence is them standing on beam/joists its just bad luck that the 1-2mm movement from standing on it shows twice as much inside on a painted surface.

    Most of that looks like it can be fixed with https://www.bunnings.com.au/selleys-180g-spakfilla-rapid-gap… and not need paint provided the cornice isnt loose.

    If its loose its a bigger job but it looks like it hasnt

  • Brendoo on 11/07/2021 - 19:53
    +2

    Gee, this seems like a quality issue with house construction rather than an issue that the solar people are responsible for. It was probably caused by the solar installation, but looking at the type of damage it probably wasn't their fault.

    If they were walking on the joists inside your roof that kind of movement shouldn't have moved/cracked the cornices/moulding. Also the weight of solar panels on the roof is almost nothing compared to the weight of the roof itself, so it also should not cause the damage you showed had the construction been more rigid.

    If it was me I'd just take a trip to Bunnings and fix it myself and move on, it probably wont move/crack any further. But if you don't want to do that, does your house still have a warranty seeing it's a recent build? If so, I'd go down that path after checking if this is covered in the warranty. It's all cosmetic so wouldn't be too expensive to be fixed under insurance.

    You could of course take a punt on the $150 with the solar guys. But the fact they are already saying to pay them $150 if they didn't do the damage may indicate they wont be going above and beyond to fix it as part of good customer service, even if it wasn't their fault.

  • gesco on 12/07/2021 - 02:15
    +1

    I had similar-looking damage and thought that it might be the roof trusses failing so I went to talk to one of the local truss manufacturers.

    His very first question was: do you have solar panels? Apparently trusses are designed to carry a specific roof weight and are manufactured curved up in the middle so that when the roof is finished they end up straight. When you add extra weight they sag further.

    Another interesting bit of information that I got from him is that the trusses span the whole building; the external walls support the trusses, the internal do not. The internal walls are attached to the trusses (with metal L-brackets) to stop the walls moving and not to support the trusses.

    • Kikkoman56 on 12/07/2021 - 09:15
      +7

      Can confirm - structural engineer here.

      Despite the trusses being pretty stiff, when you're spanning the whole width of the house the roof can still move quite a bit.
      For example, let's say a 12m span roof truss - reasonably should be between 40-60kg/m2 self weight including sheeting and ceiling.
      If it's designed for say span/500 deflection that would still be 24mm at the centre for the above weight.
      The preset of the trusses would have been designed to negate this so it's reasonably flat once installed.

      For solar panels, the self weight is usually between 10-15 kg/m2, so proportionally that increase in load would still cause 4-6mm deflection if there were panels from end to end of the truss. Obviously it would be less so if they were closer to the end walls and not going across the whole width of roof. But even so, half of that is still 2mm which if installed incorrectly would easily be enough to make the gaps you're seeing.

      Refer to page 6-7 in this Pryda roof truss installation guide for what is supposed to occur with a roof truss connected to a non-load bearing wall. As they say in 2.3:

      Non-load bearing walls shall not carry any truss loading at
      any time, and shall not be packed to touch the underside
      of the truss. It is common to set non load bearing walls
      lower than the supporting walls by an amount equal to the
      depth of the ceiling battens plus 10mm. The truss is still
      required to stabilize the top of the wall and this is done by
      using Pryda Partition Hitches which are nailed near the
      top of the vertical slots. Do not embed the nail heads fully
      home, as the truss must be allowed to settle downwards
      as time passes and the camber comes out of the truss.

      It could be that they haven't done that 100% and the deflection caused by the solar panels or the bloke in the ceiling cavity has caused them to deflect and crack those cornices.
      However, I should note that residential roof trusses aren't what I do so there might be something that I've missed or not aware of so I'd still say if you want to pursue this seek some local expertise to check it out.

  • s1Lence on 12/07/2021 - 04:22

    are you in perth? we also have a new house and there are quite a few cracks in similar areas but none as bad as yours

  • ippybear on 12/07/2021 - 06:26
    +1

    Solar panels weigh very little, more likely the house itself , settling after being built. That settling continues for a few years after construction. It's annoying but it's cosmetic

    • PaKoRa on 12/07/2021 - 08:35

      this - get some gap filler - and get busy - nothing major

  • tessel on 12/07/2021 - 07:30
    +2

    Dodgy house build. Cornice is coming off. By all means get a third party inspection but I'd say dodgy house build. Cornice is held on by cornice cement. The amount of weight from the top that would be required to dislodge that would have caused a heap more damage. As someone said above, it's a new build still, things are settling and add in probably a bare minimum build.

  • Trippelsewe on 12/07/2021 - 08:36

    Solar panels are only around 20kg/m² so doubt it would be them, if you are in doubt then get a structural engineer out, but they are $150/hour.

  • ECE on 12/07/2021 - 08:54
    +1

    Thats of Australian Standards 😷

  • Mrgreenz on 12/07/2021 - 09:08
    +1

    I dont think solar installers typically spend much/ if any time in the roofspace, most of the work is done from directly on the roof, where the load would be shed over many members and unlikely to cause damage as shown.

  • minotaurian on 12/07/2021 - 09:22

    Could it be coincidence? I lived in a 7 year old house as rental, and only noticed similar defects you have photograph until the final inspection. Pretty much occuring at a similar region as in your site plan. Pretty much in the middle of the house, more common in open plan designs.

    It is possible the installation of the panels or the panels themselves could have contributed? Or maybe you become more observant after the installation to notice these? Do you have old photo to suggest they were not there before?

  • Dancasper on 12/07/2021 - 09:28
    +1

    That damage looks more a sympton of poor plastering. Looking at this photo you can see that the cornice is sitting out from the wall and the external mitre cut is dodgy - lots of filler to cover those gaps. It's possible that someone walking about in the roof space could have loosened dodgy plastering / filler.

    7 weeks is also a long time to just notice the cracking. It could be associated with shrinkage in the structure rather than loads / work on the roof area.

    I doubt it is due to any structural definciencies. It's been a while since I did structural (civil engineer here) but;
    - Solar panels are relatively lightweight for building loads and this additional load is negibile. From a quick google, the roof should be designed to accomodate a live load of 150kg (fat guy walking over your roof), dead load (roof materials) of 107kg per m2 & a wind load of about 170kg per m2 - at the same time. The transient loading (live load and wind load which may not be there) is up to 320kg/m2… so a solar panel is going to make didley squat difference.
    - The rafters would be spanning north-south / up-down on plans and have relatively short spans.
    - In the event of any flex in these spans, there would be cracking in the ceiling plaster panels. None of your photos show this.

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 12/07/2021 - 09:47

    I feel for you man that sucks

  • sicinadan on 12/07/2021 - 09:59

    I don't know who was your solar installation company, but mine has accidentally damaged my door frame during the installation, I have called them up and they came and patched it up.
    Hope they will fixed it for ya .

  • 42 on 12/07/2021 - 10:12

    Looks like the "cracks" are positioned under either side of the ridge of the roof. I assume the solar panels would be placed on 1 roof surface, so would be unlikely due to the panels.

    Also like others have said, looks like the cornices have have separated from the wall/ceiling, not really a structural problem and can happen with settling with a new house or even an old house built on clay with extreme variations in weather.

    That's why some houses these days have expansion joints/stress breakers in some walls that will open up and close with extreme changes in weather (drought/flood) instead of the walls cracking.

  • MisterX on 12/07/2021 - 10:25
    +1

    Pop on some Selleys No More Gaps and she'll be rite

  • JuryWheel on 12/07/2021 - 10:58

    Man, those looks pretty suspect but i dont think they would be linked to the install, more likely the shitty build.

  • [Deactivated] on 12/07/2021 - 11:48

    When building new homes, people generally have provisions to strengthen roof trusses.

    Apparently, if not and you install solar you void frame warranty.

    However, plenty are installed on old homes with no problems.

    Unfortunately I feel like some builders, do cheap quality these days or designs on design of home.
    You'd think it should be fine.

  • Drakesy on 12/07/2021 - 13:26

    Looks more like a sub par plastering/cornice job rather than anything caused by solar panel loading or your house is still settling.

    Solar panels won't cause this.

  • simonjb on 12/07/2021 - 14:16

    They stood on it. That's all there is to cornices suddenly being detached after you've had a 'tradesman' at your premises.

  • RocketSwitch on 12/07/2021 - 15:03

    Maybe water damage?

  • spasto on 12/07/2021 - 15:59

    It's a shithouse install of the cornices or movement of house. Just go to bunnings and get a sealant.

  • donkcat on 12/07/2021 - 16:24

    This could be many things but the timing is a bit suspect.

    My first thoughts are as this is a tile roof the truss manufacturer would have probably wanted to use that center wall as a load bearing wall (this means the roof truss sits directly on top of the wall) but the installers haven't made this wall load bearing which means there is a gap between the truss bottom chord and the top plate of the wall (20-45mm). The truss designed for that load bearing point that isn't there is going to deflect significantly and cause crushing on the cornice which results in the cracking you see.

    Get in the roof and see if the trusses are crushing the pasteboard over that area.

    I think the extra weight of the solar (normally insignificant) and possibly the extra weight from some winter rain which just causes a little bit more weight on the roof due to the roof tiles absorbing some moisture has added to an already strained roof system.

  • netjock on 12/07/2021 - 16:47

    No way the installers could have done that much damage. I would suspect problem with how the house was built (not saying it has major defects). You can ask the original builders to have a look because if it has happened then any roof maintenance (like repainting of roof ties) would cause similar problems elsewhere.

    Would be interesting to see how many and where the panels sit on your roof.

  • Captain M on 12/07/2021 - 17:41

    Just get some plaster and a pot of ceiling paint. Cost you less than $20 for supplies from bunnings. House is still settling.

  • mrhugo on 12/07/2021 - 17:55
    +1

    No way a few dozen solar panels would cause this kind of movement. The weight trasfer wouldn't amount to this level of movement. If it did the roof would be inch's away from giving way and collasping.

    Houses move, especially during the summer and winter months when the earth becomes hydrated or dehydrated in the summer months, causing movements. Cornices are the obvious place they show up first.

    Even in quality 80 y/o houses which we freshly painted which a double brick/rendered, show movement after a year or too after painting but we are talking about 0.1-1mm tops (they were painted after we filled in the gaps).

    2018 build…your house is a baby, and expect more movement…but has others have mentioned, don't expect much, houses today (esp. project homes) are just enough quality to pass the code….they are not built to last.

  • striker5950 on 12/07/2021 - 20:30

    how is this even the solars fault? that cornice looks like it was put together with spit
    todays building standards are appalling, i wouldn't be surprised if the Chinese had better standards

  • godofpizza on 12/07/2021 - 20:46

    it's funny that the OP have brought this up.
    I've have about 20 panels installed onto colourbond roof. And I've also notice that area directly under where the installation had been done also have the plaster has the same type of problems.

    I agree with the engineer that it has had some affect to the house, as the solar installers have no way taken into account how the panels affect the houses' structural integrity. Only after a sale.

  • diddy50 on 12/07/2021 - 21:52

    Would this fall under a new home warranty??

  • MrKnowItAll on 13/07/2021 - 00:49

    We've had panels on our tin roof for 7 years now (double brick house) and no issues whatsoever from them.. no cracked cornices, no structural issues in the roof - we can't even see them from ground level so apart from the reduction in the bill you'd never know they're there.

    If the installer managed to push the ceiling down and break the cement's hold then you'd certainly have much more damage than what you're seeing, for instance the nails / screws supporting the ceiling would be visible. Just grab some gap filler and spend a weekend tidying it up and you'll be right. Or just leave it? I have one slight crack at the bottom of a cornice, I see it once every few years and get a fright before I remember it's been exactly like that for 20+ years haha

  • imurgod on 13/07/2021 - 09:15
    -1

    If it's related to the installation of the panels, the installers Public Liability will sort this.

    Het a quote for the repair and send him a letter of demand.

    Tell him to send it to his broker/insurer.

  • edisonAU on 13/07/2021 - 11:33

    I had similar issues with cornice when we did the bathroom renovation. The tradie used different types of glue to glue the cornice. One of the cornice fell out completely after a few days, and some of the others started to come off with cracks similar to what is shown by you. At the end they came and re-installed all of those cornices.

    So definitely contact your builder to get those fixed. Definitely not an issue from the solar panels.

  • Meganinja on 13/07/2021 - 13:12

    I've just finish building a new 2 storeys home with Masterton , who give me a 7 years structural warranty ( hell similar to a car ), the slab has several holes around perimeter filled with concrete before construct the slab, they told me to stop slab moving on clay soil and has extensive hydraulic pipes work , in this case you should contact builder to find out the problem because the solar panels is not that heavy , that is my personal opinion.

  • ozmian on 13/07/2021 - 13:31

    Built in 2016 and went to add solar after the fact and when the installer got here and climbed in the roof said can't install them, its not rated and left.. had no idea that was even a thing. Had to contact the builder who put in contact with the truss designer who ran it through their engineering software and determined where ~8 extra beams needed to be put to take the load (even though its only 20 panels, 18KG from memory so around 360KG + mounts).

    Found an independent builder who spent the day re-enforcing the already brand new roof for another grand or so to the new engineering specs and signed off on it for the solar installer to come back.

    The houses are built to such tight specs, they said I should have told them I wanted solar when building - I said didn't even know it would be an issue, maybe next time ask people since the probability of installing solar is so great now.

    • 10101010101 on 13/07/2021 - 13:52

      Thanks for sharing. Was considering getting solar panels but after reading all these comments I'm not sure it's worth it.

      • ozmian on 14/07/2021 - 08:15

        Still a big solar panel fan though, got a Tesla Powerwall 2 too (using SA rebates so much less than retail) and had negative monthly bills through summer and winter and I WFH all day and run the reverse cycle heater during lots of days currently on low, from around 7am til 7-8pm. EnergyLocals Tesla plan with no daily supply charge.

  • nwa on 13/07/2021 - 14:32
    +1

    Cant believe some of the comments saying this is from the weight of the solar panels on the roof, it is not. Most likely what has happened is they went into your Roof to run the cables to the panels/switchboard, usually by removing tiles. and by doing this they have stepped on the ceiling joists corresponding to your damaged areas. Whatever the case, your ceiling should have been able to handle the extra weight and hard to prove whos at fault best you fix yourself.

    • brawndo on 13/07/2021 - 16:34

      Agree.

      Suggest op speaks to the builder of the house instead. The entire wall is shifting, not just the ceiling / cornices.

      https://imgur.com/5vtVGWf

    • donkcat on 16/07/2021 - 10:07

      Ceiling joists are designed to be walked on, truss bottom chords are designed to be walked, ceiling battens aren't however this wouldn't crack the cornice and would crack the plaster ceiling. So no this won't be because of installers walking on the wrong places.

  • andyken on 14/07/2021 - 08:48

    House defect not solar installer.

  • pokalasp on 27/07/2021 - 11:32
    +1

    Hi Everyone, Thank you so much for your responses and advises.

    Solar guy sent their installation team to look into these crack and as expected they tried to escape and said it's not because of solar panels installation.

    When I disagree with him, Solar guy asked me to arrange for independent inspection and send the report, then he can fix. I sent the independent inspection report (attached it's excerpt [here] (https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/129819/90343/private_i…) which clearly says the cracks occurred because of the foot traffic occurred while installing the Solar panel's conduit). I spent 220$ for private inspection.

    My Questions now:
    1. I have not got any response from Solar guy yet it's been 3 days I sent the report.
    2. How do I get him pay for his deed? (what options do I have to get him fix the issues?)

    Thanks a bunch in advance.

    P.S: Only relief is, Building inspector said the no damage to structure.

    • 10101010101 on 27/07/2021 - 12:42

      Sue them but good luck I with enforcement. Will cost you a fortune and not worth the effort.
      Another alternative if they don't respond is to post reviews of their company supported by your evidence and independent report. Facebook, Google, Product review sites, etc. Until they listen and make good.

    • SBOB on 27/07/2021 - 15:27

      spent 220$ for private inspection

      Would have cost half that to just diy fix it yourself with a Bunnings trip.

      Unless you kind find solar installers that can hover, the people running conduit through the roof would need to access and walk inside the roof cavity.
      They therefore would be stepping on the load bearing points in the roof.

      If this has caused this damage then any tradesperson accessing your roof cavity would therefore also cause the same damage, which says more about the load tolerances of your joists and quality of gyprock install, than that report would indicate.

      Best of luck getting them to repair it though. Not sure how you would enforce it.

    • donkcat on 27/07/2021 - 20:49

      Sorry but the inspection seems like a load of sh%t. Roof truss bottom and top chords are designed to accommodate short term live loads (people walking on chords), they have deflection thresholds built in and absolutely should not crack plaster by someone walking on the truss bottom chords. How exactly were they meant to install the conduit without stepping on the trusses?

      • pokalasp on 27/07/2021 - 21:08

        So what do you suggest with these localized cracks to be repaired, who is responsible to get them fixed?

        • donkcat on 27/07/2021 - 21:53

          I think the builder is responsible, I think that either the truss installation or truss manufacturing has been incorrect. However you have little hope of getting them to fix anything as its >2 years after handover. https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/11149…

          • pokalasp on 28/07/2021 - 07:54

            @donkcat: For some reason, I cant agree with you as I have seen the solar installation guys in person. Looked pretty ignorant and reckless when they were installing. I raised a concern on their behavior (way before all this happened) however Solar guy said if anything happens to your, we will fix it.

            Now when I remind him of the same sentence, he ran away and not responding.

            • donkcat on 28/07/2021 - 10:45
              +2

              @pokalasp: That may well be the case but the question is in what way do you think they were reckless that caused the damage to your ceiling? The only way I can see it's possible is if they walked on the ceiling battens instead of the roof trusses, I really doubt this is the case though as that's something you would learn first day on the job.

              Now you said you noticed the cracking about 7 weeks after install, looking at these cracks they look very noticeable shortly after they have appeared. With that in mind if this was caused by the workers then the cracks would have appeared straight away. Furthermore I would have thought if the inverter was installed in the garage which would have meant the installers would have had to run the conduit all the way across to the garage, so if your inspector was correct then there should also be cracking over in the garage area too.

              There are so many things that could be causing this cracking. Slab heave is a common cause of cracking cornices, the timing of this cracking also comes at a period of large amounts of rain, soil changing moisture conditions can lead to slab heave. I'm sorry your dealing with this as at the end of the day your left with the issue an no one will put their hand up and accept responsibility but I think your barking up the wrong tree chasing the solar installer.

              Something is going on in that roof, It would be good to get a laser level in there and take some levels through the roof to see if there is large differences in deflections or bearing points from 1 side to the other.

              Out of interest I just tried to run what I think your truss would be through our software, your house measures approx 11m wide, assuming the trusses are at 600 cts and a common 22º roof pitch, I allowed 2 rows of solar panels down either side of your roof (you most likely only have them on one aspect). Now adding those solar panels only increased the truss deflection by about 2mm vs without the solar. I really don't think the solar has caused your issue.

            • Isla Brown on 29/07/2021 - 20:31

              @pokalasp: They shouldn't run away, keep their words and fix the damage.

  • kiwimex on 28/07/2021 - 16:29

    This type of minor damage can occur when any works are carried out in the ceiling space, I recently had ducted air installed and part of the contract stated they bear no responsibility for any cracks in the ceiling. I was 100% in agreement with this part of the contract.

    I think you should just get the damages repaired and move on! After all its not like they put a foot through the ceiling (which they should cover the cost to repair) or intentionally damaged anything. After all they were only in the ceiling space completing works you have contracted them to do.

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