Can anyone tell me the thickness of the wood on the roof of my grand villa? And does that wood go over the aluminum studs that are up there or are the aluminum studs flush with the wood on either side of them? I'm just trying to figure out what I have to work with for mounting my solar panels.
When I hacked into my roof to fix a large crack the plywood was the same thickness as the interior wall, quarter of an inch.
3/16 luan with the aluminum square tube sandwiched between. I can see the framing from my porch with the morning dew. Elliot I sent you a picture in messenger.
I wrote about my experience with some picture on Foreforum.com Elliott.
I measured 3/16" thick over all but I used 1/4" plywood made with waterproof glue and three layers of fiberglass cloth and resin on the outside: Thompson's Deck finish on the inside. The inside was glued to the aluminum framework and if you're hoping for 16" on center -- keep hoping. You'll need to map out the framework with an electronic stud finder but it is 1" square thinwall aluminum that takes well to sheet metal screws. I used countersunk flat head screws with gelcoat over the screw heads. "IF" that pops I'll go back with square fiberglass and resin patches ala fabric aircraft technique without the dope.
You should be able to remove the trim piece on the shower skylight or the kitchen ceiling fan and see exactly the cross-section of your roof.
I tapped on the roof with a hammer to find the roof studs and drilled PK self tapping screws into that and used 5200 glue to hold them down,
I used a stainless steel frame and bolted the panels to the frame,
You have to have clearance under the panels for air circulation,
I also bought new panels that are 350 Watts per panel,
Panels are very cheap in Oz, $140-00 each with free delivery,