Solar panels on EPDM roof with gluing
EPDM ROOF
Across Europe, many flat roofs are covered with EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer), a synthetic rubber roofing material. The main advantages of EPDM are its very long lifetime and the fact that it does not crack under sunlight. EPDM is especially popular on flat roofs, for example on industrial buildings. Installing solar panels on an EPDM roof, however, is a bit different and cannot be done in the traditional way.
SOLAR PANELS ON EPDM ROOF
Some time ago, a European company contacted us with a problem. They needed to build a lightweight solar power system on a roof covered with EPDM. Ballasted systems were not an option, and after a short Google search, they found the Scandinavian RAULI FLAT system, which is attached to the roof by welding.
ATTACHING BY GLUING
Since this was an EPDM roof, welding was not possible. EPDM itself is glued to the insulation surface, so gluing also became the smartest option for attaching the mounting system. The main concern, of course, was the strength and durability of the glued connection under wind loads.
OUR OWN TESTS
Our focus has always been on high-quality and tested products. Thanks to our factory’s test laboratory, we can perform stress tests already during the design phase to make sure RAULI products really meet our promises. We built an EPDM roof in our factory’s test lab in Orimattila and started attaching mounting plates by gluing. The main principle is the same as on a bitumen roof, but instead of a heat-welded bitumen felts, a large glue pad is used to attach the plate. After the glue dried, we assembled the RAULI FLAT system on top of the EPDM roof and began different stress tests on the glued connection.
RESULTS
The wind load tests showed that the glued attachment is very strong. In practice, the glued joints lasted at least as well as the roofing material itself. The pull tests could continue until the surface of the insulation board tore off from the insulation — while the glued RAULI FLAT mounting bases stayed firmly in place.
As a general note, with high-quality EPDM adhesives and materials, the installation is safe.
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