roof question

[Seamus J. Wilson]

I live in Phoenix AZ and I plan to install photocells on roof to help environment. My house is 11 years old with original ceramic tile roof. I know ceramic tiles have very long life and problem is the limited life of the underlay. Before the tiles are ripped out I would like to know what the life of the underlay is for the hot desert. Some have said ten years max. How do I assess the underlay life? Should I have the underlay replaced during the photocell install? Thank you, Seamus J. Wilson

[Van Chocstraw]

If the tiles shed water what difference does it make what the underlay is?

[Jon Danniken]

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Jon

[The Daring Dufas]

Why photocells? Do you need to know when the Sun is up?

TDD

[HeyBub]

While Phoenix is a good location for solar power, be advised you will not generate as much energy as it took to manufacture the things in the first place. A better environmental solution is to outlaw photovoltaic cells.

In your neighborhood, solar water heating is a plus.

[dadiOH]

They put ceramic tiles on roofs in Phoenix?

[Jules]

I can believe it. I'd quite like to see something for all these "green" solutions - PV panels, CFLs, wind turbines (the "home sized" stuff, not commercial) etc. analyzing the real "cost" (materials, processing, manufacture, shipping, disposal etc.) - I suspect a lot of them do far more harm than good.

Heatpumps seem to genuinely work, so does solar heating, so does properly insulating buildings - but I think there's probably a lot of horsecrap technology out there, too. Very difficult to get past the political spin to the truth though (and to recognise the truth is when you're told it :-)

cheers

Jules

[John Grabowski]

*When I worked in Southern California I saw a lot of tile roofs be installed over hot mopped tar and paper. I inquired about the longevity of this type of installation. I was told 50 years if the tiles are not disturbed.

I think that you should get the roof evaluated prior to the installation of photovoltaic panels. It would be a shame to have to remove them in a few years to replace the roof.

As others have mentioned I also question how much good to the environment you will be doing. You certainly won't see a payback on this installation for many years. A solar water heater makes more economic sense.