Can You Replace a Roof Without Removing Solar Panels? What OKC Homeowners Should Know

No. A full roof replacement cannot be done with solar panels still mounted on top. The panels, rails and attachments come off, the roof is rebuilt, and the system goes back on and is brought back up. That service is called a solar detach and reset. CRE Roofing does both halves of the job in the Oklahoma City metro, so one company owns the roof and the array from start to finish.

Why the panels have to come off

An array is held down by dozens of attachments that go through your roof deck. A new roof means tearing off the old shingles, fixing the decking and putting down new underlayment and flashing. None of that can happen under a panel that is still bolted in place.

The section under the array is also the part of the roof nobody has seen in years. It often needs the most decking work.

"Can my roofer just work around the panels?"

Not on a full replacement. A roofer who offers to shingle around an array is leaving the worst section of your roof untouched. That is the area with the most penetrations, and it is where the next leak usually starts.

How a detach and reset runs

Here is the sequence on a CRE job:

1. System shutdown. The array is de-energized at the disconnect and the inverter, in the right order, before anyone touches a panel.
2. Detach and store. Panels, rails and attachments come off and are stored, labeled by string so the system goes back exactly as it was wired.
3. Roof replacement. Full tear-off, decking repair, new underlayment and new flashing.
4. Reset on new flashings. New mounts and new flashings at every penetration.
5. Recommission. The system is brought back up, the strings are checked and production is confirmed. The job is not finished until it is making power again.
6. Documentation. You get a photo record of the work, which is what a solar warranty provider will ask for if a question ever comes up.

The system is off while the roof is being built. Plan on no solar production for those days.

Who coordinates the job

This is where most homeowners get stuck. A roofing crew that has never mounted a panel does the remount, or a solar crew that has never torn off a roof does the flashing, and when a leak shows up each side says the other owns it.

CRE has installed residential solar since 2018, and our electricians are in house. The same company shuts the system down, pulls the array, rebuilds the roof, remounts the panels and confirms the system is producing. You make one call if something needs attention later.

If hail is the reason you need a roof

When hail takes out a roof that has solar on it, the detach and reset is part of the cost of restoring that roof. It is often missing from the insurance carrier's first scope of loss.

It can be added as a supplement when it is documented properly:

• Photos of the array before anything comes off
• The panel count and string layout
• A line-item scope for removal and reinstall

Get the roof inspected while the storm evidence is fresh. Our storm damage page explains what an adjuster looks for, and how Oklahoma roof insurance claims work covers the claim itself.

Will it affect my solar warranty?

It can, depending on who does the work and how it is documented. Some manufacturer and workmanship warranties require the removal and reinstall to be done by a qualified installer, with records. Before anyone touches the array, ask your original solar company what their warranty requires, and get the detach and reset documented either way.

If the company that installed your system is gone, read who services your panels when the installer is gone.

How it is priced

A detach and reset is quoted as its own line item next to the roof. The price depends on:

• The number of panels and arrays
• The roof pitch
• How much of the existing racking hardware can go back up

We quote the roof and the reset at the same visit, so you see one total instead of two companies pointing at each other.

Common questions

Do I have to remove solar panels to replace my roof?

Yes, for a full replacement. The array comes off, the roof is rebuilt and the system goes back on.

What happens to the panels while the roof is built?

They are stored on site or off site, depending on the job, and labeled by string.

Do you do detach and reset for other roofers?

Yes. Oklahoma roofing companies without solar crews can hire us for the array while they keep the roofing job.

Get a straight answer on your roof and array

Book a free roof inspection and we will photograph the roof and the array and explain your options in plain language. Start on our contact page or read more about solar panel detach and reset.