Home/Solar Panel Removal & Reset

Solar Panel Removal & Reset

Panels off, roof done, panels back. One company, start to finish.

Two Grandmark roofers removing solar panels and mounting rails from a concrete tile roof

1,200+ reviews · 4.8★ on Google Licensed & insured · CSLB #1030917

Serving Fresno, Clovis, Visalia, Sacramento and Bakersfield.

Free for homeowners. $299 for real estate transaction inspections.

  • $250–350Per panel,
    standalone
  • LessWhen bundled with
    a roof job
  • In-houseElectrical disconnect
    and reconnect
  • #1Cause of leaks
    we repair
  • No coordinating between a roofer and a solar company
  • New footings and rails where the old ones won’t go the distance

Roof work with panels on it?

Two minutes, three questions. Tell us what’s happening and we’ll come look.

Free · No obligation · We route you to the nearest crew

Licensed & InsuredCSLB #1030917
GAF Master EliteFEWER THAN 3% OF U.S. ROOFERS
4.8★ · 1,200+ reviewsREAD REVIEWS →
Family-Owned4 CALIFORNIA MARKETS

The real problem

Nobody wants to own the whole job

Here is what usually happens when a roof under solar needs work.

The roofer says he doesn’t touch panels. The solar company says they don’t do roofs. You end up as project manager between two trades who each want the other one to go first, and if something leaks afterwards, both of them have a reason it isn’t theirs.

We do both parts. One company, one number to call, one company responsible.

Panels come off, get stored properly on site, the roof gets done, and the panels go back on — with the electrical disconnect and reconnect handled in-house rather than waiting on somebody else’s schedule.

That isn’t a criticism of solar installers. Most of them are good at solar and have no business detailing a roof. The problem is the gap between the two trades, and the only fix is for one company to cover both.

Why it matters

Every panel is bolted through your roof

An array isn’t sitting on your roof. It’s anchored through it, and every anchor is a hole somebody had to seal properly.

More of the leaks we repair start at solar mounts than anywhere else on the roof. Not because solar is bad, but because a penetration is only as good as the flashing around it, and the crew that installed the array was working to an electrical standard rather than a roofing one.

The failures follow a pattern: sealant used where flashing belonged, the wrong bracket for that roof type, mounts landing between rafters, and on tile roofs, tile broken during installation and never replaced.

They also fail slowly. A grid of penetrations doesn’t leak all at once — it leaks one at a time over several years, which is why people think they have a new leak when they have an old install.

Water staining and deteriorated sheathing seen from inside an attic where two roof planes meet
What a slow penetration leak looks like from underneath.

What we do

Off, done properly, back on

Disconnect

The array is shut down and disconnected before anything is unbolted. Handled in-house, so it happens on our schedule rather than whenever a third party can send someone.

Remove and store

Panels come off and are stored safely on site — not stacked in a way that flexes them, not left where they can be walked into. They are the expensive part of your array.

See the roof for the first time

With the array off, we can finally look at what has been underneath it. On video, as always. This is often where the actual leak turns out to have been.

Do the roof

Repair, tile restoration or full replacement, with the penetration areas detailed properly rather than sealed over.

New footings and rails where needed

If the existing mounts won’t last as long as the new roof, they get replaced. Reusing worn footings on a fresh roof is how you buy the same leak again in five years.

Reset and reconnect

Panels back, flashed correctly, electrical reconnected in-house. One crew responsible from the first bolt to the last.

Straight numbers

What removal and reset costs

Priced per panel, because that is what actually drives the work.

Solar removal and resetPer panel
Standalone removal and reset$250–$350
Bundled into a roof replacement or restorationLess — quoted with the roof

Where you land in that range depends mainly on whether new footings and rails are needed for the array to last as long as the roof underneath it. Bundling is almost always cheaper, because the crew and the access are already there. Every price is written and flat-rate before work begins.

Timing

Don’t put twenty-five-year panels on a twenty-year roof

This is the one worth thinking about before you sign a solar contract.

Panels are warranted for decades. If the roof underneath has ten years left, you will be paying to remove and reset that array long before the panels are done — and paying twice for access you could have used once.

On the tract homes across this valley there’s a specific version of this. The tile is fine and the felt underneath is at the end of its life. Put an array on top and you have locked in a removal and reset before the underlayment fails, which it will. Doing the tile restoration first costs less than doing it later with panels in the way.

If you already have solar and the roof is aging, get the roof looked at now rather than after the first stain appears. The inspection is free, and knowing how long you have is worth more than a guess.

Verified reviews

What customers say

1,000+ verified Google reviews across four California markets at 4.8 stars. Read them all →

★★★★★

“After having repeat issues with the previous roofing contractor, we reached out to Grandmark… the diagnosis and solution were better. Miguel also went above and beyond to solve an unrelated problem with the gutter.”

— Pav S · Google review, Sacramento
★★★★★

“We had three different roofing companies visit… Eduardo visited the roof and attic and discovered issues that the other two did not… his video was proof of a wider problem.”

— Keith Putirka · Google review, Fresno
★★★★★

“Angel and Antonio are efficient with a great work ethic. Antonio the project manager is communicative and you are given frequent updates until completion of job.”

— Trisha Bennett · Google review, Sacramento

Straight answers

Frequently asked questions

Will removing the panels void my solar warranty?

That depends on your specific agreement, and it’s worth reading before work starts. Some require the original installer or an approved contractor to handle the array, particularly on leased or PPA systems. Check yours, and if you’re not sure, we’ll help you work out what it says.

How long are the panels off?

For the duration of the roof work. On a standard replacement that’s about three days; a tile restoration takes around a week. You lose that much production and nothing more — the array goes straight back once the roof is finished.

Do I need my solar company involved?

Not for the removal and reset itself — we handle the disconnect and reconnect in-house. If your system is leased or under a monitoring agreement, tell your provider what’s happening so nobody is surprised by an outage in the data.

Is it cheaper to do this with a roof replacement?

Yes, almost always. The crew and the access are already there, so bundling it into the roof job costs less than bringing everyone back for a standalone removal later.

My roof leaks and I think it’s the solar. Can you tell?

Usually. Mount leaks have a pattern — the position of the stain relative to the array says a lot before anyone lifts anything. We inspect the roof and the attic, record what we find, and show you.

One company for the roof and the panels.

Free inspection, video proof, and a written flat-rate price covering both halves of the job.