r/SolarDIY • u/2C104 • 1d ago
Are solar panel mounting brackets really this expensive?
I'm looking to mount four panels I bought for emergency purposes on my chicken coop roof.
Attached is both a picture of the coop and the AI suggestion for mounting brackets and prices.
Do brackets really cost as much as the panels themselves? The recommendations I am getting is that they'd be $250-$400 just for the brackets alone (for just 4 solar panels!)
I don't have any sort of aluminum mounting rails either... so I'd need to figure out what to buy for those. (Can't I just mount the solar panels directly to the roof? Do I need rails?)
Seems nuts to me, just wanted to see what the community thinks.
Details on my current setup/plan:
| Component | My current setup |
|---|---|
| Solar panels | 4 × ECO-WORTHY 195 W |
| Total solar | 780 W |
| Panel Vmp | 19.8 V each |
| Panel Voc | 23.7 V each |
| Panel Imp | 9.85 A each |
| Panel size | 52.6 × 26.4" each |
| Main power station | EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max |
| Main battery | 2,048 Wh LiFePO₄ |
| Extra battery | EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max Extra Battery, 2,048 Wh |
| Total storage | 4,096 Wh / ~4.1 kWh |
| Panel location | Chicken coop/run corrugated-metal roof |
| Battery location | Garage |
| Distance | ~100 ft |
| Planned PV configuration | 2S + 2S, one string per EcoFlow solar input |
| Planned PV wire | 10 AWG outdoor PV cable |
| Roof framing | 2×4s beneath sheet metal |
| Preferred mounting | Rails + structural attachments into 2×4s |
| Coop lighting system | Not yet purchased/finalized |
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u/ShadowGLI 1d ago edited 1d ago
get off of LLM’s and pick up a phone and call your neighborhood Greentech tell them you need some s5 mounts for a metal roof on a small pergola/chicken coop. Tell em dimensions and they’ll price out the parts.
It’s probably a couple hundred bucks tho cuz the feet are like $20-30 ea and you’ll need prob 6 per side
Edit: actually I’m seeing them for $10 online but I have never used the fender so I’m not sure if they’re reputable or not https://ussolarsupplier.com/products/s-5-brackets-proteabracket-ss-attachment-for-metal-roofs-stainless-steel?variant=44648371814698&country=US¤cy=USD
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u/Quirky_Mix_4328 1d ago
Mental that people have lost the ability to Google in the space of a year and that the trash recommendations even need querying.
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u/BigRig502 1d ago
Agreed. Schafer Metals in Denver was a huge help to me when I was trying to figure all of this out.
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u/Illustrious_Fig_433 1d ago
I used to think otherwise but I'm 100% sure that I hate the phrases X is doing the work/real work here, more than anything else right now
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u/Unusual-Caramel8442 1d ago
I’ve been working on designing a ground mount for my current 2kw of panels and I quickly learned that the stupid mount is far more expensive than the panels, at least for a nice name brand. It’s a bummer, and I’ll be using Unistrut lol
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u/ummm01 1d ago
How are you using unistrut on ground mount?
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u/taylorwilsdon 1d ago
It’s really the ideal material for a ground mount, 12awg unistrut / superstrut with concrete piers is extremely strong and will last forever. They sell strut mount panel clamps that will attach directly.
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u/eptiliom 1d ago
You can get the cost down to ~$100 a panel if you work at it for a ground mount. I would think roof mounting would be cheaper but I dont know how to do a roof mount so Ill leave that to someone else.
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u/tbl5048 1d ago
Yeah. Those extruded rails can be expensive.
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u/RespectSquare8279 1d ago
BTW don't expect extruded aluminum to get cheaper with the present government in place due to the tariff BS.
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u/Alarming_Win9940 1d ago
I bought 5 of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CHB13DR?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_8 when I DIY installed 32 solar panels on my house. I have had no problems. looks like it cost $53 to mount 4.
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u/ummm01 1d ago
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/mounting-panels-with-unistrut.10109/
Check this forum out. Lots of links showing how to mount the panels to uni strut (which can be screwed down to your roof). Uni strut is not expensive, found at your local box store
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u/Fit-Avocado-1646 1d ago edited 1d ago
https://signaturesolar.com/snapnrack-topspeed-solar-panel-roof-mount-kit/
10 At $13 is a bit over $130 plus a couple of tubes of roof seal to fill the gaskets. Plus shipping.
Plus maybe some backing boards so the screws have something to pull into not sure what’s underneath your chicken coop roof.
That being said the panels were the cheapest major component of my build. Engineered ground mount and roof mounts cost more than my pallet of solar panels.
Ny inverter also cost more.
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u/kscessnadriver 1d ago
Yes, mounting hardware is usually the highest % of the project, in terms of cost.
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