Arizona's solar boom ran from about 2012 to 2019. Bought then? Your panels are 7 to 14 years old now.
Panels commonly last 25 to 30 years. Arizona shingle roofs run 15 to 20 years. Better material can reach 25 or 30. Sources disagree on the exact numbers. The shape is the same every time.
Your panels are going to outlive your roof. That is the whole problem.
The math nobody does
Say the panels went on in 2015. The roof was already a few years old.
The panels are good until roughly 2040. The roof is due in the next few years. So the roof gets replaced with the array on top. That means paying to take the panels off and put them back.
That cost is real. It is also easy to see coming. So it is the one part you can plan.
What is happening at the mounts
Most installs from those years used rail-and-lag-bolt racking through shingle decking.
Those holes are now 10 to 14 years weathered. The shingles around them are aging out too. Nobody has looked at that flashing since the day it went in.
A roof never redone since the solar went on has never had its flashings replaced. Same holes. Same seals. A decade older.
How to decide
Get the roof looked at before you have to. Two things tell you where you stand.
- Roof age. Count from the last full replacement, not from when you bought the house.
- What the mounts look like. That takes someone on the roof.
If the roof has under about 10 years left, do it on your schedule. Otherwise a leak picks the date for you.
Doing it in the right order
If the roof is going to be replaced anyway, replace it before anything else changes on that roof.
Adding or moving panels on an old roof means paying to move the array twice. Once now. Once when the roof finally goes.
We check the mounts and flashings during an inspection. We can tell you what the solar side of a reroof takes before you call a roofer.
FAQ
How long do solar panels last compared to an Arizona roof?
Panels are commonly cited at 25 to 30 years. Arizona shingle roofs run 15 to 20 years. Better material can reach 25 or 30. The panels usually outlast the roof.
My panels went on in 2015. Should I be worried about the roof?
Not worried, but you should know where the roof stands. Find the age of the last replacement. Then have the mounts looked at.
Do the mounts wear out?
The mounts themselves are tough. What ages is the flashing and the seal at each hole, plus the shingles around them.
Is it cheaper to replace the roof before touching the panels?
If the roof is near the end anyway, yes. Doing the roof first moves the array once instead of twice.
Panels off before tear-off, back on and producing. Book an inspection or get a panel-count quote.