Solar Panel Removal & Reinstall for Roof Replacement in DFW
We take the array off, keep it safe while your roofer works, put it back the way it was, and confirm it's producing before we leave.
If you have solar panels and you need a new roof, you need two contractors, not one. This page explains exactly what the solar half looks like so nothing about it surprises you.
Why the panels have to come off
A rooftop array isn't sitting on your roof — it's bolted through it. Mounting feet penetrate the decking, get sealed with flashing, and carry aluminum rails that the panels clamp onto. To tear off old shingles and lay new ones, every one of those penetrations has to be removed and the deck has to be clear.
There's also the electrical side. A residential array carries live DC voltage any time the sun is up. Panels don't have an off switch. Disconnecting the system safely means shutting down at the inverter and the AC disconnect in the right order, then de-energizing and capping strings as they come apart. That's not roofing work, and most roofing crews correctly refuse to touch it.
The third reason is the one that costs people money later: equipment and workmanship warranties. Panel manufacturers, inverter manufacturers, and racking manufacturers all have language about who may service the system. An unqualified crew pulling your array can give a manufacturer a reason to deny a future claim — and you won't find out until you have a failure.
What the job actually looks like
1. Site walk and quote
We look at panel count, roof pitch, how many stories, roof surface, where the inverter and disconnects are, and whether it's a string system or microinverters. Then you get a written quote with the removal and the reinstall priced out. No work starts before you have that in hand.
2. Shutdown and removal day
We shut the system down properly at the inverter and disconnect, verify it's de-energized, then work panel by panel: clamps off, panel down, wiring managed and labeled, rails and mounting feet removed. Everything gets photographed and mapped so it goes back in the same layout and orientation. On a typical residential array, removal is a single day.
3. Storage while the roof gets done
Panels are stacked on padding, kept upright or flat depending on the type, and stored out of the way — usually in your garage or a protected spot on site. Panels are glass. Careless stacking is how they get micro-cracked, and micro-cracks quietly cut production for the rest of the panel's life.
4. Your roofer works a clear deck
This is the part that makes roofers happy. No dodging rails, no working around live wiring, no liability for someone else's equipment. Old penetrations get properly closed up as part of the new roof.
5. Reinstall
New mounting feet, new flashing, rails re-set, panels back in their original positions, wiring reconnected and torqued to spec. We do not reuse old flashing on a new roof — that's a leak waiting to happen at the one place a roof is most vulnerable.
6. Commissioning — the step people skip
We bring the system back up and confirm it is actually generating. Strings checked, inverter status verified, monitoring confirmed reporting. A surprising number of reinstalls elsewhere end with panels neatly back on the roof and the system producing nothing, and the homeowner doesn't notice for a month or two until the electric bill tells them.
The single most common failure we get called out to fix: an array that was reinstalled and never verified. The panels look perfect from the driveway. The inverter is faulted, or one string never got reconnected, and the homeowner has been paying full retail for power the whole time.
How long the panels are off
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Removal and shutdown | Most of one day |
| Roof tear-off and replacement | 1–3 days (your roofer) |
| Reinstall and commissioning | One day |
| Total array downtime | Commonly 2–5 days |
Bigger arrays, steep or multi-story roofs, tile roofs, and weather delays all stretch this. What you lose during downtime is a few days of solar production — your house stays powered from the grid the entire time.
Other reasons people call us for a removal
- Hail damage to the roof. Extremely common in North Texas. See how insurance handles it.
- An active leak under the array. Panels have to come off to find and fix the source.
- Rodent or bird damage underneath. Sometimes the array has to come partly off to repair chewed wiring — good time to add critter guard.
- Selling or moving. Relocating an owned system to a new home.
- Repositioning. Moving panels off a section of roof that needs structural work.
What we need from you to quote it
- Roughly how many panels, and whether they're on one roof plane or several
- Single story or two story, and how steep the roof is
- Shingle, tile, or metal
- Your roofer's target date, if you have one
- A couple of phone photos from the ground — honestly the most useful thing you can send
Pricing detail lives on the cost page. If you're a roofing contractor lining up a subcontractor, start here instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my roofing company just take the panels off themselves?
Most will not, and you should be cautious of one that offers to. Removing an array involves live DC wiring and manufacturer warranty terms about who is allowed to service the equipment. If an unqualified crew pulls your panels and a component fails later, the manufacturer may have grounds to deny the claim. Roofers who work with solar regularly almost always subcontract this part.
Will removing and reinstalling my panels void the warranty?
Not when the work is done correctly by a qualified contractor and documented. Warranty risk comes from improper handling, damaged connectors, over-torqued or under-torqued hardware, and undocumented work. We photograph and map the array before removal and reinstall it to the original layout and specification.
Where do the panels go while my roof is being replaced?
On site, stored on padding and protected from impact and weather. A garage is ideal. Panels are glass laminate, and the real risk during storage is micro-cracking from careless stacking, which permanently reduces output without leaving a visible mark.
Do I need new flashing when the panels go back on?
Yes. We install new mounting feet and new flashing on the reinstall. Reusing old flashing on a brand new roof reintroduces a leak risk at exactly the points where a roof is most vulnerable, and it undercuts the roof you just paid for.
Does my system need to be re-permitted or re-inspected?
It depends on your city. Some North Texas municipalities treat a like-for-like removal and reinstall as maintenance, and others want a permit pulled. We will tell you what your jurisdiction requires before the job rather than after.
Will I lose power while the panels are off?
No. Your home stays connected to the grid and powered normally throughout. What you lose is solar production for the few days the array is down, which typically amounts to a small bump on one electric bill.
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Contact Information
Whether you need a quick cleaning or a full uninstall and reinstall before a roof replacement, we've got you covered across the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex.