This article is part of a series: The 12 Days of Solar Pool Heating.
iSwim Solar Pool Heating Panels are 48 inches wide. Other brands claim to be 4′ wide panels, but their header is actually longer, measuring 50-52 inches. That’s important because most residential wood truss roof construction is done with 24 inch spacing between structural roof trusses. Having a panel that is a multiple of 24 inches allows the iSwim panel to be mounted into trusses when required by building code. All strap anchors can be mounted into structural members and header clamps can be evenly spaced on each top header, resulting in amazing resistance to wind uplift and screw pull-out.
Anchoring solar panels to roof sheathing alone may not provide the required pull-out strength, creating weak points where screws can pull out and water intrusion is more likely. Standard building dimensions opens up the possibility of anchoring all attachments into structural wood trusses, potentially reducing the number of straps and/or anchor points required to achieve an engineered attachment design, and securing the panels to the roof in the best way possible.