Installation
Roof Replacement with Solar Panels: Why Roofers Hire a Solar R&R Specialist
Eric Huggins • April 18, 2026 • 8 min read Local Impact
What D&R, R&R, and removal and reinstallation actually mean
If you are replacing a roof with solar already installed, you will hear a few different terms for the same basic job: remove and reinstall, removal and reinstallation, detach and reset, D&R, and R&R.
Homeowners usually say remove and reinstall. Roofers, adjusters, and contractors often say detach and reset, D&R, or R&R. The language changes depending on who is talking. The job does not. The solar system comes off so the roofing work can happen, then the system gets reinstalled, tested, and recommissioned correctly afterward.
That last part is where both homeowners and roofers need clarity. Homeowners need to know what a proper scope looks like. Roofers need a solar and electrical subcontractor who can remove, store, reinstall, test, and recommission the system correctly. Solar is not just brackets on shingles. It is electrical work governed by NEC 690 and NEC 705, plus manufacturer-specific attachment, labeling, rapid shutdown, and commissioning requirements. In Oklahoma, roofers should not be guessing through the solar side of that work. They should bring in a properly licensed solar and electrical contractor who does it every week.
That is why good roofers hate vague detach-and-reset scopes, and why homeowners should too. Nobody wants the phone call three months later. Nobody wants to argue about whether the leak came from the new shingles, the old mount, the torn butyl pad, the cracked sealing washer, or the lag bolt that got sent back into the same hole.
Homeowners should not accept that risk. Roofers should not sign up for it.
Affordable Solar is the local solar and electrical contractor Oklahoma roofers hire for removal and reinstallation work, and the team homeowners can call when they want the solar scope handled correctly. We are based in Norman, we specialize in solar, and every installation we touch is backed by our 10-year workmanship warranty. If you want the bigger picture on how we work, start with what sets us apart.
If a company plans to remove your solar, replace the roof, and then reinstall the old attachment hardware, treat that as a red flag. New roof. New penetrations. New hardware. That is the safe standard.
These terms overlap because different parts of the industry talk differently.
- Removal and reinstallation is the clearest homeowner phrase
- Detach and reset is common roofing, insurance, and contractor language
- R&R usually means remove and reinstall or remove and replace, depending on the scope
- D&R is short for detach and reset
You will see all of them in estimates, insurance paperwork, service pages, and contractor conversations. For the work itself, they all point to the same core process: safely removing the solar equipment, protecting and documenting the system, letting the roofer replace the roof, then reinstalling and recommissioning the solar correctly.
The problem starts when someone hears “same job” and assumes that means “same hardware goes back on.” It does not.
The Context
Why the old seal is the real problem
Most homeowners look at a solar mount and see a metal bracket. Roofers see the seal.
That attachment usually depends on a stack of waterproofing parts working together:
- the mount body or bracket
- the lag bolt
- the bonded sealing washer, often EPDM
- butyl or sealant under the mount or flashing
- foam or compression gasket material in some mount designs
- the flashing and underlayment integration around the penetration
The metal part is not the weak link. The sealing surfaces are.
On the first installation, those parts are compressed once into a specific roof assembly. That is how they make a weather-tight penetration. Once the mount is removed, the old seal may not come back the same way. Butyl can separate. Foam can tear. A bonded washer can flatten, split or blow out if it was already compressed hard the first time.
That is why “just put the old mounts back” is not a technical plan. It is wishful thinking.
Most self-sealing roof mounts rely on compression foam, butyl, flashing details, and bonded sealing washers to create a weathertight penetration. Once that original seal has been compressed and removed, it should not be trusted to reseal on a brand-new roof.
What the
What the manufacturers and roofing groups actually say
The key point here is that this caution is not just opinion.
ARMA says roof-mounted solar penetrations should not rely on caulk alone and should be flashed into the roof system. NREL’s Standard Work Specifications say roof-mounted solar penetrations should be made weather-tight and leak-proof using manufacturer-specified instructions and materials. NRCA says reroofing flashings need to be reconstructed according to manufacturer instructions.
Read those three together and the message is simple. When the roof assembly changes, the penetration detail has to be treated like a fresh waterproofing job.
Manufacturer documents point the same direction.
IronRidge guidance for certain products says reinstall decisions depend on inspection of the old seal condition. Its HUG documentation says units should be replaced if the flashing is separated, damaged or contaminated. EcoFasten’s ClickFit guide says damaged or blown-out EPDM washers should be replaced with new washers. QuickBOLT sells replacement 5/16-inch lag screws with EPDM washers for deck-mount products, which tells you something by itself. These systems are built around sealing components that wear, deform or get damaged.
Roofing manufacturers care for the same reason roofers do. Warranty exposure.
GAF says roof replacement should be considered before PV if the solar system is expected to outlast the roof. Malarkey says the solar equipment, related flashings and installation are not covered by its shingle warranty. In plain English, roofers do not want to inherit leak liability from reused solar penetrations, and homeowners should not want that either.
Local Impact
What this means for Oklahoma roofers and homeowners
This matters more here than it does in milder markets.
Oklahoma ranks in the top 10 nationally for hail frequency. Panels here are expected to survive IEC 61215 hail testing and racking is expected to meet 110 mph loading under ASCE 7-16. Spring storms in Norman, Moore and the Oklahoma City metro drive reroof volume every year. A lot of detach-and-retach work gets priced fast. That is when corners get cut.
The cheapest scope on paper is usually the one that assumes the old hardware goes back on the new roof. Fewer new parts. Less labor. Faster closeout.
It is also the scope most likely to create finger-pointing later.
The roofer blames the solar installer. The solar installer blames the roofer. The homeowner is stuck with a stain on the ceiling and two companies explaining why it is not their fault.
A better scope is boring. That is exactly why it works.
- remove the array and rails
- remove the old attachment hardware
- inspect the roof deck and underlayment once exposed
- install the new roof system
- install new attachment hardware with new lag bolts, new sealing washers and new flashing or manufacturer-approved waterproofing components
- reinstall rails and modules only after the new penetration details are done correctly
That is the kind of scope a roofer can stand behind, the kind of protection a homeowner should insist on, and the kind of solar scope a licensed specialist can warranty.
In the Field
What we’ve seen in the field
In a representative case for a homeowner in Norman, the 24-panel array sat on a hail-damaged composition roof. The 9.6 kW system had roof replacement approved through insurance after spring storm damage.
Before and after photos made the problem obvious. The expensive mistake is almost always the same. Someone wants to save a few hundred dollars on hardware and a little labor by reusing the old roof attachments.
Then the crew starts pulling mounts.
Some come up clean. Some do not. Butyl sticks to the old shingle surface instead of releasing cleanly. Foam tears. Bonded washers show flattening from the original torque. A few lag penetrations are no longer worth trusting on a new roof, especially when the roofer is expected to warranty the finished assembly.
The right fix is not to talk yourself into reusing them. The right fix is to replace the hardware and install new sealing components per the mount manufacturer’s instructions. On composition-shingle systems, that often means new lag hardware, new washers, new sealant where required, and new flashed attachment points integrated into the new roof assembly.
That costs more upfront.
It usually costs much less than one leak investigation.
Red flags
Red flags homeowners and roofers should watch for
Homeowners do not need to memorize every mount brand on the market, and roofers do not need to become solar manufacturers overnight. You just need to know which answers expose a shortcut.
Be careful if a company says any of these things:
- “We usually reuse the old mounts.”
- “The old lag bolts are probably fine.”
- “We will just reseal around the old penetrations.”
- “The roofer handles the roof and we handle the panels” with no written statement about leak liability
- “We do not need new flashing because the old brackets are still solid”
- “We can save you money by reusing the hardware”
Solid metal is not the same thing as a reliable waterproofing assembly.
Homeowners should ask for these answers in writing. Roofers should ask the same questions before handing off the solar scope:
- Are you replacing every roof attachment, lag bolt and sealing washer?
- What flashing or waterproofing method will be used on the new roof?
- Does the mount manufacturer allow reuse of any part of this system after removal?
- Who owns leak liability after reinstall?
- Will the attachment replacement scope be written into the contract?
If those answers get fuzzy, do not sign the scope and do not hand off the job until it is clarified.
Your Move
What to look for in a proper detach-and-retach scope
A good reroof proposal with existing solar should have two scopes that work together. The roofer owns the roof replacement. The solar and electrical contractor owns the solar removal, storage, reinstallation, testing, and recommissioning.
It should name the attachment approach. It should state that new roof penetrations will be sealed per manufacturer instructions. It should identify who is responsible for waterproofing. It should include replacement attachment hardware rather than vague language like “reinstall existing system.” If the home is in OG&E territory, this is also the right time to verify any NEC 690 and NEC 705 cleanup before the array goes back on.
For Oklahoma homeowners and roofers, that is the practical standard.
A new roof should not inherit old solar seals.
If a contractor wants to reinstall old mounts, old lag bolts or old sealing components on top of a brand-new roof, that is not a clever savings move. It is a warning sign.
The goal of detach-and-retach is not just getting the panels back on the house. The goal is getting them back on the house without creating the next leak.
If you are a homeowner planning a reroof or a roofing company that needs a licensed solar subcontractor, Affordable Solar handles the detach-and-retach scope from removal through recommissioning.