Process Reference

How We Work

A step-by-step look at how we run a solar removal and the reinstall that follows — and how we leave the roof for your tear-off crew.

The full Florida Solar Contracting crew standing together on a rooftop in matching company shirts

Who Shows Up

In-House, W-2 Technicians

Every crew that goes on a roof is our own — W-2 employees, trained by us, and accountable to us. We don't hand your customer's home to day labor or a subcontracted crew.

W-2 Employees

Our technicians work directly for Florida Solar Contracting. Same company, same standards, and the same people you can reach at our office if a question comes up.

Weeks of Training

Before a technician works a roof, they go through weeks of hands-on training — removal, penetrations, and sealing done the same careful way on every job.

Professional & Courteous

They show up clean-cut and organized, and are professional and courteous with customers and homeowners — respectful of the property and the people living there.

Having in-house, trained technicians is what sets us apart.

Phase 01

Removal

From the first schedule call to a roof cleared, sealed, and ready for your tear-off crew to start.

Step 01

We Schedule Your Removal

Our scheduling team coordinates with you and the homeowner to get your removal on the calendar around your tear-off date.
Homeowner information needs to be shared with us before the removal — we use it to gather system details from the homeowner, like monitoring access.
The plan is confirmed with your crew ahead of time, so nothing stalls on site.

A scheduling team member wearing a headset in the office, talking with a homeowner while typing at her computer

Step 02

The Arrival Window Call

On the day of the removal, our lead technician calls the homeowner directly.
The homeowner gets an exact arrival window — nobody on site is left guessing when we'll pull up.

A technician on a job site holding a phone on speaker, the screen showing the homeowner's contact record in the CRM

Step 03

We Photograph the Arrays and Equipment

Before anything comes off the roof, we photograph the arrays and all equipment.
You get a clear record of exactly what is up there and its condition before we touch a single bolt.

Solar array on a flat tile roof photographed before removal, with the crew documenting the equipment

Solar arrays on a shingle roof photographed from above before any equipment is removed

Step 04

System Removal

Everything comes down — panels, rails, and equipment — and the roof is left cleared and ready for your tear-off crew to start.
The mounts left in place can be pulled and hauled off with your roof materials.
Every hole is sealed watertight, so the roof stays dry until the tear-off and re-roof are done.

Bare shingle roof after the solar array is removed, penetrations sealed and shingle bundles staged on the ridge

Mounting feet left in place across a shingle roof after the panels and rails are removed

FSC technician clearing a shingle roof after removal, with the J-box left in place

Step 05

Roofing Crew Instructions: Protect the J-Boxes

Tell your crew: leave the J-boxes in place. Do not remove, puncture, cut, or damage them. Work and shingle around them.

The J-boxes are the connection points for the solar system. They stay on the roof through the tear-off so we can reconnect everything at the reinstall. Here's what your crew needs to do:

Leave every J-box in place — they are never removed during the tear-off.
Do not puncture, cut, or damage the box or the wiring inside it.
Treat each J-box like any other roof penetration — work and shingle around it, preserving the integrity of the box and the penetration.
Florida Solar Contracting ensures the penetrations stay watertight — your crew just needs to leave them alone and shingle around them.

Rooftop junction box with the lid off, showing the ground bar and wiring inside, sitting on shingles

Rooftop junction box with the lid off, showing quick connectors and neatly routed wiring

Junction box sitting shingled in place on the roof, ready for the roofer to work around it

Rooftop junction box with the lid off and taped wiring left intact, never tampered with

Step 06

Panels and Equipment Stored Safely

Panels go straight to the ground and are stacked flat, clear of the roofline.
They're stored in the yard, on the garage floor, or covered with a tarp — so falling tear-off debris can't crack them.

Removed solar panels stacked flat in staggered rows on a backyard lawn, clear of the roof

Two multi-tier stacks of removed solar panels stored flat on a garage floor

A tarp-covered stack of panels and staged mounting rails set on the ground beside the house

Step 07

We Document Everything

Once the system is down and stored, we take extensive photos and document everything.
You get a full record of the removal and the reinstall.
We share the contact with you in our JobNimbus CRM, so the whole job record is at your fingertips.

A JobNimbus job record for the removal, showing photos of the stacked panels, the cleared roof, sealed flashing and the junction box, with written notes logged the same day

Phase 02

Reinstall

Our team schedules the reinstall once we get confirmation of the final passed roof inspection, and we coordinate a day with you and the homeowner.

Step 08

We Schedule the Reinstall

The reinstall doesn't go on the calendar the day the roof is finished — it goes on once the inspection is confirmed. Here's how it works:

Your team completes the roof and the final inspection passes.
We receive confirmation of the final passed roof inspection.
Our team coordinates with you and the homeowner to schedule the reinstall and pick a day that works.

A scheduling coordinator wearing a headset, on a call at her computer while booking the reinstall

Step 09

New Mounting Hardware Goes On

Every reinstall goes back on brand-new IronRidge QuickMount HUG (Halo UltraGrip) mounts — nothing is reused from the old array.
No prying up shingles: a foam-and-mastic seal sticks to the shingle surface and fills gaps and step-downs.
A raised cast-aluminum halo surrounds that seal, and each structural screw has a rubber sealing washer — layer after layer of waterproofing.
Mounts go into the rafters wherever possible; if a rafter is missed, the mount is secured to the deck with six screws instead.
Every new mount is backed by our 25-year leak warranty.
Rated and tested: UL 2703 / 2703A, passed rain and wind-driven rain testing, and rated for 1,004 lbs of uplift on a rafter.

Cross-section of a HUG mount screwed through the shingles and deck into a rafter

IronRidge HUG Tech Brief (PDF)

Step 10

Panels Come Back to the Roof

Panels and equipment come out of storage and get a look-over for any damage from the tear-off.
They go back up to the roof — the same panels that came down, handled the same careful way.

Two technicians carrying a large solar panel across rooftop mounting racks

Step 11

Arrays Are Set and Secured

Panels are set on the layout and secured to the racking.
The array is checked across the roof before any wiring is re-run.

A technician standing on a flat roof guiding a solar panel into place along the mounting rails

A technician positioning a solar panel onto a flat roof mounting system

Step 12

System Reconnected and Documented

Wiring goes back into the existing J-boxes and the disconnect.
The system is brought back online and checked.
We confirm the system's production numbers and make sure it's working the same as before we arrived.
The reinstall is photographed and logged the same way the removal was — a complete record from the first call to the system back on.

Two technicians in company shirts and tool belts wiring an exterior solar disconnect

Step 13

We Check Out With the Homeowner

Before we leave, we check out with the homeowner and confirm the system is running.
We show them the production numbers so they can see the system is working as it should.
We answer any questions they have about the work or the system.
The work area is cleaned up before we go.