What actually happens on installation day

The timeline

Most residential solar installations are completed in a single day. Battery installations, three-phase systems or complex roofs may take longer. Before that day, though, sits a period of approvals - grid connection application, metering arrangements, compliance documentation - which typically means two to six weeks from acceptance to installation depending on approvals and stock.

Being told a system can be installed 'this week' should prompt a question about whether approvals have been handled.

Tile roofs

Tiled roofs - terracotta or concrete - need mounting feet installed under lifted tiles. Tiles, particularly older ones, occasionally crack during this process. This is normal and expected, not evidence of a careless installer.

The practical advice: have spare matching tiles on hand if you can. Many homes have some stacked in a side passage from the original build. If you don't, ask the installer beforehand who sources replacements and whether it's in the quoted price. It's a small thing that becomes an annoying thing when it's discovered at 3pm on installation day.

Tin and Colorbond

Generally the most straightforward. Mounting attaches to the roof sheet ribs. The main considerations are sheet condition and structural adequacy, which is checked during design rather than on the day.

Flat and membrane roofs

Common commercially and on some modern homes. Usually requires either a ballasted mounting system or penetrations with careful waterproofing. Membrane integrity is the key issue - the roof warranty position needs checking, because penetrating a membrane roof can void it if done outside the manufacturer's requirements.

Switchboards

Older switchboards sometimes lack the space or protective devices required to safely accommodate a new generation source under AS/NZS 3000. Where an upgrade is genuinely required, it should be identified during design and quoted upfront - not discovered on the day and presented as a variation.

This is a large part of why we ask for switchboard photos during a site check. Finding it early is the difference between a planned inclusion and an unwelcome surprise.

Do you need to be home?

Recommended but not always essential - access needs coordinating, and there are usually points during the day where a decision benefits from you being reachable. Expect the power to be off for a period while the system is connected.