Founded in 1996, IronRidge offers some of the most innovative, intuitive and durable racking solutions in the solar industry. The company was born out of Mendocino County in a time when residential solar was in its nascency and racking was synonymous with crude, hand-built structures. Thus, their mission has always been to improve the durability and strength of solar racking systems to endure extreme weather conditions. They hold eight unique product patents, offer a 25-year warranty on all products, and continue to release waves of new solar racking components to the market. Here’s an overview of their most recently launched products: the KO Tile, the Flat Roof Attachment, and the CAMO End Clamp.
KO Tile
IronRidge decided to enter the market of tile roof racking solutions this year with the release of their KO Tile. The replacement tile marks the expansion of IronRidge’s residential product offering outside of traditional asphalt shingles. Tile presents a number of challenges for solar installations due its fragile, yet rigid nature. Contractors must walk gingerly to avoid breaking tiles while also grinding them to ensure a snug fit with racking structures.
The KO Tile aims to resolve these challenges by providing a solution that rapidly and reliably integrates into the existing structure. The main benefit to the KO Tile is its ease of installation. With a single strike of a hammer, KO Tile creates a form-fitted waterproofing that joins the flashing, gasket, and L-foot. Moreover, there is minimal offset between the lag bolt and L-foot which improves the structural performance of the flashing and only requires a single lag. This results in a 40% higher loading capacity and drastically reduce the number of rooftop penetrations needed. The KO Tile comes in three different tile shapes that are compatible with a single universal base.
Flat Roof Attachment (FRA)
Even though ballast is the industry standard for commercial flat rooftops, engineering requirements will often specify attachments as insurance against high uplift forces. The release of the Flat Roof Attachment product line is opening up another new market segment for IronRidge. The FRA is already integrated with the IronRidge design tool to provide a seamless design and quoting for low-slope projects. At its core, the FRA combines a high-strength cast aluminum base with compatible roof membranes to create an attachment integrated down to the roof deck. IronRidge developed relationships with major roofing manufacturers to approve their FRA design. The formed membrane covers are matched with Carlisle, Firestone, GAF, and Johns Manville roofs. The FRA system couples well with IronRidge’s tilt leg and rail systems to provide a flexible racking option for any low slope roof.
CAMO End Clamp
When the solar industry launches a new product, manufacturers tend to spend money to ensure contractors see the products on show floors and online. In the case of the CAMO end clamp, IronRidge hopes you only see the product just prior to installation. Designed to get rid of unsightly overhanging rails, the CAMO hidden end clamp provides a clean aesthetic to residential arrays that mimic a railless array. The CAMO works with nearly all solar modules and installs without tools or torque specifications. By rotating the CAMO end clamp into place, it becomes structurally secure electrically bonds with the module. CAMO fully conforms with UL2703.
