Do you really need a lock on your door? Statistically speaking, depending on where you live, your lock may never be tested by a burglar. It may never serve its created purpose. The greatest accomplishment it may boast is that it kept practical jokesters, like your fraternity brothers, at arm’s length. But should a thief or criminal try to open your door, whether or not you are at home, you will be glad the lock is there. The peace of mind is worth far more than the cost of the lock. Some people go so far as to install an alarm system in their home, just on the chance somebody might break-in. They are not paranoid; they are protecting their investment. The same could be said of solar panel fasteners.
Solar panels provide a great return on the investment, but the initial cost can be sizeable. What if somebody decided to climb up on top of your roof and help themselves to your solar panels? In a day and age when thieves are brazen enough to steal copper tubing from church properties, it is not farfetched to think solar panels could be the next hot underground market item. If all it takes to protect your investment (and your peace of mind) is a specialty fastener, it makes no sense to use anything else. There are no guarantees in life, but you might as well make it more difficult for someone to take what rightfully belongs to you.
Secure solar panel installation involves more than simply securing the panels to your roof. Truly secure installation includes methods that keep your property safe from thieves, too. Basic solar panel rack systems use regular, commercial hardware to fasten the panels to the racks. This means that anyone with a wrench the proper size could remove them. Security fasteners, on the other hand, require a special tool, making it more difficult for the average person to remove them without using something drastic like a grinding wheel to detach the panels. And any resident is sure to hear a grinding wheel being used on the roof.
When the philosopher, Socrates, was asked a question by one of his students, he typically responded with another question. The method came to be known as the Socratic method and is still used in educational circles today. So, to answer the question, “Do I really need special fasteners for my solar panels?” consider the following questions:
- Does an automobile need a car alarm in order to function?
- Does a house need dead bolts in order to be structurally sound?
- Does your Wi-Fi need a password in order to connect to the Internet?
The answer, of course, is no. Your solar panels will collect solar energy whether or not they are installed with security fasteners. However, when you consider how the fasteners protect your investment, you quickly realize what a wise decision it would be to insist on them.
