Up and Over (solar energy installation)

This is the second set of photos, showing the family beginning the process of installing the solar panels on our roof. If you missed the first set of photos, it's here.

The first photos showed the crew getting the first metal stand for the panels up onto the front roof of the house. The front of the house is much closer to ground level than the back, so the plan was to carry the stand up and over the peak of the roof, to install it on the back side.

Here we go, on the front of the roof . . .

Over the top

Starting down the back

Being goofy on the roofy (?)

Here's a tough spot - those black tubes are water pipes. The sun heats the water for us, so that we can have hot showers. We are quite fond of hot showers, so the workers were being careful not to damage those tubes.

Pivoting to cross the roof from left to right

Heading to the final destination

The first unit is in place! Now it has to be bolted to the roof.

David fetches the drill and other tools for the roof crew. To his disappointment, Mommy wouldn't let David play on the roof with the rest of the gang.

Don't want to leave out Rachel! While the others were on the back of the roof, Rachel was counterbalancing the weight on the other side of the roof. She was the anchorwoman!

Drilling holes and installing bolts, from outside . . .

Russell came inside, and worked in the roof trusses, screwing the nuts onto the bolts which came through the roof. You can't tell in this picture, but he is working 16' off the floor.

Once this unit was installed, the crew had a lunch break, and cooled off a bit. Then, they went back out and did the whole thing again! I'd post a picture of the two installed units, but I used up my camera batteries this morning.

I need to get more batteries soon, because the next step is putting up the actual solar panels! That's on the schedule for Monday.