A cracked solar module costs more than a bad afternoon
A contractor lands the Clad Boy on a panel, the lift itself goes fine, but pulling the machine away afterwards a metal suction pad clips the edge of a glass module and cracks it. The panel is undamaged. The solar module is not, and because it happened during installation, the contractor is the one who has to pay for the replacement.
That’s the kind of thing that happens when a Kingspan PowerPanel gets treated like a standard composite panel. It isn’t one, and it needs to be handled differently from the moment the Clad Boy arrives on site.
What makes a PowerPanel different
A PowerPanel gets treated like any other insulated composite panel. But it isn’t. On top of it sits a row of PV modules, clipped into place, wired up, and ready to generate power the moment the roof is finished.
That combination doesn’t exist on a standard cladding panel, and it changes almost everything about how the panel needs to be lifted and worked on.
Bowing is normal. On a PowerPanel, it’s a problem
Vacuum lifters aren’t rigid. When you pick up a long composite panel, the suction pads and extension bars are designed to bow slightly, following the natural flex of the panel as it lifts. That’s normal, and on an ordinary panel it isn’t something to worry about.
On a Power Panel, that same flex has somewhere else to go. If the panel bends or flexes too much during the lift, it can damage the PV modules sitting on top of it. In some cases it’s enough to pop a module out of the clips holding it in place. Either way, the panel is damaged before it’s even fixed to the roof.
The longer the panel, the more it wants to bow, and the more that matters.
Every PowerPanel job gets a chain set
This is why every Clad Boy we set up for PowerPanel work is supplied with a chain set. The chain set sits between the Clad Boy and the crane hook, so the suction pads stay straight instead of following the panel’s natural bow.
The result is a flatter lift. Less flex reaches the panel, which means less flex reaches the PV modules on top of it. It isn’t an optional extra on a PowerPanel job of any length. It’s the difference between a panel that goes up clean and one that arrives on the roof already carrying a problem.
No two Power Panels are laid out the same way
The layout of the PV modules on a PowerPanel change depending on the pitch of the roof, its orientation, how much shade it gets through the day, and where the building is. Two PowerPanel roofs on two different jobs can end up with completely different module layouts.
There’s always a minimum of 300mm between modules, but that’s as far as the standardisation goes. There’s no maximum spacing, and there’s no typical layout either. It varies project to project, panel to panel, which is frustrating from a setup point of view but also unavoidable given how differently each roof performs.
That’s a large part of why the suction pads on a Clad Boy set up for PowerPanel work are smaller and bespoke to the job, rather than the standard pads used on other composite panels. Smaller, purpose-fitted pads cost more to supply, and mapping each panel from scratch takes real time. Between the bespoke pads and the work that goes into getting the configuration right, a PowerPanel Clad Boy setup usually costs more than a standard one, and that’s reflected in what we quote.
We work from the Kingspan drawings, not a guess
For every PowerPanel enquiry, we ask contractors to send the drawings supplied by Kingspan for that specific roof. We use them to map out the Clad Boy configuration for that panel, confirm the suction pads land in the gaps between PV modules rather than on the glass, and make sure the lift is balanced.
The suction pads can only go on the composite panel. They can’t go on the glass. Skip the drawings, or guess at the layout, and there’s a real chance a pad ends up somewhere it shouldn’t. Getting the mapping right also keeps the lift balanced, so the machine doesn’t put uneven strain through the panel or the modules on it.
The dangerous moments are either side of the lift
The lift itself tends to get the most attention, but the two moments that cause the most damage are landing the Clad Boy on the panel and pulling it away afterwards. Both involve metal suction pads moving close to glass PV modules.
We’ve seen a pad clip a module on the way down, and we’ve seen one caught while the machine is being lifted clear once the panel is in place and suction has been released. Both are avoidable with a bit of care, and both are the contractor’s responsibility if they happen.
Slowing down at these two points and being deliberate about clearance from the glass is a small habit that prevents an expensive one.
Walking on a PowerPanel roof is its own problem
Lifting isn’t the only way a PowerPanel roof gets damaged. Once a panel is fixed in place, someone still has to walk across it to fit the next one along, and standing on a glass PV module is no better for it than a suction pad would be.
That’s what the walk boards are for. They’re a Kingspan product, developed with Easi-Dec, designed to sit over the top of the PV modules so contractors have somewhere to stand and work without loading the glass underneath. They come in three sizes, long, standard & and short. The combination of these three sizes, again, depends on the PV module placement on the panel.
We use those same Kingspan-supplied roof drawings to work out the sequence, decide how the boards go down, and supply the setup for that job rather than a generic one.
Send the drawings before the kit goes out
A PowerPanel roof isn’t generic, and treating it like one is where the costly mistakes happen. The panel needs a chain set to stop it bowing. The Clad Boy needs mapping against the actual PV layout before it touches the roof. The walk boards need sequencing against that same layout so nobody’s standing on glass they shouldn’t be.
None of that is possible without the drawings from Kingspan up front. If you’ve got a PowerPanel job coming up, send those over before the equipment goes out, so the Clad Boy and the walk boards are set up for that roof, not just any roof.
Planning an upcoming project? Get in touch with our hire team to check availability and secure your equipment 0370 741 7600 or email info@vaclifting.co.uk
