Using Your Own Roofer With Solar Panels? What to Know First
Earthlight Technologies • November 9, 2026
Using Your Own Roofer With Solar Panels? What to Know Before They Start
Not every homeowner who needs a new roof uses Earthlight’s roofing division. Maybe your insurance company is involved after hail damage, or you already have a roofer you trust. That is fine. Earthlight’s service team regularly removes and reinstalls solar panels alongside outside roofing companies in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Here is how it works and what to watch for.
Why Your Roofer Should Not Remove Your Panels
Removing your panels through Earthlight will not affect your manufacturer warranties. If your roofer pulls the panels off and puts them back on, that could. Reinstalling a solar system correctly takes solar experience, not just roofing experience.
It happens more often than you might think. Our service manager recently got a call from a homeowner whose roofer had taken the panels off, finished the roof, and then did not know how to put the system back. The panels had been sitting in the backyard for two months. In cases like that, we inventory what is there, reverse engineer the system, and reinstall it as best we can. It is much easier to involve us from the start.
How Earthlight Coordinates With Your Roofer
We try to deal directly with your roofer rather than making you the middleman. When a homeowner relays dates back and forth between two contractors, those phone calls can add days to the schedule. If you want to stay involved, we absolutely keep you in the loop.
We remove the panels a few days before the roof work starts. After the new roof passes inspection, we come back to reinstall, with a goal of about two weeks end to end. We wait for that inspection on purpose. If the town flags a problem with the roof after the solar is back on, the panels would have to come off again.
Filing an Insurance Claim for Roof Damage
If storm or hail damage is behind your new roof, tell us whether you are going through insurance or paying out of pocket. That tells us who to address the removal and reinstall quote to. Once your insurance company or you approve the quote, we schedule around your roofer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Outside Roofers and Solar
Can I use my own roofer if I have solar panels?
Yes. Earthlight regularly works with outside roofing companies. Our service team removes your panels a few days before the roof work, coordinates directly with your roofer, and reinstalls the system after the roof passes inspection. Using an outside roofer can make the timeline harder to control, but we work to keep downtime as short as possible.
Can my roofer remove and reinstall my solar panels?
We do not recommend it. If Earthlight removes your panels, your manufacturer warranties are not affected. If your roofer removes and reinstalls them, that could affect your warranty. Reinstalling solar correctly also takes solar-specific experience, and we have seen roofers remove panels and then be unable to put the system back together.
My roofer already took my panels off, Can you reinstall them?
Yes. Earthlight’s service team will inventory the equipment, reverse engineer how the system was set up, and reinstall it as best we can. This is harder than a planned removal and reinstall, so if you have not started your roof yet, contact us first and we can handle the removal ourselves.
Do you work with insurance companies on solar removal for roof damage?
Yes. Let us know whether your roof replacement is going through insurance, for example after hail damage, or whether you are paying out of pocket. That tells us who to address the quote to. Once the quote is approved, we coordinate the removal and reinstall with whichever roofing company is doing the work.
Why do you wait for the roof inspection before reinstalling panels?
If the town finds a problem with the new roof after the panels are back on, the solar would have to come off again. Waiting for the inspection avoids that. Giving new shingles time to set also helps. Our goal is to have your system removed, the roof replaced, and the panels reinstalled in about two weeks.
Planning a roof replacement? Contact Earthlight before your roofer starts, or visit our solar service page.
