IntegraRack IR-W5MBCB MultiBallast 5 Degree East and West or Flat Configuration Solar Panel Mount for Flat Roofs and Ground Installations

IntegraRack IR-W5MBCB MultiBallast 5° East/West Solar Panel Mount

The IR-W5MBCB is IntegraRack's lightweight, rail-free way to put a flat surface to use. Instead of drilling into a roof or pouring footings, each mount is held down by a standard cinder block or bonded straight to the roof with adhesive, so you can build a full array on a flat roof, a patio, or open ground without a single penetration. Crafted from 6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum, the kits are light enough to ship in a small box and easy to relocate later if your plans change.

Put Unused Flat Space to Work

Flat roofs are some of the most wasted real estate on a property. The IR-W5MBCB lets you cover that space with solar at either a 0° flat lay or a gentle 5° tilt - no railing and no roof holes required. Roof material slip sheets, roughly 9×6in, are recommended underneath each base to protect the membrane, and because the whole system is ballasted rather than fastened through the roof, it leaves the surface intact.

The East-West "W" Advantage

Set at 5°, the mounts form a "W," with half of the panels facing east and half facing west. Rather than concentrating all of your production in the middle of the day, this layout pulls in the morning sun from the east and the evening sun from the west, flattening your production curve and stretching useful output across more of the day. That wider curve pairs especially well with battery charging and daytime self-consumption.

Ballast It or Bond It

You have two ways to secure the system, and neither one touches the roof structure:

• Cinder-block ballast: Drop two standard solid 4x8x16” CMU blocks into each kit, then run a bolt through the center of each base mount until it bites into the block to lock it in place. Blocks are sourced locally and are not included.
• Adhesive bonding: Where ballast is not an option, one tube of Sikaflex 1A Polyurethane Sealant bonds up to ten base mounts directly to the roof. Apply a zig-zag bead to each roof-touching surface and set the mounts in place.

Rail-Free Bonding with IR-F2 Clamps

The IR-W5MBCB uses IntegraRack's under-mount IR-F2 flange clamps, which grip the side flange of the module and clamp it firmly to the H brackets. Two piercing barbs bite through the anodized module frame to bond neighboring panels to each other as you install them, giving you integrated module-to-module bonding. 

For bonding across rows, IntegraRack's UL 2703 recognized IR-B1 jumpers are available in 8-inch and 12-inch lengths. Whole-system grounding still needs to be provided per the current National Electrical Code and completed by a licensed electrician.

Wind and Snow Ratings

The MultiBallast line was wind-tunnel tested at the University of Washington's Kirsten Wind Tunnel. For the IR-W5MBCB, the ratings depend on the size of your module and how heavy your cinder blocks are:

• With standard 32 lb blocks: up to 140 mph for modules up to 24 sqft, and up to 115 mph for modules up to 34 sqft
• With lighter 20 lb blocks: up to 100 mph for modules up to 24 sqft, and up to 80 mph for modules up to 34 sqft

Snow load holds at 100 psf for modules up to 24 sqft and 65 psf for modules up to 34 sqft in either configuration. Because the ballast and panels add dead load to the structure, confirm your roof can carry the extra weight, and have a qualified professional review the structure before you install.

How Many Kits Do I Need?

The IR-W5MBCB is sold per panel. Plan on one kit for each solar panel, plus one additional kit to start each row: a row of 10 panels needs 11 kits. The system fits framed modules of any size in landscape orientation, and the spacing between each pair of mounts is set by your panel length and the module maker's recommended clamping zones, which typically fall about a quarter of the panel length in from each end.

Built to Last, Simple to Install

Every IR-W5MBCB is backed by IntegraRack's 25-year limited product warranty. At roughly 6 lbs shipped per kit, it arrives by ground parcel in a compact box, assembles with nothing more than a 1/2-inch (13mm) ratchet wrench, a tape measure, chalk line, and a hammer, and can be picked up and repositioned if you ever rework the array. It is approachable enough for a confident owner to set up, though we always recommend a qualified professional confirm the roof's structural capacity and handle the electrical connections and grounding.