Not me. I don’t have my wife’s permission to go on the roof.

Our gardener/handyman will be coming over to put my three solar panels back on the roof. For one thing, we will save a lot of money by not using the gas pool heater so much. For another thing, I just LOVE getting free heated water into my pool.

I usually hope the pool temperature will reach 90 degrees or more so that I can swim the next morning in comfortable 83-degree water.

Why were my solar panels off the roof for half a year?  Because they developed leaks, and my wife didn’t want me going up on the roof to fix them.  She said she didn’t mind paying a higher gas bill, as long as I used the pool’s gas heater.

Laying the 20-foot-long panels on my patio, I tried to fix panel leaks, then test them out. It was challenging and fun. I discovered that epoxy glue did the trick.  Of course, whether it will hold up in the long run, and in the hot summer sun, remains to be seen.

This afternoon, in preparation for the panels’ return to my roof, I did a number of things to try to make it easier for the gardener. I attached a wire to one end of a panel using my strongest zip tie. The wire will be wrapped around our chimney to secure the first panel.  For the panels to be connected to each other, I will ask the gardener to don heatproof rubber gloves. Then I will toss him a boiling hot rag, which he will wrap around each large gasket, softening it, more easily enabling the panel connections.  Once the panels are up and connected to my pump and to the return-flow pipe, the most exciting part begins. I will open a valve, and we shall see how it works.

If the panels do not leak, I will feel like a hero. If there is a minor leak, I will feel just okay.  If there is a major leak or leaks, I will be somewhat deflated because I will need to consider scrapping the whole solar panel thing and reconciling myself to high gas bills again. I gave it my best shot, so it shouldn’t be so bad.

There, once again, I have covered all my bases.

No worries, as they say.

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com