Roof Care

[tmas]

My trailer is 1.5 years old, what maintenance should I do on my roof. It was stored for the first year outside, uncovered in the Texas sun. Now it is stored covered.

[Kbryant099]

I would like to know also. Similar circumstances except I'm in Alabama.

[Pixelbum1]

Funny you should ask. Good question...and important!

I just recently paid a visit to my local RV dealer store and found a bottle
of roof cleaning solution...called RUBBER ROOF CLEANER
(makes sense eh?) by "Protect All". Is a white 32 oz. spray bottle of
solution specifically formulated to work with EPDM rubber roof's. Haven't
used it yet...but it claims to be "easy" to use...simply spray it onto a 2-3
sq. foot section, then sponge this in to activate cleaner and loosen dirt\chalk.
Use rubber gloves with this and maybe use a bristle brush, if needed. Sponge
this section up into a water bucket a few times to clean the sponge, or mop, until it looks clean,
then go on to the next section working towards the ladder.

They say not to let it dribble over the sides but if so merely rinse it quickly with the hose.
This entire process, once dry, should minimize the black streaks that we all see down the sides because there will now be less chalk
from the EPDM roof material. It also states that you may buy a "treatment"
by Protect All which will make the next cleanings less frequent and easier plus offers UV protection to boot.

This stuff wasn't cheap ($14-) and probably could be found on eBay, etc., if you look, which I plan to do next time with some pre-planning. I think I
saw a roof treatment at Walmart beginning of summer by Thetford but last
time I looked they were out?

There it is and sooner or later you will want to do this. I bought my coach
last yr. as a 2011 but understand the previous owner kept it under a tall carport, which helped. Mine sits out during the camping season, thus far,
but I did cover it completely with an ADCO last winter (Ohio!) to help it out
that way. Good luck...and don't drink and clean at the same time while you are up "there" doing the job or you might have more than black streaks dribbling down the sides of your unit! Just sayin'.

Better yet, see if you could talk your DW into doing this instead, but then take her out for a steak dinner and some dancing, at the very least!

Good luck and get crackin'!

[wbdavey]

I suggest you go through all the brochures that probably came with your trailer until you find out what your roof is made of. Roofs are NOT all made of the same materials and some should never be treated with any petroleum based products.

[mark0224]

In the light green menu bar near the top of the page you will find a part called library go in it there is a section on all roof maintenance. You can find most anything in regards to trailers. I use spic n span and a nylon brush not too stiff to clean mine, tried the store bought roof cleaner but didn't work as good as the spic n span.

[Pixelbum1]

Good point WB. Protect All is specific to the majority of roof's made with EPDM as far as cleaning and treatment. I researched their site and came across quite a history of how
this cleaning process evolved (pages!). I carefully looked for mention of any petroleum distillate used in the components of Protect All Cleaner and though they did not directly say that they use "any" in their cleaner, they specifically say that they DO NOT in their
treatment which is recommended as a follow-up to the cleansing phase.

To wit and I quote re the treatment:

Due to new technology and introduction of new additive materials, Protect All, Inc. has found it unnecessary to include a paraffinic petroleum distillate in our New Enhanced Protect All Rubber Roof Treatment formula. Our new formula has improved durability for longer lasting protection and has made it unnecessary to hand dry the treatment. Just let it air dry.

Camping World endorses the product I see and this company has been around, and a
leader in RV roofs, for many a year. The Thetford counterpart that I mentioned in my first reply seems to be a subsidiary of Protect All anyway...

In sum, yeah, everybody should check what roof material is overhead first, of course, and that is key. You do, I do, and hopefully they will! Cheers.

PS: Nope...I don't work for "them"!