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Old 06-12-2021, 11:56 AM   #1
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Roof Question To You Longtime RV Owners

We're on our 4th camper, 3rd 5th wheel. I store our 2016 Signature Ultra Lite in a storage shed at all times while not in use. I've been told here that I need to be as vigilant with roof maintenance as I would if our unit was setting outside in the elements at all times. We traditionally use our camper 4 weeks a year in 4 separate trips, otherwise it's in our storage shed. It is said that roofs deteriorate as quickly when the unit is protected from the elements when not in use as it is if it is subjected to year around weather elements. I find that just a little hard to believe but I heed the advice, nonetheless.

I recently did a thorough inspection prior to our annual week long camping excursion to Indiana for the Indianapolis 500. I didn't see anything remarkable or alarming but there was minimal weather checking in the sealant around the vents and where the roofing material mates with the nose cap and the rear panels. Didn't see anything remarkable about the sides where the roof material meets the side panels.

I had ordered some self-leveling lap seal and I applied it over the minor weather checking. I probably went a bit overboard but unwanted water is the absolute last thing we want making its way past the sealant.

My question: how much of the self leveling lap seal can I apply before I'm going to need to remove it and start all over? This looks like it would be a monumental task and one I'd probably not want to pay a RV stealer, oops, I mean dealer service department to do. Is it okay to keep applying the lap seal? I can't imagine the work that would go into removing all that built up sealant.

Thanks.
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Old 06-12-2021, 12:18 PM   #2
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Roofs deteriorate just as fast protected as not? Now that's funny. My last FR didn't need any touch up until it was 4 yrs old. I would say the amount you can apply over time depends on the underlying condition of the lap seal. I would say after 3 or 4 sealant additions it might be considered. Obviously you wouldn't want to get to the point of it being really thick. I've never owned an rv long enough to have to remove the sealant but there are some examples on YouTube. The job while fairly tedious didn't look that bad in the videos.

On my FR the dealer told me that the roof needed to be washed and resealed to the tune of $1200. I washed the old stuff with roof cleaner and added some to it which was fine.
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Old 06-12-2021, 09:27 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brewhedd View Post
Roofs deteriorate just as fast protected as not? Now that's funny. My last FR didn't need any touch up until it was 4 yrs old.
Common sense would indicate that a camper roof and sealant that is subjected to year around atmospheric elements in the northern 1/2 of North America would deteriorate noticeably quicker than one that sees sun & rain only 1 month out of 12. I didn't argue with that logic since I don't have experience to back up my claim.
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Old 06-16-2021, 09:16 AM   #4
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I was told to condition my roof once a year if in the sun, once every two years if stored inside by my claims adjuster. He deals with a lot of RV roof issues and that was his advice.
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