roof maintenance

[Mndiver]

Determined my roof is TPO washed up nice and appears to be in good shape. I will be going over every seam and caulk as needed. should i the coat the entire roof with something? 2017 model so 5 yrs old. tia

[Lee]

Twice a year I wash and inspect the roof, then touch up any suspect spots with Dicor. Don't use any ole caulk . After Dicor has setup, I then treat the entire roof surface with Aerospace 303. Including all of the roof vent covers, AC cover, Fridge cover, etc.

Same for the awnings, wash, let dry, 303.

[dutchmensport]

After you finish washing the roof and after finish touch up on the sealant seams, use RV roof treatment (sold at Wall Mart or any RV parts store). This will put a sealer back on your roof, fill in all the small microscopic pours in the rubber, and make the surface smooth and soft as silk. Rain water will run off much nicer and it protects the rubber.

You may need to use as much as half a gallon if the roof has not been treated for a long time. Simply pour a SMALL amount in one spot and use a squeegee to spread it around. Let it dry. You do it in small sections because a thin layer like that will dry pretty fast. Let it sit about 24 hours and then do it again (if it's not been done before). The second time, you'll use about a 1/3 of what you used the firs time. And you'll be amazed how smooth and nice the roof feels, just after the first treatment. Then, you'll be good for at least another year (or longer).

[Mndiver]

thanks for the responses. I have and will use dicor , I doubt if any sealer has ever been used on this roof. new to us a year ago and seems to had very little use of any kind. was wondering if it was time for a more substantial coating, like an elastomeric coating.

[dutchmensport]

Originally Posted by Mndiver

.... like an elastomeric coating.

Start simple and with the most cost effective approach you can think of. If the roof is not flaking then I strongly suggest you use the Dicor Rubber Roof Treatment first.

Applying anything on the rubber can (and does) cause more damage than good. Don't re-invent the wheel. It will cost you dearly in the long run. If you use the Rubber Roof treatment, first ... it's cheaper and easier to use, and less messy, and second, it's made for your roof, .... and after trying it, wait a few months and inspect the roof again. If then, it looks like it's flaking, failing, or going bad, then try an alternative.

[Mndiver]

I have the roof washed (twice, to get it clean) bought the dicore roof treatment, it says to spray it on the use a rag or sponge mop spraying sounds like a mess , how have others applied this?

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Mndiver

I have the roof washed (twice, to get it clean) bought the dicore roof treatment, it says to spray it on the use a rag or sponge mop spraying sounds like a mess , how have others applied this?

Not a mess at all. Just use a spray bottle, use a semi coarse stream and spray in the middle out to about a foot or so from the edge (so it's not spraying over).
Spray it on liberally and then I just use a sponge mop (pre moistened then left to dry a bit so it's not wet) and work it all around on the roof. I always wash and treat the roof then wash and wax the trailer since washing the roof always has "stuff" run down the sides.....even if DW is spraying it down with softened water...

[Robear]

Originally Posted by Mndiver

I have the roof washed (twice, to get it clean) bought the dicore roof treatment, it says to spray it on the use a rag or sponge mop spraying sounds like a mess , how have others applied this?

I use a car wash sponge and pour the conditioner/sealer onto it and I’m able to control where it goes and not have runoff down the sides. I’m still able to get on my hands and knees and crawl around on the roof. Much safer than standing up and applying it.

[Wyldfire]

Been a lot of bad advice is being given to you. All your roof needs is cleaned and caulked. No conditioning. Old EDPM roofs needed conditioning it can be harmful to TPO. Here is what the manufacturer says;

https://alphallc.us/product-care/

[Wyldfire]

Per alpha the TPO manufacturer:

The Alpha roof membrane is quite inert and will resist weathering well; nor does it require the periodic application of products to protect it from ultra-violet light or ozone. In fact, these products can often cause damage to the roof membrane.

[Robear]

Originally Posted by Wyldfire

Been a lot of bad advice is being given to you. All your roof needs is cleaned and caulked. No conditioning. Old EDPM roofs needed conditioning it can be harmful to TPO. Here is what the manufacturer says;

https://alphallc.us/product-care/

My roof is Edpm, just saw the op has a tpo. My bad.
The camco cleaner and conditioner doesn’t specify which type of roof to use it on, just says for all rubber roofs. Looks like all you got to do for a tpo is wash it!

[Wyldfire]

Here is what camco says about their cleaner and conditioner:


Can this product be used on all rubber roofs? epdm safe?

Answer this question
A: Hey Douglas, these are EPDE safe. Not recommended for TPO roofs. The Protectant part, Part 2, is not required for TPO roofs. You only need Part 1 for TPO roofs.
Give us a call at 800-334-2004 or email us at [email protected] if we can be of further assistance. Thank you.


Camco Manufacturer · 6 years ago
Helpful? 1 0
A: I'm sorry we do not offer any clean solution for the TPO style roofs. If you have any questions please contact us at 800.334.2004.


Rick · 5 years ago

[Mndiver]

Thanks again everyone. I saw the info on TPO only yesterday on Alpha site. I did clean it and seal with dicor roof treatment, needed or not. I did also wipe down the roof vents etc. with the same,hopefully it will slow down uv degradation. It appears my slide roof however does have EPDM, had a couple small spots (half the size of a dime) when i cleaned the roof more black appeared in the same area. Thinking i will coat this roof with liquid rubber coating such a Dicor makes.

[Mndiver]

On another note it appears I should be using Alpha products eg. caulking, lap seal, rather that Dicor. Experience thoughts?

[sourdough]

You're sure the roof is TPO and you verified that? If you know there are multiple things. I have TPO and always had EPDM. I used Dicor cleaner and sealant initially (first year). Didn't do anything, just like it always had on all the other roofs. That said; IMO the Alpha warning of not using "anything" other than Alpha products is simply a means to raise revenue. Dicor makes their "Ultra" Dicor sealants compatible with Alpha TPO; RecPro and probably others make products for Alpha TPO roofs so different products, same roof.

What I am doing currently is washing only as Alpha states. I have my doubts about that as I've seen/had so many roofs that degrade, get dry and flake - especially in TX heat and sun. We'll see in a couple of years (or less) but I WILL treat it if it starts to degrade. I have used ProFlex on one stretch of a transition strip against the TPO and it did just fine - it was what I had at the moment. I am not endorsing using anything other than what they recommend and have no idea what anyone else's experience might be.

Bottom line I suppose is that I read and try to adhere to their recommendations but take them understanding what they are doing; driving folks who have their roofs to their products - sort of like Toyota saying "use our oil only at our dealerships" but Mobil 1 is the exact same thing. JMO

[Mndiver]

Thanks, i checked by looking under the a/c vent cover and material s solid white. but with the black showing i assume the slide roof is epdm. I dont even ? why keystone would do that after what ive seen. Probably just use the sealer i have left for now, the weather here is cooling off fast here, I can always do more later. Ill be in warm weather for winter. (texas and arizona). thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge.

[hlh1]

I have much to learn: what is TMO and EPDM? What type is my roof?

[Wyldfire]

https://youtu.be/XGLSiG88S5c

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Mndiver

Thanks, i checked by looking under the a/c vent cover and material s solid white. but with the black showing i assume the slide roof is epdm. I dont even ? why keystone would do that after what ive seen. Probably just use the sealer i have left for now, the weather here is cooling off fast here, I can always do more later. Ill be in warm weather for winter. (texas and arizona). thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge.

If you can't get to the back side to see if it's solid all the way through, look at the surface texture. TPO usually is "pebble finish" with some "roughness" to the finish. EPDM is almost always smooth. If your slide roof is the same surface texture as your trailer roof, then chances are almost 100% that it's the same material.

When you think about the switch from EPDM to TPO, one of the reasons was because of issues with EPDM being scratched by the slide seals and leaving the white coating damaged. So, it would seem counterproductive for Keystone to revert to using that material on slides after doing away with it several years ago....

The texture, I believe, will confirm for you what material is on your slide roof.....

[Mndiver]

IT is smooth and black starting to show thru. short of taking off a piece of flashing I have not been able to find an edge,