Shower ceiling window protection

[ReadyToRoll]

After seeing all the hail damage in the Midwest and planning a trip there this July, decided to install vent covers on all vents but the shower ceiling window, being larger and domed, went to our local steel dealer and purchased a sheet of heavy gauge expanded metal. It has triangle openings about 3/4" long and about 1/4" at the center. I cut the material to size to cover the entire window, bowed it to conform to the window leaving about 2" between the two, and then bent the ends at a 90 deg. angle and painted white. Then with a good grade of Silicone sealant, sealed the ends to the roof. As there is really no wind resistance, don't think that screws will be necessary. Will monitor the RTV through the summer and can always add screws if necessary. I also used the remaining piece to cover the stove/ fridge vent as well. This should alleviate hail damage unless we get into the baseball and up size.

[jsmith948]

A good idea that should prevent hail damage......However, Silicone is not recommended for use on the roof. Your roof is either EPDM or TPO. Dicor makes a self leveling lap sealant that is compatible with the roof membrane. You might try doing a forum search as there have been numerous threads/posts regarding sealing the roof.

[JRTJH]

Protecting the roof from hail, at first glance, seems like a nice way to eliminate any possible damage, but when you think about it further, it may not be the best option. Sometimes, relying on what's already there is sufficient.

I would be very cautious about "gluing" anything to the TPO or EPDM roof. The roof is "glued in place" and anything you stick on top that can pull the membrane away from the OSB during travel (think wind forcing the metal to lift at 60 MPH) can cause the roof membrane to be damaged and set up future leaks. You'll likely need to remove the wire basket to reseal the skylight during your roof maintenance, so it's probably going to be more trouble than it's worth, in the long run.

If you think about it, there are tens of thousands of trucks, cars, trailers in the area you're going to. Few (if any) of them have any protection against hail. A new shower skylight (if you should encounter damaging hail) can be purchased at almost any RV store.

If you've ever been in "baseball sized hail" you'd know that the metal would quickly be "pounded" down to touch the skylight, so all you'd be doing is possibly preventing it from entering the RV. The skylight will probably be damaged just as quickly with or without a wire mesh grid a couple inches above it. The basket, once hail started hitting it, would probably tear away from the rubber roof, or pull it out of position causing it to tear.

It's akin to making the same type "metal bubble" for your tow vehicle. Hail will probably do more damage to your truck than it would to the skylight, and it's not protected.

Speaking from my personal experience with a tree falling on our RV, the way the roof is constructed with thin OSB and covered with a thin plastic or rubber membrane, and all of the plastic structures that are installed up there, any significant sized hail would destroy anything on the roof. Protecting the skylight and expecting MaxAir vent covers to protect the vents is being very optimistic. The air conditioner plastic shroud costs more than the skylight and the foam covered internal components of the A/C are not protected other than that plastic cover. Additionally, the pine needles, leaves and twigs that always fall on the roof will be very difficult to keep out of the mesh. That "stuff" will sit up there, mold and create black streaks down the side of your RV.

I think you might cause more damage from adding the metal to the roof and gluing it to the membrane (especially with silicone) than the hail would do, if you encounter it.