Snow roof... I hope.

Anson9110 · 10-20-2014, 03:19 PM

I just wanted to share what I came up with to hopefully keep some snow/weight off the roof this winter. Last winter I met a bunch of people who were pacing around like myself concerned about the amount of snow sitting on our roofs. I have read different opinions on putting a tarp on the camper but without building a permanent roof, this was the best solution I could come up with. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated as usual... Just looking forward to easing some of the worry this winter. Hope everyone enjoyed their season!! Anson.

**hankpage** · 10-20-2014, 03:35 PM

Keep an eye on the tarp in the wind. The tarp, when it moves in the wind, can chafe holes in the edges of the rubber roof and rub the finish off the siding. What do the dealers in your area do with the snow on their in-stock trailers???

..... probably nothing but wait till spring thaw. At eight feet wide I can't see the snow-load per sq. ft. build high enough to cause damage. JM2¢, Hank
The ropes under the tarp will definitely rub holes in the edge of the roof!!!

**JRTJH** · 10-20-2014, 03:35 PM

More than an inch or two of snow and all of that will come crashing down on top of your trailer

poncho62 · 10-20-2014, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

More than an inch or two of snow and all of that will come crashing down on top of your trailer

I agree...that will hold no weight at all....also, putting tarps over the whole trailer and sides is asking for condensation problems inside. I tarp just the top of my trailer, pulling the tarp tight with rope. It hardly moves with the wind and havent noticed any wear on it. I keep the snow off with a plastic roof rake.

Festus2 · 10-20-2014, 03:49 PM

I'm not sure about covering your RV shown by the middle photo. Ideally, the cover should be one that "breathes" rather than a poly tarp like the one shown in the picture. Keeping a space or attic as shown in the last photo is good as it will allow some circulation of air. Secondly, you have several ropes that are resting against the edge of the roof. Come Spring, you will find that your rubber roof has worn through where the rope touches the roof. Count on it!

Another option would be to fashion a "snow rake". I've made one for our patio roof. It is simply a long wooden handle with a piece of 1/4 in plywood attached to the end. The plywood will need to be braced/supported so that it will not come off when you are pulling snow.

As you realize, wet snow - and lots of it - is the cause for concern. However, since this weight is evenly distributed over the length of the roof, I am not sure whether or not your concern is real or imagined but I understand where you are coming from. If it were me, I'd forget the tarp and when snow starts to accumulate to a height where it is starting to make you nervous, get a step ladder and use your DYI snow rake to pull the snow off the roof. You'll have to be careful so as not to damage the rubber membrane so I wouldn't try to pull all of it off. There is no need to scrape it clean - just pull off the bulk of it.

Unless you have a taut and steep slope on your cover, snow will eventually accumulate on the tarp so it may be more of a nuisance than it is worth.

You do need to have some air circulating inside the RV otherwise you'll end up with condensation and possible mold. I'd leave the roof vents slightly open along with a couple of windows to allow air to both enter and exit the RV.

Anson9110 · 10-20-2014, 03:52 PM

Thanks guys... I'm going to take the ropes off the sides on Wednesday when I go up then. Last winter I asked SO many people about the amount of snow the roof can safely handle and everyone responded with about the same answer...no more than a foot; I even called Keystone and inquired. My problem is that it's not accessible at all during the winter and if this winter is anything like last winter.....yikes. Maybe the tarp isn't the best idea after all tho.

poncho62 · 10-20-2014, 03:56 PM

Anson..I just noticed you are in Toronto...You can get a roof rake at Canadian Tire

CLICK HERE

Anson9110 · 10-20-2014, 04:03 PM

I knew this was the best place to get some good ideas. I was worried about the condensation as well. I have the sky lights open but will also open some windows a bit. I would much prefer to just have to roof covered like in poncho's picture (are there supports under the tarp??). Going to go back up this week and do some reconfiguring. Thanks again for all your input.. Anson.

Anson9110 · 10-20-2014, 04:10 PM

Thanks poncho... I'm appreciate the link. The only problem is getting to the camper.. We have a private road that goes around our lake and we generally don't plow it ...(way too much $$). Last year I dragged my wife up a little too early, went marching through the snow until she noticed the bear tracks and we were up to our waists in snow, I STILL haven't heard the end of that one!

poncho62 · 10-20-2014, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anson9110

I knew this was the best place to get some good ideas. I was worried about the condensation as well. I have the sky lights open but will also open some windows a bit. I would much prefer to just have to roof covered like in poncho's picture (are there supports under the tarp??). Going to go back up this week and do some reconfiguring. Thanks again for all your input.. Anson.

No supports under the tarp...I figure the A/C and the vent covers give the tarp enough of a slope. I pull the tarp fairly tight with ropes going under the trailer. The tarp is just big enough to cover the awning on the other side and the top of the windows and slideout on the side shown. My trailer is stored at home, so I am there to pull off excess snow as it builds up. I take it yours is on a seasonal site. I used to have a park model on a seasonal site, we used to walk in a couple of times each winter to shovel the snow off the roof. Would make a day of it. Too old for that BS now.....lol

**JRTJH** · 10-20-2014, 04:26 PM

Anson9110,

If I remember correctly, last winter you had the same concerns about how much snow load your RV could support. Last winter was a significantly heavy snowfall type season. Did you have any damage last year? Around here, we had better than 18' of snow and nobody that I know of had any RV roof damage from snow loading. There were some who had issues with rubber roof damage from covers and tarps wearing through the rubber membrane, but nobody had any structural damage from heavy snow loading.

What makes you worry more this year than last?

Anson9110 · 10-20-2014, 05:02 PM

Haha!! I just raced up to Canadian Tire to look at a tarp that isn't as wide and would allow more air in. It was on sale but felt way too thin so didn't get it. Think I'll keep one 100w solar panel outside and hook my 12v up to it and just leave it for the winter. Hopefully that keeps the moisture and air moving. Thanks again to all for their input..

therink · 10-20-2014, 05:13 PM

I use a 20x40 tarp and tie it down extremely tight using thin rope at all eyelets and sort of gift wrap the front and rear. The tarp is so tight that the snow on the roof eventually slides off. Ventilation is good as I have vent covers and leave the roof vents open and a couple of Windows cracked. Never had a condensation issue. We get abt 100" of snow here.

Festus2 · 10-20-2014, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anson9110

Think I'll keep one 100w solar panel outside and hook my 12v up to it and just leave it for the winter. Hopefully that keeps the moisture and air moving. Thanks again to all for their input..

I am wondering what you mean by "hooking up my 12v to it"? What is "it" that will "keep the moisture and air moving"?

I assume that your solar panel will be connected to the batteries. What do you plan on running off the batteries?

Anson9110 · 10-21-2014, 05:48 PM

I actually grabbed a 20x40 tarp last night but changed my mind...just going to keep the one I have (30x60)... I would have preferred the smaller one but don't really want to purchase another tarp. Nice to hear that when the tarp is pulled tight the snow slides off. That's what I'm hoping for but I guess it'll be learning experience this winter. I am going to make sure that rope does't wear holes in the roof thanks to some of the advice I've received here.

Anson9110 · 10-21-2014, 05:53 PM

I have a bad habit of leaving out some key words! Like I assume people can read my thoughts! I have a 12 volt fan that is able to run straight from a solar panel.. I figure if I can just let the fan run inside the camper (on sunny days) it should help push the air around. Going to keep the skylights open and crack a few windows..

Anson9110 · 10-21-2014, 06:04 PM

Sorry I missed your post. It was after speaking with bunch of people last year that basically assured me that my roof would most likely collapse that I broke down and paid a couple guys with snowmobiles to go in and clean the snow off the roof. Being a total newbie and not knowing a single person around my area with a camper I listened to them. However now I'm second guessing my putting a tarp on it. Last year we had 6ft of snow at the height of the winter.. figured when adding any moisture to that much snow it was bound to do damage. I value your opinion (and everyone else's) so now it feels like I'm back to the same spot I was in last year.

Festus2 · 10-21-2014, 06:09 PM

IF you do end up tarping it ...........I'd suggest that you put padding of some sort (foam pipe wrap??) between any ropes/lines and where they touch the roof or sides of the RV. The cheaper, yellow poly rope is bad for causing abrasion since it is so hard ---- get some softer white nylon or polyester rope instead.

Don't forget that the fan will run only as long as their is enough "juice" in the batteries. If your solar panel is covered with snow or the weather remains cloudy for long periods, the panel won't be able to keep the battery charged and the fan running.

Try using some of the moisture absorbing crystals - in addition to the fan. But the moisture collected by the crystals ends up as water which needs to be in a bowl or container. The crystals eventually lose their ability to absorb moisture after a while and need to be replaced. Maybe not a good idea if you can't get access to the RV.

I'd also make sure your roof is well sealed and caulked.

I am sure that it will be just fine without going to all this trouble. There are lots of RV's that are out in the elements without being covered and survive quite well. Relax and enjoy watching the Maple Lafs play - if that is possible.

**JRTJH** · 10-21-2014, 06:11 PM

While nobody can guarantee you a "damage free winter", part of the building process for RV's is to consider the roof loading for them. They are constructed to withstand the snow load. Remember they are only 96" wide with rafters every 16" on center, covered by 3/8" OSB. That construction is "stronger" than polebarns built here (to code). I saw 6'+ of snow on RV's around here last year and nobody had any "snow load damage".

Don't forget, that's part of why you have insurance on your RV, if the "unexpected" happens..... I'd say you're just fine without the tarp, and if you do tie it down with ropes, etc and have abrasion damage from the tiedown procedure, that's on you, not covered by insurance.

I'd do some thinking about all the "what if's" before stringing a tarp over it and leaving it unattended for 5 months with no way to get to it.

Just my thoughts, it's your decision whatever you do.....

ADDED: Also consider that as soon as your roof vents are covered with snow, they will remain "effectively closed" for the duration of the winter until the snow melts and air can flow through them again. Realize that if you have covers on them, leave them slightly open and snow drifts into the cover, when it melts in the spring, all that water will be dripping into your RV. If you're there to monitor it, no big problem, but if you drop a couple cups of water onto the bed or onto the carpet in March, during a spring thaw, and then can't get to your RV until April, that's a month of water damage that will have occurred before you can clean it up. You might want to reconsider leaving things open. Realize that as soon as it freezes, the air in Canada is drier than any other time of the year. You won't have humidity problems after the roads are snowed in.

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