Roof upkeep

[wegone]

Any tricks or advice on maintaining the integrity of our roofs on our trailers?

I was surprised the first time I looked on top of mine and saw just how thick and fat the sealing material was around equipment and flashings.

Of course, dirt, grime can break down the material as it holds in extra moisture, etc,, so washing is a must, but what about waxing or sealing, or, how often?

Thanks.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Island Eddie

Any tricks or advice on maintaining the integrity of our roofs on our trailers?

I was surprised the first time I looked on top of mine and saw just how thick and fat the sealing material was around equipment and flashings.

Of course, dirt, grime can break down the material as it holds in extra moisture, etc,, so washing is a must, but what about waxing or sealing, or, how often?

Thanks.

The roof needs to be inspected at least once a year and checked for any cracked or loose missing caulk around all the roof penetrations… the roof can be cleaned with a mild soap…some I think use dawn dish soap but I wax my rv so don’t want it stripping the wax off the sides as it runs down..they make a dicor cleaner to prep the area before caulking ..think some people use denatured alcohol?

Then use self leveling dicor from a tube to seal anyplace liberally around skylights or roof penetrations of any kind or wherever you see existing caulk.

Don’t think it has to look pretty because you can’t straighten out what they did at the factory.

Also check for any roof damage from branches while your up there

I purchased my dicor from Amazon I also bought a roll of wide eternabond tape from Amazon to keep in the rv in case of roof damage while on a trip

[wegone]

Good idea, thanks.

I look at all the trailers stored outside on the sales and storage lots, with no covers, so the factory roof must be pretty hardy, but like all things, maintenance is so key in longevity and functionality.

I do cover mine during storage, even tho getting it back into the storage bag is next to impossible

[dutchmensport]

Maintenance on an RV roof is pretty easy, but you do need to keep up on it and not ignore it either.

First: Wash ever now and then. Just an FYI, some folks say you don't need to wash the roof, ever. I think that is wrong. Dirt collects on the roof and then runs down the sides of the trailer leaving streaks. The cleaner the roof, the less black streak intensity on the side of the trailer.

However, with that said, I washed my 2019 Montana High Country Roof only 1 time since I purchased it brand new, and that was this last Fall. (almost 4 years).

But, if you can wash the roof at least once a year, you are doing well.

Second:
After washing the roof treat it with RV Roof treatment. This is really cheap insurance that pays big dividends. The sealer will do just that: Seal! It seals the rubber membrane pours and makes the rubber roof silky smooth. This enables the water, dirt, and everything else to run off with normal rain.

Third, caulking:
There is no need to clean off old caulking. Attempting to remove old caulking can cause more damage than it's worth, if attempting to remove you use a removing material that actually ends up doing damage to the roof membrane. Or attempting to scrape it off, you put a nick or rip in the rubber.

It's best to just leave the original caulking there, clean it (when you wash the roof). If you want, use a soft brush and scrub out the dips and cracks, low spots and anything else that holds the dirt and will prevent a new bond. Let it dry.

Then apply a new BEAD of caulking over the cracks or pin holes on the old caulking. It doesn't take much to seam up weather beaten cracks and pin holes.

That's all you need to do.

The only exception to the caulking is; If the caulking is dried out to the point it's actually crumbling, THEN remove the old caulking if possible or damaging the rubber membrane.

You should check your roof as often as possible, but at least once a year if not more. And fix things immediately when you detect wear, cracks, or any damage.

I have a walkable roof and a ladder attached to my camper. EVERY time I pull in the slides, I climb on the roof and brush off the slide roofs with a 16 foot expandable painters pole with a soft RV brush on the end.

On your slides, ALWAYS check them first when retracting them to make sure nothing is on top of them. I brush mine completely off, and when there is dew or rain on them, I'll take an old bath towel, wrap it around the end of the brush and wipe them down, removing the water before retracting.

The reason you want to make sure your slide roofs are completely free of any debris is because, even the tiniest twig, tree nut, or anything can poke holes in your seals, slip under the seals, and even possibly damage the rubber on the slide roof itself.

So, every time I go on my roof and pull slides in, I always, (and I mean always) inspect my roof as I'm walking over it, looking at every seam, and feeling the texture of the roof. I'm touching it to see how much dirt sticks to my hand. If none, the roof is clean. (Like I said, it took 4 years before dirt started sticking to my hand, that's when I decided to wash it). Spring of 2021, I touched up the caulking on a couple spots that looked like they were starting a crack. The cracks were not deep, but I touched them up anyway so water would not collect in them in the winter and freeze.

I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it really is not.

And oh ... one more tip. If at all possible, even today .... right now ... go out to your camper and get a bunch of pictures of your camper roof, exactly as it is right now. Get distance shots, long shots, and close up shots of every milometer of the roof so you can compare changes as they occur. This will give you a base line what your camper looks like right now, and you'll be able to spot changes as age and time wears on things. Age and time changes things so slow, you are not aware of deterioration until you look back at old photos. Believe me on this one, a couple years from now you'll understand what I'm talking about.

[wegone]

Great advice....thank you.