One of the most neglected areas on your RV is the roof, out of site out of mind. The problem is if you don’t keep the roof clean and inspect the roof seams on a regular basis you could end up with (expensive to repair) water damage. Many RVs built over the last couple decades used a rubber roofing material. If you want to get a long life out of your RV roof here are some things you can do.
Safety first! Be extremely careful whenever you are working on your RV roof. You can be seriously injured from a fall. You have to get on the roof of your RV to properly clean and inspect it for any damage or potential water leaks. The first step is the ladder you use to get up on the roof. If your RV does not have a ladder on the back to access the roof it probably is not designed to be walked on. In this situation it may be necessary to use a couple pieces of plywood or particle board to help distribute your weight on the roof. Even if the RV is equipped with a ladder to access the roof you need to walk lightly when you’re on the roof and be careful.
Rubber roofing on an RV is a great product, but like everything else without routine preventive maintenance it will not last as long as it could. First of all there are different types of rubber roofs. Different manufacturers provide different instructions with their product. What we want to concentrate on today is what applies to all rubber roofs used on RVs.
Caution: There are other types of RV roofing material used like fiberglass, aluminum and vinyl. Read your roof manufacturer’s instructions for proper cleaning and sealing techniques to prevent damage to your roof and possibly void your warranty.
Rubber roofs should be cleaned two to three times a year and depending on where you park or store your RV it may need to be cleaned more often. Regardless of the type of rubber roof you have, never use any cleaners or conditioners that contain petroleum solvents, harsh abrasives, or citrus ingredients. These types of cleaners can cause permanent damage to any rubber or vinyl surface. Most manufacturers of rubber roofs recommend you use a medium bristle brush and a non-abrasive cleaner. For light cleaning you can use warm water and a mild detergent like Dawn dish washing liquid. To clean, condition and protect the roof there are commercial cleaning products available for rubber roofs. Hard to clean areas like stubborn stains caused by leaves, sap, mold or mildew may require a second treatment. Use caution to prevent the cleaners from getting on the sides of the RV. Always rinse the sides, front and back of your RV before rinsing the roof to prevent streaking or damage to the finish on your RV.
Cleaning the roof is only part of maintaining it. Every time you clean the roof you need to inspect the sealants around all of the openings and the seams on the roof. Water will take the path of least resistance and if there is the smallest opening it will find it. You need to thoroughly inspect the roof sealants for potential leaks and reseal any areas of the roof seams and around openings where you suspect a leak.
Note: Check with your RV dealer for sealants that are compatible with your roofing material.
Cleaning, inspecting and sealing your RV roof can add years to the life of the roof and help prevent costly repairs caused by water damage.
Happy Camping,
Mark Polk
RV Education 101
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Dona
We have a thermo-panel roof and would like to know is there a sealant or sun protector we can put on the roof after we clean it. We live in Fla. and would like to make sure we are doing our best to keep it properly maintained. Thanks in advance Dona
Gail
Hi Mark,
We are in the process of buying a Class C RV. At a dealership that sells Winnebagos, we were told that Winnebago roofs are less likely to get a leak than other manufactures. We like the floorplan & amenities on a Fleetwood better, but we don’t want to make a mistake.
Thanks
Gail
Chet campbell
I have a 1990 32′ class A ,Impulse made by Georgie Boy. I have coated the rubber roof with a product called Kool Kote ( not good) as I was told to do by a dealer,now I get big bubbles with water underneath . I was told that Dicor was a better product than liquid roof BUT since I have already coated the rubber roof with “Kool Kote”
the person at Camping world told me I cannot use Dicor coating , which product should I use and how much will it take to do the whole roof? I am also getting ripples on the inside of the walls I don’t seam to have any water as in being wet anywhere and I’m wondering if its from the windows leaking or the roof ?
Any helpful input would be appreciated, Thank you Chet
Skip
>>>I’ve been told by a chemical engineer that rubber roofs should not be scrubbed too hard as it removes the oxidation that is formed that protects the rubber itself like rust on metal. Further protective conditioner is not necessary if the oxidation is left to be. I guess if the dirt bothers one it could be lightly scrubbed off.>>>
I believe this too! So I don’t even bother to even wash it. Let mother nature clean it! Of course I live in the southwest desert so no problem with mildew and such and Mother nature cleans it 1-2 times a year. :^)
Bruce A
Hello from sunny British Columbia, my question is I own a 10 yr old fithwheel and have notice some bubbles on the rubber roof. I am new to the trailer thing so any advice would be great. Someone said it might be water trapped underneath the roof. thanx Bruce.
Pareicia Van Horn
I have a rubber roof and need to know if leaving pine straw on it is harmful. One service man said not to remove it, it will ease the fall of pine cones.
Dan Wood
On roof care.
I have a 2004 Jayco 5th wheel and in the owners manual it says to use a brush and “Spic and Span”. I have been and the roof looks good. I live just North of the Houston area. About once a year I use a pressure washer to get the really bad stains off.
My question is why doesn’t the manufacturer recommend a “treatment” after cleaning the roof, if they’re so needed? Also, just like tires, how can you put anything back into rubber, ie, protectants?
L. Carlberg
We just purchased a 1993 Winnebago Adventurer and drove it to Illinois from Nevada. We fell in love with this unit and want to keep it for many years. My husband is very handy and is fixing several things on the unit. However, we have run into something which we never heard of. The roof is a thermo panel one and we would like some advice about cleaning it. Any help would be appreciated very much.
Tom Grueninger
I’ve been told by a chemical engineer that rubber roofs should not be scrubbed too hard as it removes the oxidation that is formed that protects the rubber itself like rust on metal. Further protective conditioner is not necessary if the oxidation is left to be. I guess if the dirt bothers one it could be lightly scrubbed off.
Comments please.
Tom Grueninger
I’ve been told by a chemical engineer that rubber roofs should not be scrubbed too hard as it removes the oxidation that is formed that protects the rubber itself like rust on metal. Further protective conditioner is not necessary if the oxidation is left to be. I guess if the dirt bothers one it could be lightly scrubbed off.
Comments please.
Tom Grueninger
I’ve been told by a chemical engineer that rubber roofs should not be scrubbed too hard as it removes the oxidation that is formed that protects the rubber itself like rust on metal. Further protective conditioner is not necessary if the oxidation is left to be. I guess if the dirt bothers one it could be lightly scrubbed off.
Comments please.
Guy Dent
I have a silver roof, it is not metal, but flexible. it sort of looks like paper, does anyone have information on this? what it is? how i can maintain it? what kind of sealer i should use (I’m considering scraping off all the existing silacone and replacing it since it’s the original, so its like 10 years old).
Thanks!
Jacque Ipock
Hey Mark,
Sounds like you know quite a bit about rubber roofs on RV’s. We have a 2003, 38 ft. Coachman Cross Country Elite motorhome. We were in a severe rain storm by Lincoln, Ne., on June 4th, that had golf ball -2 inch sized hail! A couple of clearence lights and piece of the refridgerator vent cover were broken, But what we are wondering about is since we have some dimples in the roof from the hail stones, if these will eventually cause us more problems down the road if we don’t get them fixed soon. An aquaintence told us that once they are dimpled the rubber roof can separate from the material underneath the roof and cause more problems later on! Do you know if that is true or not? How much damage does it take on a rubber roof before they have to be replaced?
Thanks for any help you can give us on this matter!!!
Jacque Ipock
Mike Smith
To; Theresa Loder;
This problem may have been caused by moving the slideout with extra weight
on that portion of the Unit. Depending on manufacture of the slideout unit, there
may be nylon blocks & stops inside the guide rails of the slide, these nylon
blocks & stops do ware in time or come out for some reason. Please,
slide out the unit & check for the nylon blocks & stops. The nylon blocks act as
rollers & ware fast with extra weight. Remember to remove any items stored
during travel before sliding out or in.
Happy Camping
Mike Smith
Mike Smith
To Evertt & Mary’s June 16, 2008 comment;
When cleaning any surface, always expect to have removed any part or all of
any protectant You have put on. Best suggestion is to compltetely clean &
apply new protectant to all surfaces at the same time, this will make it easier
to remember how to do & when it is to be done.
Happy Camping
Mike Smith
Everett
Hi Mark
I am buying a new Forest River Wildcat 5th wheel. I want to do roof maintenance. After cleaning the roof do you recomend buying the treatment to protect from UV rays. I live in the Houston, Tx area and it will be stored in an open lot. Also will the cleaning process remove the protection of the UV rays application?
Thanks for your input.
Happy Camper
Everett & Mary
Theresa Loder
We have a 1999 Monaco Lapalma with one slide. The slide is on the driver’s side. It has the sofa and the kitchen sink, oven and micro etc.
Under the oven is a large drawer and under that where the wood part of the cabinet is just above the tile floor….there is a finger joint that came apart. the slide sags in that corner and makes it hard to come in or out. we have to push on it to get it back in.
Any ideas on how we can repair this, as hurricane season is drawing near and my husband , who is disabled needs to know more about how this can be fixed.
Thanks for any input
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