Roof Material

[spat61]

Hello,
A new AS LY owner (Gas) here. On a 2003 30' LY (Gas), Is the roof metal or fiberglass? The reason I ask is it needs cleaning and while I'm there I need to do caulkingand apply protection. What is the proper cleaning compunds? and What is the best protection to apply to the roof? Also, can I use the Kool brand stuff for a coating? Silicone caulk for the edges? Thank you.
Steve

[Santart]

The roof is fiberglass and should not be coated. Clean it with a product intended for fiberglass and a stiff brush to get into the textured crevices. I use Gel Gloss Wash Concentrate available from Camping World. Just take your time and watch your step up there. A wide stance is not only safer, the roof is rated for somehere in the neighborhood of 200 pounds per square foot. Seal the front and rear endcap joints with Dicor lap sealer. This is a critical area and if you read my posts about the problems of side delamination you will find out why. Silicone is a no no on RV exteriors. It will last only a year and is difficult to remove all traces to properly reseal with the correct product. If the previous owner used silicone, clean it off with lacquer thinner after carefully cutting it away with a razor blade. Use Sika Flex 221 to seal the roof joint at the gutter, the side bump rail, windows and everything else that might have dried out or looks suspicious. Check for bulges on the outsides for signs of leakage and delamination. Check insides for soft spots and ripples in the wall covering. Good luck with it.

[spat61]

Frank,
Thanks for the reply to my post. Your advice is appreciated and I intend to read your previous data on the subject. I only used a small amount of silicone around a vent. I will remove it. Thanks again.
Steve

[Fyrzowt]

Originally Posted by spat61

Frank,
Thanks for the reply to my post. Your advice is appreciated and I intend to read your previous data on the subject. I only used a small amount of silicone around a vent. I will remove it. Thanks again.
Steve

3M makes a silicone remover that I used this week, it worked well. It looks like white wood glue and comes in a plastic bottle much like a glue bottle. Good luck.
Dave

[steelbird312]

Steve,
Frank gave you two names that you will need to get intimately acquainted with.
As for a cleaner, I use a stiff bristle brush with Castrol Super Clean. Be careful with this stuff as it is very powerful concentrated soap, and it needs a lot of rinsing. Also, when you buy it, be careful not to pick up the concrete cleaner as it is in the same container.
Now, if you are very industrious, the fiberglass top can be waxed, using a softer bristle brush to apply the wax, and then wipe off the haze with a soft cloth. Make sure you seal the edges though, for the reason Frank said.

[gunworks]

Frank, Just ran across a product at Liquid Roof & Liquid Rubber- Residential and Commercial Roofing for roof leaks which might work on older fiberglass roofs like mine which is starting to show some cracking near the back of the coach. I painted it three years ago with Kool-Seal and that has held up pretty well till now. Liquid roof is made for Rv's, trailers and mobile homes and puts a 20mil EPDM seamless coating on the roof which is both IR/UV, ozone and weather resistant. Sounds like a good product and runs about $370 for 5 gallons. Total weight is 50 lbs, so spread out over the entire roof should not create an additional stess problem. Where is the downside?

I have a problem with winter snow loads and freeze melt freeze cycles getting under all existing seals and figure this might be my problem solver.
Any comments from the gallery?

[Santart]

The problem with all roof sealers is this: There is no way to be certain of a complete and perfect bond. If there is even a slight imperfection in the sealer bond to the fiberglass, no matter what brand you used, water will enter at that point and it will migrate. That is the biggest worry because it makes tracing a future roof leaks impossible. Next thing you know, you will need to add a second coat, then a third. Aside from adding weight, you add ugly. All those coverings will begin to fail down the line, and cracks are certain to develop. Cracks become wider, and peeling begins. Do you want the project of removing all those layers someday? If you are certain there are cracks in the fiberglass, it will need to be cleaned thoroughly and allowed to dry completely. Then a two part Epoxy paint can be worked into the cracks thinly as needed... but only if you have delamination, and only in those areas effected by the known entrance of surface moisture. That is my opinion and others might disagree, but I used to fabricate fiberglass panels by hand lay-up from gel coat to polyester resin with glass fiber and know the nature of the stuff. Surface crazing of gel coat is generally not enough to allow moisture penetrtion through the lamination.
Frank