EPDM roof coating: Project notes
It is funny to recollect, but when I bought a 19 year old Class C I did not pay much attention to the roof. Right on time at 20 years, the roof began to leak in spots. Well, it had leaked for the prev...
Forum Discussion
== What about primer? ==
I found this notice: "For Fleetwood models with ALPHA roofs or an Alpha Rubber roof you will need to use the ProFlex Primer. You will be able to refer to your manual to determine if you have a roof made by Alpha systems"
Naturally this information was not in my 1995 Fleetwood manual.
I found a couple of helpful postings:
"Alpha Systems is the other large supplier of EPDM rubber roofing to the RV industry (Dicor is the more common one). And yes, Fleetwood used a lot of Alpha's products in the past and your Prowler almost surely has roof material from Alpha Systems. Unfortunately, there is no Fleetwood Trailer division anymore and Fleetwood Motorhomes has no info on the trailers, so no way to get confirmation from the factory. .
“If in doubt, there is a primer that will allow Dicor and similar products to be applied over Alpha EPDM. ProGuard, for example, says their Proflex primer will allow their Liquid Roof coating to be applied over Alpha brand EPDM.
See Service Bulletin #4 at www.proguardcoatings.com/product-categories/epdm-coatings/liquid-roof-f9991
You can't go wrong using the primer - it is supposed to be compatible with both brands of EPDM. www.alphasystemsinc.com/ProductCare"
Ref: www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=82397.0
"I also have confirmed with Fleetwood directly the alpha product was used by them up until the year 2000." Reference
So I ordered primer along with the coating. With shipping the cost was about $490.
== Applying the Primer ==
The primer is challenging because it involves a limited time window. You have to let it get dry enough to walk on but not too dry or the coating will not stick.
Items needed:
. Throw-away clothes
. Paint thinner
. Many rags
. Box of disposable gloves
. Brush: Rubbermaid Commercial FG633700BLUE Bi-Level Floor Scrub, 10 x 3 inches
. Pole: Weiler 44300 60" Length, 15/16" Diameter, Threaded Metal, Wood Handle
. Blue masking tape
. Mixer for 1 gallon bucket (about 2 inches diameter)
. 3/8-inch drill... 1/2-inch better.
. Plastic 2-gallon bucket for mixing
. 1/2-gallon throwaway container for dividing parts A and B
. Drop cloth to cover entire mixing area
. Paint roller
. Paint roller tray
. Paint roller pole
. Short nap paint rollers
. 4 inch brush for along edges
First I removed the AC cover and refrigerator vent cover. The RV was now vulnerable to rain. Yet I would not be able to get on the roof to replace the covers if it started to rain. Exciting.
I scrubbed the entire roof with Dawn and the pole brush, and sprayed the runoff from the sides.
Masked around every side with blue tape. This is very important to reduce runoff.
Press the tape down firmly--this will reduce leaks and save time later. Along the front and back edges, run a second line of tape forming a "dam" to stop drips. Again, this will save a lot of work later.
I had 2 gallons of primer total. Mixed up A, wiped off the mixer with a rag, then mixed up B.
Then put 1/2 gallon of A and B in a throwaway can to same level, then combined them into a plastic bucket.
Mixed for 4 minutes.
Application was mostly by roller. Two gallons was a lot. It was very thick in places.
I did get some dripping down the sides. It is important to check every few hours because drips can start after a delay. I cannot overemphasize the importance of masking well.
Applying the primer took about 3 hrs total.
I found this notice: "For Fleetwood models with ALPHA roofs or an Alpha Rubber roof you will need to use the ProFlex Primer. You will be able to refer to your manual to determine if you have a roof made by Alpha systems"
Naturally this information was not in my 1995 Fleetwood manual.
I found a couple of helpful postings:
"Alpha Systems is the other large supplier of EPDM rubber roofing to the RV industry (Dicor is the more common one). And yes, Fleetwood used a lot of Alpha's products in the past and your Prowler almost surely has roof material from Alpha Systems. Unfortunately, there is no Fleetwood Trailer division anymore and Fleetwood Motorhomes has no info on the trailers, so no way to get confirmation from the factory. .
“If in doubt, there is a primer that will allow Dicor and similar products to be applied over Alpha EPDM. ProGuard, for example, says their Proflex primer will allow their Liquid Roof coating to be applied over Alpha brand EPDM.
See Service Bulletin #4 at www.proguardcoatings.com/product-categories/epdm-coatings/liquid-roof-f9991
You can't go wrong using the primer - it is supposed to be compatible with both brands of EPDM. www.alphasystemsinc.com/ProductCare"
Ref: www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=82397.0
"I also have confirmed with Fleetwood directly the alpha product was used by them up until the year 2000." Reference
So I ordered primer along with the coating. With shipping the cost was about $490.
== Applying the Primer ==
The primer is challenging because it involves a limited time window. You have to let it get dry enough to walk on but not too dry or the coating will not stick.
Items needed:
. Throw-away clothes
. Paint thinner
. Many rags
. Box of disposable gloves
. Brush: Rubbermaid Commercial FG633700BLUE Bi-Level Floor Scrub, 10 x 3 inches
. Pole: Weiler 44300 60" Length, 15/16" Diameter, Threaded Metal, Wood Handle
. Blue masking tape
. Mixer for 1 gallon bucket (about 2 inches diameter)
. 3/8-inch drill... 1/2-inch better.
. Plastic 2-gallon bucket for mixing
. 1/2-gallon throwaway container for dividing parts A and B
. Drop cloth to cover entire mixing area
. Paint roller
. Paint roller tray
. Paint roller pole
. Short nap paint rollers
. 4 inch brush for along edges
First I removed the AC cover and refrigerator vent cover. The RV was now vulnerable to rain. Yet I would not be able to get on the roof to replace the covers if it started to rain. Exciting.
I scrubbed the entire roof with Dawn and the pole brush, and sprayed the runoff from the sides.
Masked around every side with blue tape. This is very important to reduce runoff.
Press the tape down firmly--this will reduce leaks and save time later. Along the front and back edges, run a second line of tape forming a "dam" to stop drips. Again, this will save a lot of work later.
I had 2 gallons of primer total. Mixed up A, wiped off the mixer with a rag, then mixed up B.
Then put 1/2 gallon of A and B in a throwaway can to same level, then combined them into a plastic bucket.
Mixed for 4 minutes.
Application was mostly by roller. Two gallons was a lot. It was very thick in places.
I did get some dripping down the sides. It is important to check every few hours because drips can start after a delay. I cannot overemphasize the importance of masking well.
Applying the primer took about 3 hrs total.
