Forum Discussion

kmb1966's avatar
kmb1966
Explorer
Oct 07, 2018

Newmar Brite-Tek roof

I am looking to purchase a 2003 Newmar Dutchstar that is currently owned by a friend of mine that we often camp along with. I noticed in the documentation from Newmar that the roof is a "Brite-Tek" roof and mentions 7mm. Just curious to know what this roof type is? Is it fiberglass, is it rubber? Did some google on it, and still don't have a clear understanding of it. Is is a good type of roof? I would think it is because Newmar typically builds a quality product from my understanding. What is Brite-Tek?
Class A

9 Replies

  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    Oct 11, 2018
    Brite Tek is a thermoplastic material as opposed to a thermoset material like a fiberglass roof. Fiberglass along with a thermoset resin means once it is cross linked (cured) it will not be affected by adding more heat until it surpasses the glass transition temperature which is about 350 F for epoxy resins. Thermoplastic materials can be reformed multiple when heat is applied. Having said all that, 7mm of TPO (Thermoplastic Polyolefin) is a little over 1/4 inch which is very thick for a roofing membrane and would be very durable. I think my rubber EPDM roof is about 1/8 thick. I am not sure how thick a FG roof is, maybe someone one here knows.
  • dmatt's avatar
    dmatt
    Explorer
    Oct 11, 2018
    I had the same question and have not seen any compliants/issues with this roof. I've read through the Newmar forum and here. It's no longer a concern in our decision.
  • purplekeenah's avatar
    purplekeenah
    Explorer
    Oct 07, 2018
    I have the Brite-tek material on my roof, the closest I can explain the material is a thick durable vinyl-like material. I clean it once a year using a soapy mixture of water and Dawn dish soap, still looks great!
  • Bruce_Brown's avatar
    Bruce_Brown
    Moderator
    Oct 07, 2018
    mike brez wrote:
    Newmar King Aire and Essex come standard with fiberglass

    Actually everything from the Dutch Sar up now has fiberglass as standard - what does that have to do with the OPs question?

    They still use BriteTek on everything from the Ventanna down, and have for the last 20 model years.
  • Bruce_Brown's avatar
    Bruce_Brown
    Moderator
    Oct 07, 2018
    This just came up in another thread, here are my thoughts;

    We have a BriteTek roof, our 3rd Newmar with BriteTek.

    When we ordered our current MH fiberglass was an option. Not once did we even consider it over BriteTek. That was 11 years ago and if we were buying again today we'd make the same decision. Ours today still looks like the day it was installed.

    I'm a big fan of BriteTek.
  • Big_Katuna's avatar
    Big_Katuna
    Explorer II
    Oct 07, 2018
    Googleable made by Dicor. Combination of EPDM and TPO.

    I believe it came with a 12 year warranty and a 20 year expected life.

    If it’s been stored under cover most of its life, great.

    Been sitting in the Florida, Texas, or Southwestern sun, not so much.
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Oct 07, 2018
    Surprised you didn’t see this.

    https://dicorproducts.com/?s=BriteTEK

    or

    http://www.camperpartsworld.com/BriteTEKReplacementRVRoof30x86.html

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