roof sealing

spadoctor wrote:
I was not talking about seams...rather the membrane. I have been in construction for years and know of no product used on commercial roofs for the membrane....neither do the roofers I know. Sealing the seams of course....they should be checked and touched up every 6 months. As for eternabond....never again

Take a look at LIQUID ROOF.
It is actually liquid EPDM - used on both RV & Commercial applications.
I was very impressed with the end results & feel very confident that it has given me a renewed, completely covered, leak-free roof on my old girl! :C
Like-wise with Eternabond, I've used this on many projects over the years and, when applied correctly, feel that it provides an ultimate seal.
Just my opinion, your results may vary :B

spadoctor wrote:
I was not talking about seams...rather the membrane. I have been in construction for years and know of no product used on commercial roofs for the membrane....neither do the roofers I know. Sealing the seams of course....they should be checked and touched up every 6 months. As for eternabond....never again

The thickness of a commercial roof is a lot different then the thickness of an RV roof. I'm sure you've carried a roll of commercial roofing up a ladder and know how heavy it can be.

The much thinner membrane on an RV will start to develop fine spider cracks after about 10-15 years. At that point the roof seems to hold onto water longer. Many put on an Elastomeric Roof Coating that can handle standing water to help extend the life of the roof. It will also keep the rig cooler in the summer.

Nice recovery of yours on the sealing of the seams. Funny though that seams are glued and the edges are just touched up with a black rubber roofing caulk that can be bought at any hardware store for about four bucks.

I was not talking about seams...rather the membrane. I have been in construction for years and know of no product used on commercial roofs for the membrane....neither do the roofers I know. Sealing the seams of course....they should be checked and touched up every 6 months. As for eternabond....never again

Just completed mine last season.
First sealed around everything with EternaBond.
Then coated entire roof with EPDM Coatings Liquid Roof.
Results look like it will give the old rig many more years of leak-free life. :)

For tears or large punctures, Eternabond tape.

Caution with Eternabond... The Eterna part, when it makes contact it sticks,,, and I mean STICKS.

wa8xym is very correct. In 95 the rubber roof glue let loose towards the front of our Swinger...ended up pulling out from under the seal of the front cap. Stopped by a place and purchased some glue and some tape...wish I could remember the name of the place...was near Birmingham. They let me pull it inside and do the work myself. Ended up cutting about 4 feet so I could get the clue under the rubber roof...grabbed the tape, pulled the plastic off and forgot my knife...set the tape down. OOPS, the part that just touched the roof ended up staying there. Have never seen anything stick like that. Anyway...the roof stayed in a repaired state until I sold it.
I have used the same tape to cover the lap sealant edges on our Dutch Star...now I never have to reseal the edges again :)

zippyphil wrote:
I will bring new life to this topic, with this, can you use a vinyl wrap company to seal the roof? I imagine there would still be prep work but would the vinyl be thick enough and durable enough? I would like to think this (vinyl) would fix many leaks around the vents. My plan would be strip the roof of vents, ac... smooth anything out an then wrapping the roof first then the rest of the RV. Thoughts?

-Phil

A vinyl wrap will not work and will cause a big problem as the vinyl only lasts a year or so before it starts cracking. After a few years of sun, it forms alligator skin like cracks and you will have a very expensive job of removing ALL of the vinyl wrap. Also it does not flex so at the coach seams it will crack quickly.

Wow....what kind of bad info this THIS (spadoctor post). We're NOT doing this to "extend" the life of the roof. We seal (re-seal) the SEAMS around everything ON the roof. Like the vents, skylight, TV antenna, where the front and rear caps join up to the main body.
I do this every other year. Once, I decided to extend the re-sealing to a 3rd year...and guess what? I had a water leak during that 3rd year.

These RV roofs are NOT static...like a house or office building. They MOVE when the RV moves.

booty51 wrote:
I have a rubber roof and use dicor sealant.

General sealing,, Dicor makes the roofs, so they know how best to seal it.

For tears or large punctures, Eternabond tape.

Caution with Eternabond... The Eterna part, when it makes contact it sticks,,, and I mean STICKS.

Effy wrote:

spadoctor wrote:
If you have a rubber or TPO roof sealing is a waste of time and money. Ever see an office building roof sealed? I think not and its the same material. Cleaners and sealants are all hype and will do NOTHING to extend the roof life....and in many cases shorten it. The more you wash it the more rubber you remove on an EPDM membrane

I've seen some bad advice on this forum but this takes the cake. You should inspect and reseal your seams on a TPO roof at least once a year if you want to prevent leaks. The caulk on the seams can dry and come loose. Matter of fact most manufacturers won't cover an issue if this maintenance is not done. It's not a waste of time I assure you. And it doesn't matter what roof material you have, they all have seams. Dicor is what I use and seems to be pretty standard.

yep, I used to have an office on an upper story of a building that had a membrane roofed unit next door. periodically they would be on that roof, slopping something on it. don't know how they got the 14 ft jon boat up there however. :)
bumpy

spadoctor wrote:
If you have a rubber or TPO roof sealing is a waste of time and money. Ever see an office building roof sealed? I think not and its the same material. Cleaners and sealants are all hype and will do NOTHING to extend the roof life....and in many cases shorten it. The more you wash it the more rubber you remove on an EPDM membrane

I've seen some bad advice on this forum but this takes the cake. You should inspect and reseal your seams on a TPO roof at least once a year if you want to prevent leaks. The caulk on the seams can dry and come loose. Matter of fact most manufacturers won't cover an issue if this maintenance is not done. It's not a waste of time I assure you. And it doesn't matter what roof material you have, they all have seams. Dicor is what I use and seems to be pretty standard.