Forum Discussion

mrkoje's avatar
mrkoje
Explorer
Jun 27, 2016

Hydrophobic Coatings

Has anyone here thought about or know anyone who has applied a hydrophobic coating to their RV? There has been a lot of "talk" about this stuff over the last few years and I see now that some airlines possibly use it to prevent icing on aircraft wings.

My idea is to "coat" all of the seams and seals of the RV with the coating so there would be no possible way for water to enter. I'm not sure that it would be a good thing to apply to a rubber roof though - anyone have experience with this stuff? There seems to be a few different makers of the stuff.

Here is an example of what I am referring to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQHDQj36Z3M

4 Replies

  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    If the seam is properly sealed........ Then there is no way weather can enter

    Of course if you have slides.. A perfect seal may well not be possible plus there is the underside of the slide.. Often not sealed at all.
  • My idea is to "coat" all of the seams and seals of the RV with the coating so there would be no possible way for water to enter.
    That might be a semi-effective short term solution. The nano technology coatings are probably going to be more in use as the technology matures.

    A couple of things I see here are: Why would one use these products when there are time-tested materials in use that are 100% effective? Why is there a huge shift to adopt products that appeal to ease of use or replace processes that involve work with processes that appeal to convenience?

    My guess is that the whole world is becoming lazier and looking for short cuts that don't involve any work. That people hire me to do the simplest tasks like changing light bulbs reinforces this belief.

    There are more than a few posts on the Forum about folks wanting to apply a coating to their EPDM roofs. The actuality is that the EPDM itself, seldom leaks. It is the holes created by vents, antennas, fasteners, etc. that provide leak points. If those areas are adequately sealed, there won't be any problems with leaks.
  • I've read about this stuff. The general consensus seems to be, it works but, doesn't last long enough to make it practical.
    That was over a year ago. Maybe the newer product holds up longer?

    We probably won't know until someone on the forum tests it on their RV.

    Let us know how it works and how long it lasts. :)

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