Some info for owners of RV's with TPO roofs

Airstreamer67 wrote:
Whether or not the roof has an underlayment or backing material under the TPO is not the important factor. What is: keeping water from penetrating the TPO. Any water leak will cause destruction if not caught and corrected. This is universally true for any type of roofing material, whether it be TPO, rubber EPDM, aluminum, fiberglass or slate.

I bought my trailer 12 years ago with the TPO roof that has an underlayment material. I've had no problems with the roof after all these years of usage. All I do is make sure the Dicor sealant on the seams is good and has no cracks in it, and that's about it. The TPO material has proven to be very durable, reliable and completely waterproof. The underlayment has been no problem, and I "believe" it helps when hail bounces off the roof but that's a guess on my part. The roof was guaranteed for 10 years, and the life expectancy was said to be 20 years or perhaps more if it is not damaged by something such as tree limbs.

Again, the key is, keep that water out. If you don't, be prepared to pay.

My roof is not in bad shape at all considering i have not messed with it in 3 years. My leak is due to sealing aroind the front edge/corner not working. It must have had a leak before I pirchased it and the PO used silicon to seal it. I piulled all of that off and used Dicor. Now that I see I have a TPO roof I realize I used the wrong Dicor. After replacing this section I will remove all the dicor, clean it well and seal all joints and edges again.

Thanks

Airstreamer67 wrote:
Whether or not the roof has an underlayment or backing material under the TPO is not the important factor. What is: keeping water from penetrating the TPO. Any water leak will cause destruction if not caught and corrected. This is universally true for any type of roofing material, whether it be TPO, rubber EPDM, aluminum, fiberglass or slate.

I bought my trailer 12 years ago with the TPO roof that has an underlayment material. I've had no problems with the roof after all these years of usage. All I do is make sure the Dicor sealant on the seams is good and has no cracks in it, and that's about it. The TPO material has proven to be very durable, reliable and completely waterproof. The underlayment has been no problem, and I "believe" it helps when hail bounces off the roof but that's a guess on my part. The roof was guaranteed for 10 years, and the life expectancy was said to be 20 years or perhaps more if it is not damaged by something such as tree limbs.

Again, the key is, keep that water out. If you don't, be prepared to pay.

with no leaks, the underlayment material is no problem. with a tiny cut that can wick moisture in it is a potential problem.
bumpy

Whether or not the roof has an underlayment or backing material under the TPO is not the important factor. What is: keeping water from penetrating the TPO. Any water leak will cause destruction if not caught and corrected. This is universally true for any type of roofing material, whether it be TPO, rubber EPDM, aluminum, fiberglass or slate.

I bought my trailer 12 years ago with the TPO roof that has an underlayment material. I've had no problems with the roof after all these years of usage. All I do is make sure the Dicor sealant on the seams is good and has no cracks in it, and that's about it. The TPO material has proven to be very durable, reliable and completely waterproof. The underlayment has been no problem, and I "believe" it helps when hail bounces off the roof but that's a guess on my part. The roof was guaranteed for 10 years, and the life expectancy was said to be 20 years or perhaps more if it is not damaged by something such as tree limbs.

Again, the key is, keep that water out. If you don't, be prepared to pay.

If you really are on a mission, then standing water is key issue. On RV's that have developed leaks it seems like it's always in the location of standing water. Makes sense when you think about.

A coating that can not stand up to standing water is protecting the less likely area's to develop a leak.

nmhuntr wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
I know that some trailers with fleece backed TPO had problems with water wicking under and causing serious problems. For that reason, they no longer use the fleece. The fleece was attached to the TPO when it was produced.

Good to hear. So I should be able to apply the TPO directly onto the plywood then?

Thanks

That's the way it is done now. There are some videos available online, but my connection is bad right now so I can't direct you to a good one.

There is a reason that when we were shopping for RVs, one of the first questions I asked is "what is the roof made of?" If the answer was TPO, rubber or EPDM, I looked elsewhere. My first RV had fiberglass, my current one has aluminum.

Lynnmor wrote:
I know that some trailers with fleece backed TPO had problems with water wicking under and causing serious problems. For that reason, they no longer use the fleece. The fleece was attached to the TPO when it was produced.

Good to hear. So I should be able to apply the TPO directly onto the plywood then?

Thanks

I know that some trailers with fleece backed TPO had problems with water wicking under and causing serious problems. For that reason, they no longer use the fleece. The fleece was attached to the TPO when it was produced.

I had to actually remove a piece of my roofing to get in there and fix some water damage. I am now looking for a place to buy a smallpiece of TPO as well as the fleece backing. Does anyone have a source? Best materials sells the TPO by the foot but not the backing.

any help is appreciated
Thanks
Greg

I thought my TPO was waterproof and not susceptible to water seepage as long as it's not been cut etc. So, why the need for a general roof coating on it?

I know the Dicor sealant is compatible and effective on the roof seams which must be protected against water seepage. A periodic inspection can show if the Dicor on the seams is cracking, at which point a new coating can be applied to seal the cracks.

My 2006 trailer with TPO is still waterproof. I check it periodically visually on the outside and with a moisture meter on the inside. I've used no roof coating except the Dicor on the seams when needed.