Forum Discussion

adamis's avatar
adamis
Nomad II
May 15, 2022

Bigfoot dirty water streaks down sides from roof, solutions?

As much as I enjoy my Bigfoot, I am befuddled by dirty water streaks coming off the roof, running down the sides and over the windows. On the walls it is just aesthetics but they also flow over the windows leaving a less than appealing dirty window to enjoy the views from. This doesn't just happen in rainy weather either. Often just the morning condensation is enough to cause this water to start dripping down the sides.

My thought has been to purchase some foam tape on a roll and run on the top of the roof just before it arcs toward the side in the hope of directing the water to roll into the corners of the roof and minimize the streaks. The issue with this idea is I doubt there is any foam tape that will have enough stickiness to stay on after any meaningful time. Eternabond tape could be a solution but not sure I want to have something that sticky either. Guess I'm goldilocks...

Has anyone else encountered this issue and come up with a decent solution that doesn't involve washing windows every morning?
Truck Campers
  • ticki2's avatar
    ticki2
    Explorer
    May 15, 2022
    I have had good luck cleaning campers with Spray 9 . It’s also a disinfectant and helps control mildew .
  • notsobigjoe's avatar
    notsobigjoe
    Nomad III
    May 15, 2022
    TxGearhead wrote:
    My Bigfoot has been sitting in my backyard "storage spot" unused for about 2 years. I had a fabric type cover on it, but it developed a light mildew. I hired a woman to polish and wax it a couple months ago. She didn't know what she was doing. I got on top of it yesterday with a pressure washer to get the black crud off it. It had a lot. I used Mr. Pink soap in a foam cannon.
    Anyway, yes I had black streaks that my 2800# pressure washer couldn't remove. Hopefully compounding it will work.
    edit add: seems I heard someone somewhere say that RAIN-X will clean the Bigfoot windows.


    Be careful on the roof with a power sprayer. Use a light setting like 1500 PSI to remove the crud. I had one so bad once that I used a 3000 PSI setting and literally blew the white off the rubber roof. I had to reapply the white top coat after. Lots of work but wow what a job.
    Also OP, A Random orbital will do wonders with a light pad and some soft grit and won't take off your wax. Like I said more work but way better finish. The gutters completely remove the problem and invest in some extension gutter ends to drain the water away from the camper.
  • TxGearhead's avatar
    TxGearhead
    Explorer II
    May 15, 2022
    My Bigfoot has been sitting in my backyard "storage spot" unused for about 2 years. I had a fabric type cover on it, but it developed a light mildew. I hired a woman to polish and wax it a couple months ago. She didn't know what she was doing. I got on top of it yesterday with a pressure washer to get the black crud off it. It had a lot. I used Mr. Pink soap in a foam cannon.
    Anyway, yes I had black streaks that my 2800# pressure washer couldn't remove. Hopefully compounding it will work.
    edit add: seems I heard someone somewhere say that RAIN-X will clean the Bigfoot windows.
  • TxGearhead's avatar
    TxGearhead
    Explorer II
    May 15, 2022
    JimK-NY wrote:
    I cannot help with the window streaks, but for the siding you might try Zep finish. This has worked on my Northstar for the past several years. All of the dirt, including streaks, just rinses off with the blast of a hose. Before then I had a lot of black streaks, worse than ever because my home parking spot is under some large trees.


    Are you referring to ZEP floor polish?
  • JimK-NY's avatar
    JimK-NY
    Explorer II
    May 15, 2022
    I cannot help with the window streaks, but for the siding you might try Zep finish. This has worked on my Northstar for the past several years. All of the dirt, including streaks, just rinses off with the blast of a hose. Before then I had a lot of black streaks, worse than ever because my home parking spot is under some large trees.
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator
    May 15, 2022
    Rainx on the windows will reduce the streaking.
    Or there are options for gutters, including stick on ones.
  • 3_tons's avatar
    3_tons
    Explorer III
    May 15, 2022
    CW sells a spray on streak remover, other vendors may do as well :) …I’ve used it with some success on my former enclosed trailer and it’s not too very harsh…

    3 tons
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    May 15, 2022
    The gutters on my current TT have eliminated this issue.
  • Camp_woof's avatar
    Camp_woof
    Explorer
    May 15, 2022
    Search "rubber gutter for rv", I recently added this above my windows. Trim-Lok calls it a drip rail ..

    So far, haven't noticed the windows getting streaky or dirty. Material is nice to work with if you let the sun get it hot, easier to bend.
  • jdc1's avatar
    jdc1
    Explorer II
    May 15, 2022
    We all encounter it. We just live with the fact we have dirty air, caused by the diesel trucks, coal powered electric plants and other caustic things we humans are use t using. If you rinse off early/often enough, you won't need a grinder to remove it later.

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