Cleaning an epdm roof
Good morning everyone. I am having trouble getting my epdm roof clean. I bought this 2011 Puma back in July and I don't think the previous owner ever cleaned the roof. I am presently using Lucas #1...
Forum Discussion
The following is a copy and paste of an old post I made many years ago, after researching this subject. There is some enlightening info in it:
I have researched this washing of roofs extensively over the last 10-12 years. Some facts. The warranty on EDPM roofs is often quoted as a "manufacturers warranty". Most assume that is Dicor. It is not. Dicor buys it from Carlise who IS the manufacturer. Dicor originally frowned on the washing of roofs. In fact it used to be in their FAQ section on their website. The following is a post I made on this subject back in 2008. I just went to the Dicor website. It's been quite a few years since I've visited that site. Back then I remember they had a freqently asked questions section, and you guessed it, "How to wash the rv roof" was one of the top subjects! At that time Dicor basically poo, pooed the idea. They had explicit warnings on how the wrong substances could damage the roof. They did say that it could be washed with care using a select product(s). I can't remember what was recommended. Now the Dicor site has a new attitude towards washing roofs! It seems that they realized that their was a huge demand for a safe product to use for roof washing, and thus a buissiness opportunity !! They now SELL roof washing products! They have also changed their recomendation and now say to wash the roof 4 times a year! A deeper look and the ability to read between the lines will reveal the truth. Dicor says that Carlisle (UH OH, How many roof blowout stories will we hear now?!!) makes the membrane for them to their specification. Now I seriously doubt that the actual composition of the material is any different than the HUGE commercial roofing market that Carlise serves. I bet the main specification is that the Dicor material comes in rolls the width necessary to roof RVs! A visit to the Carlisle site is also enlightening. They have their maintenence and warranty brochures for their roofing products online. The only washing recomended is that the white EDPM be washed every 2 years! And that is only to keep the reflectivity of the white material from degrading due to excess dirt! The black EDPM has no washing recommendations. Both of the EDPM products have cautions about foot traffic. If you go to this site, notice the changing pictures on the home page. One of them shows a roof that is alive,,,with grass and other vegetation. That rings a bell with me as I have read articles on these kinds of roofs and remembered that under all that soil and plant life is an EDPM membrane to keep the water out of the structure. So much for the theory of a little dirt etc. hurting the membrane. I don't wash my roof. I'd rather spend my time doing something fun like camping! My old 2001 TT was washed once right before I sold it. I never washed the roof. It cleaned up nicely and really impressed it's new owner. It sold incredibly fast for my asking price and had a backup buyer waiting for a chance at it. If one wants to wash their roof, go right ahead. It won't hurt anything (if done right) but their is no reason to other than looks.
I have researched this washing of roofs extensively over the last 10-12 years. Some facts. The warranty on EDPM roofs is often quoted as a "manufacturers warranty". Most assume that is Dicor. It is not. Dicor buys it from Carlise who IS the manufacturer. Dicor originally frowned on the washing of roofs. In fact it used to be in their FAQ section on their website. The following is a post I made on this subject back in 2008. I just went to the Dicor website. It's been quite a few years since I've visited that site. Back then I remember they had a freqently asked questions section, and you guessed it, "How to wash the rv roof" was one of the top subjects! At that time Dicor basically poo, pooed the idea. They had explicit warnings on how the wrong substances could damage the roof. They did say that it could be washed with care using a select product(s). I can't remember what was recommended. Now the Dicor site has a new attitude towards washing roofs! It seems that they realized that their was a huge demand for a safe product to use for roof washing, and thus a buissiness opportunity !! They now SELL roof washing products! They have also changed their recomendation and now say to wash the roof 4 times a year! A deeper look and the ability to read between the lines will reveal the truth. Dicor says that Carlisle (UH OH, How many roof blowout stories will we hear now?!!) makes the membrane for them to their specification. Now I seriously doubt that the actual composition of the material is any different than the HUGE commercial roofing market that Carlise serves. I bet the main specification is that the Dicor material comes in rolls the width necessary to roof RVs! A visit to the Carlisle site is also enlightening. They have their maintenence and warranty brochures for their roofing products online. The only washing recomended is that the white EDPM be washed every 2 years! And that is only to keep the reflectivity of the white material from degrading due to excess dirt! The black EDPM has no washing recommendations. Both of the EDPM products have cautions about foot traffic. If you go to this site, notice the changing pictures on the home page. One of them shows a roof that is alive,,,with grass and other vegetation. That rings a bell with me as I have read articles on these kinds of roofs and remembered that under all that soil and plant life is an EDPM membrane to keep the water out of the structure. So much for the theory of a little dirt etc. hurting the membrane. I don't wash my roof. I'd rather spend my time doing something fun like camping! My old 2001 TT was washed once right before I sold it. I never washed the roof. It cleaned up nicely and really impressed it's new owner. It sold incredibly fast for my asking price and had a backup buyer waiting for a chance at it. If one wants to wash their roof, go right ahead. It won't hurt anything (if done right) but their is no reason to other than looks.
