Forum Discussion

VTR's avatar
VTR
Explorer
May 28, 2015

General question about metal roof

Those of you that have a metal roof, or have experience with them I have a question. Was it vaulted so water would drain off efficiently, or did it have indents/valleys etc. that just retain water when it rains. Inquiring minds want to know.

p.s. By vaulted, I mean, pitched someway so water would drain well. I do not know how you can to this with metal.
  • djsamuel's avatar
    djsamuel
    Nomad
    May 28, 2015
    Metal seamless roof on my 2013 Camplite 21BHS. It has a crown to it and not much ponding of water. It's been great so far. had one caulking issue, which was caused by insufficient caulk. Corrected that and all has been fine.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    I have an aluminum roof, it is crowned. Metal can bend. This why planes and boats can be round.
  • Huntindog's avatar
    Huntindog
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    I had one with a flat aluminum roof,,, with some seams. It had nunerous leak problems

    Metal roofs in a TT are just generally a problem.
    All the different protusions such as vents, skylights etc. tend to need more attention to the caulking. This is because of the expansion and contraction of the metal, and the inability to "give" some to help the caulk maintain it's seal. A rubber roof is flexible, and won't tear away from the caulk as easily.

    I have heard that some TTs have a one piece aluminum roof that is somehow crowned. These are rare as it likely takes a lot more skill to install this right. These would still have the caulk issues, but with good drainage will be less of an issue.

    So my take on it: A one piece aluminum well crowned roof will likely outlast the RV, as long as one is willing to put up with increased caulk maitainence.
    A rubber roof will generally last 12-20 years, with less caulk maintainence.

    I think the switch by the manufacturers to rubber roofs was driven by cost and fewer warranty issues.

    Rubber is faster/eaiser to work with on the production line, and less likely to have leak issues due to caulk failures during the warranty period.
  • wrenchbender's avatar
    wrenchbender
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    Had an old Shasta compact with a metal vaulted roof,started to leak had it foamed. A foamer shot on 1/2 inch of foam them painted it with roof paint, never leaked for 5 yrs afterwords.
  • path1's avatar
    path1
    Explorer
    May 28, 2015
    VTR wrote:
    Those of you that have a metal roof, or have experience with them I have a question. Was it vaulted so water would drain off efficiently, or did it have indents/valleys etc. that just retain water when it rains. Inquiring minds want to know.

    p.s. By vaulted, I mean, pitched someway so water would drain well. I do not know how you can to this with metal.


    We had an older one (mid 80's) that was "crowned" a bit. But not enough. Where the roof meet the trim of the skylight it formed a "bird bath".

    So yes, it was "vaulted" but not enough to shed all the water that sat in the little dip. Not good to have caulking under water 24/7.

    I filled up the bird bath with pro-flex out of a quart container and solved problem for about 5 years.

    I would do metal roof again. A lot easier to keep clean. Although when it rained it sound like I was in a steel drum.

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