Bartviii wrote:
Ihave a 1997 monaco windsor, 34 feet long. I have maintained it completely since I have owned it (15 years). It has always been stored under cover. Today I noticed that my EPDM rubber is starting to flake (the white top part) and I can see grey underneath it. It doesent leak. This is happening where the air conditioners drain on the roof. Do I need to invest in a new roor??? Thanks for any help in advance.
Wow,
15 years, that's absolutely great that you've owned it for that long. Rubber roofs are actually fairly durable. But, as with anything, the older they get, the less they're able to withstand some of the elements and, normal wear and tear. They do get to a point that they start to deteriorate. Some will show signs earlier and some, later. You say you've stored your coach for 15 years UNDER COVER? Well, there's your reason why it's in the "just starting to show the signs of age" part.
At this point, you have a couple of choices here. One, some of the folks on here and other RV forums have used roof coatings sold at places like Home Depot and Lowes etc. and, have some fair to good results. It's without a doubt, a cheaper way to go. Two, you can do what I and, a couple of other folks have done and that's to do the two-step procedure of a product made by Dicor.
The Dicor product is designed for use on Rubber roofs. The rubber roof on our previous coach, a '99 Fleetwood Bounder, 34V, was seriously deteriorating by the time it was 10 years old. Almost all the white had sloughed off and, the roof was almost completely black. Talk about adding additional heat to the inside of the coach, yeow!!
So, after a bit of research, I decided to go with the Dicor product, sold at Camping World. I'll have to tell you, this was one tough, long day. But that's all it was, ONE DAY. The procedure for application is this:
1. The roof is washed thoroughly with a good stiff brush, soap and water.
2. Then, based on the chemicals involved in the next part, some, including myself, will tape off the sides, front and rear of the coach, from roof line down, with visqueen.
3. Following the directions of the product, it's a Primer/Prep product and, you put it on with a sprayer, like a garden (pump type) sprayer.
4. Then, it gets PRESSURE WASHED OFF! Yep, that's right, a pressure washer.
5. Once it's dry, then the first coat of the cover product is applied.
6. Once that's dray, a second coat is applied.
Now, normally, that's more than enough for a substantial coating and preservation. Some, might put a third coat but, it's really not needed.
I did that very application, several years ago and, the last time I saw it, (and the roof) it looked as good as the day I did it. That was over 7 years ago. I'd recommend it.
Below is what it looked like the day after the application process. I just wish I'd have taken pics of the "before". Oh well.
Scott
