Roofs... fiberglass or rubber?

[pacificnw]

Generally speaking, do you prefer a fiberglass roof or a rubber (TPO, etc.)roof on MH? And reasons why?

I have had a TPO roof on a Four Winds MH and its fine but I spend some serious time each year (at least 2X per year) cleaning and treating the material. So I keep it in good shape. But I am in the market for a new unit and not sure I want a rubber roof anymore.

As I have grown older I find those hours spent up on the roof maintaining the TPO are getting more stressful... I'm sure lots of you understand what I'm saying.

So is fiberglass better from a maintenance standpoint? Longevity standpoint? Or are there other factors I am failing to consider here?

Thank you for all input.

[Bumpyroad]

pacificnw wrote:
Generally speaking, do you prefer a fiberglass roof or a rubber (TPO, etc.)roof on MH? And reasons why?

I would not buy another rubber (EPDM) roofed RV. just do a search for issues with them. fiberglass, aluminum, or possibly TPO only if there was a unit that I had to have that had tpo .
if epdm was so good, they would be using it on prevosts, etc.
and PLEASE do NOT confuse rubber with tpo.
bumpy

[DrewE]

Pretty much any roof system is going to need cleaning from time to time, and the caulking where any seams or items perforating it are will need ongoing maintenance. (There are some sprayed-on elastomeric roof systems, somewhat akin to pickup bed liners, that claim otherwise...but I remain a little skeptical of that absent independent verification.)

That being said, my impression is that fiberglass and metal (generally aluminum) roofs tend to require less TLC and last longer than TPO or rubber ones, and TPO tends to last longer than rubber (EPDM). Rubber probably lasts on average 15 or 20 years before needing replacement. There are definite variations in quality among different roof systems of the same general class, too; some are much heavier duty than others.

[moisheh]

All roofs require a certain amount of maintenance. There are seams and openings for vents, tv antennas etc. The sealants do dry up. So no matter your choice either you or a service center will have to do the work. Isn't this fun!!

Moisheh

[rgatijnet1]

You don't say what brand of coach you are looking at but I remember reading about Winnebago owners having trouble with the fiberglass roof coming loose and peeling back. Apparently it was not covered by the Winnebago warranty or any warranty from an extended warranty company.