RV Armour or Line X Roof

roofarmour wrote:
FYI: Please do not use any form of acrylic to restore an RV roof, it will not last longer than 5 years and cannot stand up to long term water.. We have created an amazing repair and restoration kit for Fiberglass,EPDM and other RV roofs, it includes a self adhesive tape, a fiber-ed coating for seams, voids and around vents and an amazing silicone top coat, it is highly flexible, withstands ponding water, hail, wind and fire. You can see pictures on our facebook page of customers who have used the products, as well as re-coats we have performed. Its Easy, Affordable and Lasts. www.roofarmour.com or www.roofarmourdiy.com - Happy Trails!!

This appears to be a post from the manufacturer so take what you read with a grain of salt. It may be great, but just be sure you understand what you are reading is not necessarily a testimonial.

ctilsie242 wrote:
EPDM on a building is different than EPDM on a RV. On a building, it stays still, and is well sealed. On a RV, the sealant used is a lot less, and is exposed to high winds going down the road, forcing water in cracks. EPDM by itself isn't bad... it is all the cracks and seams that kill it, and it only takes a few millimeters of a gap or crack to cause major water damage. Plus, you are one twig away from a puncture with EPDM, while it takes more to damage a fiberglass or metal roof.

I would say the best roof available today would be a one piece aluminum roof that is crowned over the sides by a few inches (and soldered/welded into place) Then, something like rvroof's epoxy (where it cures, not dries) atop of that so there are no seams. This way, there are no seams for water to get into, and by chance, a scrape by a branch removes some of the elastomer, the metal underneath still keeps a seal.

I agree that a one piece aluminum roof is good but to say that an EPDM roof, on the coast of Florida, where it is approved for 130+ MPH winds, cannot handle an RV is not realistic. A commercial building is exposed 100% of the time to winds, rain, snow, etc. It has many times more penetrations and since it is much larger, it has seams about every 10 feet, or every 20 feet, if it is a large roof. You can believe what you want but I have experience on both. The problem is that most RV techs are not roofers and they do not know how to properly install or seal an EPDM roof.

EPDM on a building is different than EPDM on a RV. On a building, it stays still, and is well sealed. On a RV, the sealant used is a lot less, and is exposed to high winds going down the road, forcing water in cracks. EPDM by itself isn't bad... it is all the cracks and seams that kill it, and it only takes a few millimeters of a gap or crack to cause major water damage. Plus, you are one twig away from a puncture with EPDM, while it takes more to damage a fiberglass or metal roof.

I would say the best roof available today would be a one piece aluminum roof that is crowned over the sides by a few inches (and soldered/welded into place) Then, something like rvroof's epoxy (where it cures, not dries) atop of that so there are no seams. This way, there are no seams for water to get into, and by chance, a scrape by a branch removes some of the elastomer, the metal underneath still keeps a seal.

As a commercial contractor that has used hundreds of thousands of square feet of EPDM roofing rubber I can tell you that we usually guaranty the roof for 20 years and it requires NO maintenance at all. I have also never seen any of the hotels or warehouses, where I have used the EPDM roof, send people up to wash it. :B
To comment on the marketing materials. EPDM roofing is 100% repairable, which contradicts the marketing BS. You can cut out a section and replace it and seal it up as good as if there was a solid piece of roofing. The EPDM roofing materials on a 10' x 50' single roll, white or black, would cost less than $1000 from any roofing supply company.
The RV industry is a very small user of EPDM roofing materials.

FYI: Please do not use any form of acrylic to restore an RV roof, it will not last longer than 5 years and cannot stand up to long term water.. We have created an amazing repair and restoration kit for Fiberglass,EPDM and other RV roofs, it includes a self adhesive tape, a fiber-ed coating for seams, voids and around vents and an amazing silicone top coat, it is highly flexible, withstands ponding water, hail, wind and fire. You can see pictures on our facebook page of customers who have used the products, as well as re-coats we have performed. Its Easy, Affordable and Lasts. www.roofarmour.com or www.roofarmourdiy.com - Happy Trails!!

OP - I see your from Florida. There is a Flex Armor location in Green Cove Springs FL. I believe this to be the better solution since as stated, they remove everything including the AC unit. Good luck, and please let us know what route you went. I'm thinking of doing this myself as a preventative measure as it's time to recaulk.

jshupe wrote:

edatlanta wrote:

jshupe wrote:
I found this marketing material. Yes, it is marketing material... and yes, as someone with a FlexArmor roof, I am biased. But I believe it to be accurate.

I am biased toward my RV FlexArmor roof also. 13 months old now and looking great. No caulking to worry about either.

This past summer I was parked under some kind of tree in Florida for 4 months and orange colored berries fell off of the tree on my roof and I was afraid they stained the roof. Nope, soft brush and a bit of car was soap and it all came right off with no scrubbing, just the soft bristle brush.

Biased? Yep and loving it.

Will any rubber roof leak? Yep, it is just a matter of time and will you catch it before it destroys your rig?

There is absolutely no way I could bring my rig with an EPDM roof to my house. In fact, I think that is what destroyed my original roof. The suburb I live in only trims trees over the road to 12' (found this out after calling and complaining about hitting branches), and my rig is 13'4" tall. I bring it to the house with the FlexArmor without concern. If something is big enough to tear through this roof, it means I hit a large enough branch to destroy the wood underneath. It looks brand new after six months, with a couple trips under the trees that tore my OEM roof every month.

About a month after I had my RV Flex Armor installed in January 2016 I was in a campground where a major thunderstorm blew through. It knocked down many small and large tree branches and one 150 year old oak tree. Fortunately no one was under that big tree, but one camper had a small limb fell on his roof and put a hole in the rubber. I had several limbs fall on my roof and no damage of any kind.

Still biased and still sleeping well and dry.

edatlanta wrote:

jshupe wrote:
I found this marketing material. Yes, it is marketing material... and yes, as someone with a FlexArmor roof, I am biased. But I believe it to be accurate.

I am biased toward my RV FlexArmor roof also. 13 months old now and looking great. No caulking to worry about either.

This past summer I was parked under some kind of tree in Florida for 4 months and orange colored berries fell off of the tree on my roof and I was afraid they stained the roof. Nope, soft brush and a bit of car was soap and it all came right off with no scrubbing, just the soft bristle brush.

Biased? Yep and loving it.

Will any rubber roof leak? Yep, it is just a matter of time and will you catch it before it destroys your rig?

There is absolutely no way I could bring my rig with an EPDM roof to my house. In fact, I think that is what destroyed my original roof. The suburb I live in only trims trees over the road to 12' (found this out after calling and complaining about hitting branches), and my rig is 13'4" tall. I bring it to the house with the FlexArmor without concern. If something is big enough to tear through this roof, it means I hit a large enough branch to destroy the wood underneath. It looks brand new after six months, with a couple trips under the trees that tore my OEM roof every month.

I have water intrusion in the left from corner. You can see where the plywood is delaminating because the membrane has a bubble in it. The cause I think is the screws. There are metal strips that run back each side of the EPDM. It looks like there should be some sort of cover that slides into the metal strip and covers the screw heads, but that cover is gone and there is no sealant on the score heads.

jshupe wrote:
I found this marketing material. Yes, it is marketing material... and yes, as someone with a FlexArmor roof, I am biased. But I believe it to be accurate.

I am biased toward my RV FlexArmor roof also. 13 months old now and looking great. No caulking to worry about either.

This past summer I was parked under some kind of tree in Florida for 4 months and orange colored berries fell off of the tree on my roof and I was afraid they stained the roof. Nope, soft brush and a bit of car was soap and it all came right off with no scrubbing, just the soft bristle brush.

Biased? Yep and loving it.

Will any rubber roof leak? Yep, it is just a matter of time and will you catch it before it destroys your rig?