EverChill Refrigerator

valhalla360 wrote:

JRscooby wrote:
Why does a compressor fridge require a hole in the roof?

It doesn't...that's a nice advantage. But some people seem to think, leaks don't tend to concentrate around holes in the roof membrane.

Obviously, it's not a 100% solution to leaks but it's a start. Honestly, most of the holes in the roof could be eliminated.
- Properly done sewer vents in the side wall would be less leak prone.
- With cheap low wattage LED, the need for roof hatches to let in light are not as important.

If you eliminate all the roof penetrations, the standard rubber roofs will hold up much better with less maintenance. Even better metal or fiberglass roofs become much cheaper options and are even less leak prone.

Slapping another layer of dicor sounds good but reality is most RVs go to the junk yard due to leaks.

IMHO, roof leaks on RVs are 100% fault of consumers willingness to replace a camper destroyed by water leaks with another one likely to be destroyed by water leak. Sure, the tell you we promise it won't leak as long as you are willing to mess around with it a couple times a year. And it's not like nobody knows how to make a roof that won't leak.
My '67 Pete had 1 roof vent in cab, 2 in sleeper. About '79, I replaced the gaskets on the vents. Not because of water coming in. The covers would rattle like crazy, but still keep water out.
You say the RV roof is much bigger. True, but Pete knows how to make a seam. If you can make 1 water tight seam, you can make 10, or 100. A friend's '85 Pete had a rock, about 500lb. dropped on top of sleeper. No leak. When it got cold, the lake on the roof changed into a block of ice. Worry about that falling into traffic, we pushed roof up with a jack. Still no leak