TPO roof

[reboo349]

Have to have a new roof put on while in Florida looking at a TPO roof put on by A&A mobile service, question being he says they do not glue this roof down??? I thought they all used some type of adhesive during install,also looking @ the spray on roof seen at the Tampa RV show. Anyone ever use A&A or have experience with the TPO roof and install or the sprayed on roof

[pbensen]

JJ,

Thank you for your research on this issue. I do live in a colder climate (Michigan) so my roof has not seen the extreme high temperatures of its lifetime. I make sure if and when I replace my roof to get the latest spec TPO material.

Paul

JJBIRISH wrote:
I am just offering my opinion not a recommendation, all based on what I have read about the product… I am not claiming to be a expert… there are hundreds of claims but most are bias based on what is being sold by the poster…
And IMO, TPO would be my last choice for my trailer…

there has been plenty written about the shortcomings of TPO… its strong point is its seams that shouldn’t be a problem for RV’s that don’t have seams to begin with… since it last reformulation (2010 or 2011) the industry has been extremely silent without touting that things have been finally resolved… is that a good sign or are they hiding new concerns…
it’s popularity seems to be more along the lines of cost, not quality…

“Longevity
By far the most important aspect that will determine the longevity of a single ply roofing membrane is the method by which the overlapping seams have been attached together. Permanently attached seams are the safest solution, and improper attachment can be the cause of 99% of leaks.

It is difficult to determine the longevity of TPO roofing membranes for a couple of reasons. First, this is a fairly new roofing product, there are no TPO membranes in the US today that are older than 15 years. Second, TPO membranes continue to be an experimental products- they are all in their 2nd, 3rd and in some cases 4th generation of formulations, so it is not possible to definitively say how long any of these will last. Moreover, many TPO products have been pulled off the market in the past both for seam and material failures.”

“Durability
An EPDM roof has a solid reputation for durability. Made of rubber compound, EPDM roofs have been on the market for decades- having properly tapered seams and detailed flashings, an EPDM roof will last up to 25 years. It is recognized in the industry as a dependable roofing material that offers resistance against ultraviolet light, ozone, oxidants and severe weather conditions. An EPDM membrane will also perform better than TPO in colder climates.”

click


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[JJBIRISH]

I am just offering my opinion not a recommendation, all based on what I have read about the product… I am not claiming to be a expert… there are hundreds of claims but most are bias based on what is being sold by the poster…
And IMO, TPO would be my last choice for my trailer…

there has been plenty written about the shortcomings of TPO… its strong point is its seams that shouldn’t be a problem for RV’s that don’t have seams to begin with… since it last reformulation (2010 or 2011) the industry has been extremely silent without touting that things have been finally resolved… is that a good sign or are they hiding new concerns…
it’s popularity seems to be more along the lines of cost, not quality…

“Longevity
By far the most important aspect that will determine the longevity of a single ply roofing membrane is the method by which the overlapping seams have been attached together. Permanently attached seams are the safest solution, and improper attachment can be the cause of 99% of leaks.

It is difficult to determine the longevity of TPO roofing membranes for a couple of reasons. First, this is a fairly new roofing product, there are no TPO membranes in the US today that are older than 15 years. Second, TPO membranes continue to be an experimental products- they are all in their 2nd, 3rd and in some cases 4th generation of formulations, so it is not possible to definitively say how long any of these will last. Moreover, many TPO products have been pulled off the market in the past both for seam and material failures.”

“Durability
An EPDM roof has a solid reputation for durability. Made of rubber compound, EPDM roofs have been on the market for decades- having properly tapered seams and detailed flashings, an EPDM roof will last up to 25 years. It is recognized in the industry as a dependable roofing material that offers resistance against ultraviolet light, ozone, oxidants and severe weather conditions. An EPDM membrane will also perform better than TPO in colder climates.”

click


.

[pbensen]

Hello,

Our 2002 Jayco 324G was built with a TPO roof. I purchased the trailer seven years ago, I do not cover it. I have never had a problem with it. I do my regular maintenance every year which includes cleaning it with my Hotsey steam cleaner and applying self leveling sealer over the sealed joints when they start cracking. The roof is if excellent condition and in my estimation has many years of life left on it. I would strongly recommend TPO for a roof material. If and when I replace the roof I would definitely replace it with TPO.

[Duck]

You mentioned, A&A Mobile Service, does he have a shed to work under while doing the work?
Don

[Redsky]

TPO is widely used for large commercial roofs as a covering so if there were problems this would be very well known, and it has not been a problem. The primary drawback is that it is a thin membrane that does not resist mechanical tearing but this is not likely to be a problem on a roof surface.

For a new RV I would rather have a fiberglass roof but for recovering the roof the TPO is going to last as long as you have the RV.

[spadoctor]

Yes TPO is glued down. TPO has been around longer than EPDM. It was originally formulated by Firestone and has been licensed to other manufacturers. There are several advantages to TPO over EPDM. First it is more tear resistant...second can be repaired to never come apart where EPDM can not....its life is generally longer than EPDM....it does not sluff off like EPDM causing fewer black streaks and is easily cleaned where as EPDM should NEVER be scrubbed or treated as petro chemicals shorted EPDM life. Both materials were invented as a commercial roof membrane. When TPO seams are glued they fuse just like pvc plumbing fittings....EPDM does not and relies on the flexible adhesive to maintain the joint. Back in 06 and 07 there were TPO problems and leaks. It was a two fold problem...improper install and the felt backing that was applied by the membrane material manufacturer was too wide. This was taken care of in 08. I had a unit that had to have a total roof replacement because of the problem and it was paid for by the manufacturer not a penny by me. I have had more than one of both TPO and EPDM roofs and prefer TPO. Being in construction I have seen these for years and TPO is far superior IMHO

[Dtaylor]

While in florida, check out Rvroof.com

[CavemanCharlie]

JJBIRISH wrote:
I have never been a fan of TOP… IMHO, no one really knows what TPO is… it’s been reformulated 4 or 5 maybe 6 times by now and off the roll you don’t know which formulation you have or are buying… each reformulation claiming to have corrected problems of previous versions… who knows when they will actually get it right or when a formulation will be around long enough to prove itself… older versions of TPO used on RV’s have caused extensive roof damage due to their fleece backing, wicking water to large areas…

I think the latest un-backed version of TPO for RV’s is only about 20mil, EPDM used by the RV industry is normally about 40 mil, and commercial grade EPDM is normally 60 mil… the new TPO might be the greatest product ever, only time will tell if it is, or if there will be another reformulation coming…

I would look into EPDM for your roof, or even the spray on roof that I know nothing about…
personally I prefer single sheet aluminum roofing after having many of them in the past and still owning 2 trailers over 20 years old with it and never a single leak…

Ya, but, you most likely can not add a sheet metal roof if it didn't originally have one.

[JJBIRISH]

I have never been a fan of TOP… IMHO, no one really knows what TPO is… it’s been reformulated 4 or 5 maybe 6 times by now and off the roll you don’t know which formulation you have or are buying… each reformulation claiming to have corrected problems of previous versions… who knows when they will actually get it right or when a formulation will be around long enough to prove itself… older versions of TPO used on RV’s have caused extensive roof damage due to their fleece backing, wicking water to large areas…

I think the latest un-backed version of TPO for RV’s is only about 20mil, EPDM used by the RV industry is normally about 40 mil, and commercial grade EPDM is normally 60 mil… the new TPO might be the greatest product ever, only time will tell if it is, or if there will be another reformulation coming…

I would look into EPDM for your roof, or even the spray on roof that I know nothing about…
personally I prefer single sheet aluminum roofing after having many of them in the past and still owning 2 trailers over 20 years old with it and never a single leak…

[1492]

Moved from Forum Technical Support

[Bumpyroad]

I assume the spray on is rhino lining or lineX? seems more permanent than tpo to me.
bumpy