Recaulking rubber roof edge

[turboo]

I have a rubber roof 1999 Fleetwood. The roof is in pretty good shape however the edge sealant is degraded. Basically the roof consists of a rubber sheet wrapped over the wooden frame roof edge then attached to the camper with an aluminum strip along the whole side, the common type with a center section stuffed with a long piece of curved vinyl strip, to cover the screws. My question is, I need to carve out the old sealant , and do not want to nick up the rubber, so a metal scraper is out of the question. I guess I'll make some tools out of plastic. Then I need to clean it up somehow. heres what the edge looks like. Heres what I bought for sealant. Any tips on how to proceed? One photo shows the hatch and its seal, looks to be pretty in good shape. One of the seals had some small cracks in it, on the antenna exit, and I just smeared some sealant on it, it seemed way too much trouble to try to carve all that old caulk out . Is that OK?

[okan-star]

turboo wrote:
I replaced the bathroom vent cover and found unexposed rubber roof material folded under the vent frame.It was bright white. So the exposed surface I'm seeing on the roof, as shown in the photos is the rubber membrane without the factory white top coating, as its eroded away.

Now you get it
Dicor sheds from day one , it will leave a coating on your windshield on the truck as it does , if you put 303 protectant on it ,that helps some and keeps it in better shape
But if the roof is showing black spots , it should be recoated . Dicor makes a kit to do it , its not cheap though
Your roof will probably not leak in the shape its in ,(not talking abut the penetrations ) and will likely last more seasons as it is , the choice is really if you want to spend the time removing caulking and buying 6-8 tubes of dicor to recaulk , and do it again later if you recoat it , or just touch up the caulking now and watch it , and wait to do it all next year , or after that

[turboo]

I replaced the bathroom vent cover and found unexposed rubber roof material folded under the vent frame.It was bright white. So the exposed surface I'm seeing on the roof, as shown in the photos is the rubber membrane without the factory white top coating, as its eroded away.

[turboo]

first photo shows an uncleaned and cleaned area, the second shows a close up of the rubber. It feels smooth, looks to be made of different "specks" of rubber , like chip board.

[turboo]

[DWeikert]

turboo wrote:

What do you mean "roof base material"? The black spots are in the rubber,not holes that show something underneath .( I think, I'll go up there right now and clean off a spot and take a photo of the cleaned area.)

I meant if the white surface layer is flaking off exposing black rubber underneath. Although, upon further research it doesn't look like a white EPDM roof has a black base material.

What is the difference between black EPDM and white EPDM membrane?

In addition to the oils and the polymers used to make an EPDM membrane, another ingredient is added to the mix to enhance UV resistance. In the case of a black membrane, carbon black is added, which converts UV rays into heat. With white membrane, in lieu of carbon black, titanium dioxide is typically used to reflect UV rays and prevent it from attacking the polymer.

epdmroofs.org/faq

I also found this which may be of some help-
Truth About EPDM Rubber Roofs

[turboo]

DWeikert wrote:

mellow wrote:
Coming from someone who is ripping apart a roof that fell apart due to neglect, I would reseal the entire roof, if you are seeing black spots then it is telling you it is time to reseal.

"IF" the black spots are indeed the roof base material showing through then I agree that re-coating is a good idea. On the other hand, if it's just dirt...

What do you mean "roof base material"? The black spots are in the rubber,not holes that show something underneath .( I think, I'll go up there right now and clean off a spot and take a photo of the cleaned area.)

[DWeikert]

mellow wrote:
Coming from someone who is ripping apart a roof that fell apart due to neglect, I would reseal the entire roof, if you are seeing black spots then it is telling you it is time to reseal.

"IF" the black spots are indeed the roof base material showing through then I agree that re-coating is a good idea. On the other hand, if it's just dirt...

[mellow]

Coming from someone who is ripping apart a roof that fell apart due to neglect, I would reseal the entire roof, if you are seeing black spots then it is telling you it is time to reseal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQBw9bFidP8

[turboo]

DWeikert wrote:
Assuming your roof is EPDM like mine...

Does EPDM require systematic maintenance or additional coatings or treatment to achieve its life expectancy?

No. No special coating or other surface treatment is required. General maintenance in the form of good housekeeping should periodically be performed to remove debris and leaves, and to investigate the performance of other components.

epdmroofs.org/FAQ

Thanks, that's what I thought ,no coating needed, just cleaning. I believe I read it in the paperwork I went through in the camper a while ago. I know the rubber roof had a 12 yr warranty , which I thought was pretty good considering everything else on a camper.

[DWeikert]

Assuming your roof is EPDM like mine...

Does EPDM require systematic maintenance or additional coatings or treatment to achieve its life expectancy?

No. No special coating or other surface treatment is required. General maintenance in the form of good housekeeping should periodically be performed to remove debris and leaves, and to investigate the performance of other components.

epdmroofs.org/FAQ

[turboo]

I got so much to do,,,,,, what is the roll on product I am supposed to use on a rubber roof? How do I clean it good enough?, scotch brites and hands and knees?I bought a spray on rubber roof cleaner a few years ago, but I don't think it got it clean enough for a recoat process .

[okan-star]

Before you re-seal all the edges and such with dicor self leveling caulk , you may want to think about recoating the entire roof , and the caulking
From your pics it looks like you have a lot of black spots showing thru the white , that's the underlayer of the roofing
Its not to bad a job , clean it off and roll and brush on a new topcoat , then re-caulk

[turboo]

remember , I have a rubber roof and do not want to ruin it with solvents that attack it.

[billyray50]

mellow wrote:
I thought Dicor's claim to fame was that you could use their cleaner then put down the lap sealant over top the old stuff.

I agree. On my 1998 Lance I wash it down with dawn and scrubbed the whole roof with magic erasers, swear by these for just about everything!!! great for bugs on cabover. My roof is aluminum or metal though and I wanted to try something different besides Dicor. Purchased Proflex roof repair. Used this product on every seam, vent, windows, and jack brackets with a paint brush.

Only time I used dicor was to fill in wider north south roof seams then painted over with proflex roof sealer. This stuff is easier and a great product. Not sure I would is on a new TC though.