Roof Replacement

[jcarter1976]

I am gearing up to replace the roof on my 40’ Salem and I have been advised not to replace the roof vents. The logic being that the fewer penetrations one has in their roof, the fewer leaks one may encounter in the future.
I get the rationale but I’m dubious about not having any upward ventilation. Does anyone have any experience with an un-ventilated RV?

[valhalla360]

Gdetrailer wrote:
Using that "logic" one would want to get rid of the fridge vent, the A/C unit(s) and the black and grey tank vents, then you have zero holes to deal with.

That would be awesome and would result in trailers that last much longer.

It's nice to say if you are scrupulous about sealing it's not an issue...but reality is a large percentage of RVs go to the junk yard due to leaks, so clearly it is a problem.

Retrofitting an existing RV would be difficult as you would need to figure alternatives out. But if you have good mood lighting already, skipping some or all of the roof vents would not be a bad option.

For new construction, it's not nearly as bad:
- Skip the vents and skylights and add LED strips around the ceiling. Actually a lot of RVs have already done the LED thing and with power consumption so low, it's really not an issue running them to compensate for the lost natural light.
- Fridge...they are already going there with 12v fridges that require no external ventilation becoming the new standard.
- Air/con units could do minisplit with the condenser on the rear bumper and no roof penetrations.
- Tank Vents could be done with small wall mounted outlets.
- A frosted side window in the bathroom, potentially with a fan would handle shower humidity.

None of this would be particularly expensive to implement on a new production unit.

Side benefits:
- Slightly lower profile to get under low bridges/tree limbs.
- Maybe a touch more aerodynamic for better fuel economy.
- It would make one piece fiberglass or aluminum roofs a cheaper option which would again increase long term water tightness.

[Gdetrailer]

Using that "logic" one would want to get rid of the fridge vent, the A/C unit(s) and the black and grey tank vents, then you have zero holes to deal with..

Reality, however, properly done your roof vents pose no more problem for future leaks than the trim that covers the roof to side wall..

Not to mention then you would have the ugly openings on the inside where the roof vents used to be that you would have to cover up..

I do use the roof vent in the bathroom when taking a bath, I did eliminate the roof vent over our master bed when we rebuilt our TT, wasn't a fan of the light that came through it early in the morning at the crack of 5AM.

It is a personal choice and up to you.