Sealing my TC's EPDM Roof

[sonuvabug]

I tried searching for a thread using every combination of words I could think of with no real luck.

I want to seal my EPDM roof with the best product based on people's experiences. I keep my 2007 TC's roof clean and it is in good shape for it's age but I feel it's time to put a protective coat on it.

I've spent hours on YouTube reviewing clips spouting the merits of all of the usual suspects (Dicor 2-part system, Flex Seal, Henry Silicone RV roof sealant, others etc.) More confused now than ever.

Any recommendations based on first hand experience/ or can you direct me to a thread where this has been already thoroughly covered. Thanks.

[sonuvabug]

Hemi Joel wrote:
The most common thickness in commercial is 60 mil, which is .060 in thick. It is also available in 45 mil and 90 mil. I'm not sure what thickness they use on an RV.

mil mm inch

60 1.524 0.06 1/16 in

[Hemi_Joel]

The most common thickness in commercial is 60 mil, which is .060 in thick. It is also available in 45 mil and 90 mil. I'm not sure what thickness they use on an RV.

[BigSwick]

Hemi Joel wrote:
I am a commercial/industrial roofing contracor. We have installed millions of square feet of EPDM on flat roof buildings over the last 40 years. Believe me, you do not need to coat EPDM. A good EPDM will last over 30 years before it starts to break down. The problem with an RV roof is the penetrations. If I flashed commercial roof penetrations the way RV manufactures do, I'd be in prison. So maintain your penetrations. Do not let any cracks go, inspect often, do not let any water get under your roof. Water under the roof breaks down the surface of the underlayment and the bond to the EPDM will be lost. Dicor works fine at keeping up on them. The biggest enemy of EPDM is oil. Do not repair it with asphalt plastic cement, or anything oily, and do not clean it with anything oily. It is not necessary to clean your roof, but if you feel like you want to just because, use mild soap and water. I have 35 year old roofs that have never been cleaned. But DO scrub the repair areas clean with soap and water and a scotchbrite pad before applying the Dicor, this will help it stick.

Is the commercial EPDM the same thickness as what is on most RVs?

[sonuvabug]

Thanks All. I appreciate you sharing your insights ...

[mkirsch]

Hemi Joel wrote:
If your spray on bedliner leaks into your truck bed, you don't know or care.

Nobody tosses heavy tool boxes or cinder blocks onto, or drags chains across their camper roof.

I would stick with a product designed and proven for the application. There is no better product for a low-slope roof than EPDM.

It's a spray on bedliner "TYPE" product, as in something that sprays on thick. Not necessarily bedliner.

[rhagfo]

wanderingbob wrote:
HENGS

Heng’s

I used as well and really like it. Scrubbed roof with Tide powdered detergent first rinsed well then applied the next day, two thin coats per instructions.

[Hemi_Joel]

If your spray on bedliner leaks into your truck bed, you don't know or care.

Nobody tosses heavy tool boxes or cinder blocks onto, or drags chains across their camper roof.

I would stick with a product designed and proven for the application. There is no better product for a low-slope roof than EPDM.

[notsobigjoe]

I would like a product that perhaps could spray over the EPDM and make the rain a little quieter. Off topic but I wonder...

[gitpicker2009]

There's a company here in Houston that will remove your old rubber EPDM roof and replace it with a spray on bedliner type product, which is nearly indestructible. When my roof gets old enough to need repairs, that's what I'm going to do. And their pricing was unbelievably LOW compared to doing another rubber roof. You should see if there are people in your area that offer that service.

[Hemi_Joel]

I am a commercial/industrial roofing contracor. We have installed millions of square feet of EPDM on flat roof buildings over the last 40 years. Believe me, you do not need to coat EPDM. A good EPDM will last over 30 years before it starts to break down. The problem with an RV roof is the penetrations. If I flashed commercial roof penetrations the way RV manufactures do, I'd be in prison. So maintain your penetrations. Do not let any cracks go, inspect often, do not let any water get under your roof. Water under the roof breaks down the surface of the underlayment and the bond to the EPDM will be lost. Dicor works fine at keeping up on them. The biggest enemy of EPDM is oil. Do not repair it with asphalt plastic cement, or anything oily, and do not clean it with anything oily. It is not necessary to clean your roof, but if you feel like you want to just because, use mild soap and water. I have 35 year old roofs that have never been cleaned. But DO scrub the repair areas clean with soap and water and a scotchbrite pad before applying the Dicor, this will help it stick.

[wanderingbob]

HENGS

[ticki2]

I have no experience with the product but it looked interesting . I would also try calling a commercial roofing co and ask what they recommend , EPDM is used on all kinds of commercial buildings .https://www.rvroofmagic.com/store/

[sonuvabug]

mkirsch wrote:
... snipped ... Likely reason why you can't find the answer is because the question has never been asked.

This makes perfect sense although YouTube has many "how-to" videos so I thought perhaps I am missing out on something important that everyone does and is something for me to consider doing.

Confused as I became, I called the FraserwayRV Cookstown ON dealer (designated Adventurer TC dealer) where we bought our new-to-us 2007 TC unit in 2014 and here's what the Service Writer told me.

The EPDM roof should last the lifetime of our TC if taken care of. Of course "lifetime" is subject to interpretation. He said the most important things are to keep it clean of organic debris, environmental sooting and heavy dirt, inspect it regularly and, stay on top of maintenance (like lap sealing around vents, re-caulking seams etc. as needed and performing spot repairs i.e. repairing rips, punctures etc. as discovered).

I told him we have one small (1/2 sq. ft.) corner area where the top EDPM layer seems to have come loose from the underneath decking. There are no tears, holes or separation evident on the sides of this "looseness".

He said not to worry as this is not unusual and likely due to less glue used in that specific spot. He added it was not uncommon for them to see larger rubber roof sections on RV's being loose because of a lack of glue and his advice is to leave it alone unless it is compromised and causing problems like a leak.

For ours, he also advised if the rubber fabric was otherwise whole, undamaged and not deteriorating, to also leave the loose area alone. For all I know it could have been like this for years and I just noticed it recently.

Thanks All for responding and I hope this additional information is also useful.

[notsobigjoe]

Joe417 wrote:
This is just my experience, we have a 21 year old 5th W. with the original EPDM and no coatings added. I keep it under a roof when not in use and wash it and put a rubber roof conditioner on it every other year. It is in very good shape for it's age.

Our 2005 TC had the Dicor coating on it when I bought it in 2012. It has held up very well.

After, I am guessing about 50K miles, it had a few scratches in the coating, not the EPDM, so I recoated it last year.

I have replaced the EPDM on 2 of our previous campers and I think that one would have been an excellent candidate for the coating rather than replacing the rubber. I had no experience with it at the time.

I will use the coating in the future as long as there is no damage to the decking.

You do need to clean it well and use the Dicor cleaner/activator so that is sticks well. 1 gallon was enough to put 1 coat on our TC. If it were the first coat I would have put 2.

The most time consuming part about using the Dicor was putting plastic over the sides to keep the cleaner/activator off. I don't know if it will actually damage the fiberglass but I didn't want to take the chance. It was in the spring but was too hot and the tape kept coming loose. I think it took me about 6 hours as I had to keep climbing up and down from the roof and I had no helper.

Good luck.

Thanks for the info and input Joe, I never knew any of this dicor treatment existed but I am curious to try it on my 1181. Thanks again, you always learn something new on this forum.
Joe
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dicor+EPDM+coating&crid=26MT6BQTYW5GR&sprefix=dicor+epdm+coating%2Caps%2C88&ref=nb_sb_noss_2