TPO Roofs

rbpru wrote:
Given most folks trade up in 3 to 5 years a 12 year roof is not much of an incentive, unless the warrantee transfers to the new owner.

I thought that 12 years was for material only, and they will sock it to you in labor cost
bumpy

Given most folks trade up in 3 to 5 years a 12 year roof is not much of an incentive, unless the warrantee transfers to the new owner.

Camper G wrote:


....snip.... Oh well, unless i buy an airstream, my next rig will probably have a rubber roof and I'll be on a 12yr replacement cycle just like the OEMs want! Lol.

If a person has a trailer with a TPO or EPDM roof, and wants to keep it beyond 12 years, and the rest of the trailer is still viable, wouldn't it be cheaper to just replace the roof, rather than buy an entire new trailer ?

For just the cost of sales tax and higher personal property tax alone on a new trailer, I could do a new roof membrane, and have money left over to go camping.

As for me, I don't care if my trailer lasts for 28 years. I'll be dead and gone from old age before then. At this moment, I am sitting in my trailer in Arizona for the winter. Under a roof membrane that is either EPDM or TPO.... I don't know which it is, and really don't care. I maintain it, it doesn't leak.

Bumpyroad wrote:
I was wondering the same thing myself, how do you "upgrade" a rubber roof? by trading it in on a RV that has either an aluminum or fiberglass roof??? or reinstalling a defective product?
bumpy

FlexArmor is one way - lifetime warranty that is transferable as well.

Since I have never seen any hard data to show the superiority of one type of roof over another, fiberglass vs aluminum sides, one frame maker over another and a host other items that bring about a lot of opinions; I base my TT decisions on 1, Can my TV carry the tongue weight? 2, Can we afford the TT? 3, Is the floor plan right.

The last, floor plan which includes the various amenities for daily use, out weighs the others by a large margin.

We all have our priorities.

I am almost 100% sure that Grand Design uses Alpha Systems Superflex. Not a rubber and not really a TPO, at least not in the convential definition.

Water will not leak through continuous aluminum sheet. There must be a pin hole, or there is a different location where the water is getting in and it is running to that location, probably because it is low. If the water is pooling on the top, and not going away, it stands to reason it isn't leaking at that location. The location of the actual leak and where the water presents on the inside may well be different locations. They commonly are. I would suggest looking to other possible locations.

I am currently in the process of purchasing a Grand Design 5th wheel. The issue of seam bubbles has come up. The roof is TPO. The bubbles are narrow but are the entire length of the substrate seam because there is clearly a gap where the panels come together. I have looked at numerous manufacturers installation specifications and videos. This is clearly a violation of the installation standards. These seams are supposed to be either filled, or covered with seam tape or both. In the case of these gaps, it appears to me that the manufacturer is indicating filling, but it isn't abundantly clear that the seam tape can't or won't work. Either way it isn't right. I have spoken with the factory person at Grand Design and their position is that these bubbles are not a problem and they seemed totally disinterested in the manufacturers opinion on this issue. So, where I am at this time is asking myself the question as to whether I want to accept this or not. I have looked at several other RV's and don't see the same problem. It appears that the roof membrane is well adheased down to a continuous substrate on other RV's. I am surprised that they seem so disinterested, but I have learned that TPO, and rubber for that matter, are tough enough that they are getting the warrantee life expectancy out of these roofs, which is only 12 years. This material when installed properly is possibly a 50 year roof material.

Thanks, I'm glad to hear I'm now the only one that had that sort of experience with them. It's not helping them sell trailers, that's for sure

Camper G, IME with Jayco's customer service, too put it bluntly, they SUCK!!!!!