Protection/Maintenance of roof

[Luralisa]

As a new RV owner I need to know what is the best product and method for the roof of the RV for maintenance and to prevent sun damage. Also, the covers that come out with the slides; is their a way to protect them as well?

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me,
Lisa

[az bound]

Aerospace 303 Protectant is the product I prefer. It's rated as SPF 40.
www.303products.com
Been using it since 1993 and am well pleased.

[450Donn]

Places like Camping World sell all sorts of roof maintenance products. Be very careful to NOT use any petroleum based products or you will end up replacing the roof early. Wash it a couple times a year and check and reseal the seams as necessary using something like Dicor LapSeal.

[njs42]

Depends on what kind of roof you have---rubber, fiberglass, other. I'll say this you are starignout correctly and thinking aout your roof. Very important to keep them clean and protected.

I have fiberglass and wax mine at least once per year the old fashion way with NuGlass (orange bottle at Walmart) easy to apply and wipe off but I'm sure there are easier way.

Lots of people rave about Protectant 303.

Some folks say they put Mop and Glow on theirs---they can stand up and do this---but it does not have UV protection.

Different roof materials have different constraints make sure you know what not to use on your roof---

[Luralisa]

Thank you!!!!

[steelpony555]

Clean it and seal all your seams with Eterna Bond tape. The tape will keep you from having leaks and lasts forever. That is unless you really like your caulking gun and like the smell of lap sealant. But for real the Eterna Bond tape works.

[paty]

PLEASE check (with whatever RV you buy) with the dealer and insurance carrier what you can and can't do to your roof. You can negate your warranty if you use certain products on your roof. Read the paperwork if your've already purchased an unit or research online. Most rubber roofs are not to be sealed or have a protectant placed on them (by not sealing I mean the entire surface not the seams or around hatches, antennas etc, those you need to keep an eye on and maintain to avoid leakage.) Rubber roofs do have a long life and minimal upkeep is needed. Remember companies put EPDM on their expansive roofs and absolutely NO upkeep for a couple of decades at the very least. We get rather anal when it comes to RV roofs for some reason. Don't let your RV 'own' you, making you a slave to it's upkeep, as many product sellers will tell you you 'have to' use their product. Of course they do, they want the revenue.
As an aside, I agree that 303 is great for protecting plastic, rubber (tires and around windows etc) and decals (if you have them). Great sunscreen..just be aware of the area your RV will 'live' in...if it's places like AZ etc with extreme heat and sun, you will need to reapply more frequently. Great stuff for your vehicle/s too! I didn't put anything on my roof as the manufacturer's paperwork said 'No protectant on the EPDM' as it would affect the warranty, but I hand applied 303 to the gel coat on the sides of my 5'er.