Community Forums

lorim · 08-27-2018, 11:01 AM

I have a 1999 Winnebago, the only reference to the roof in the owners manual is that its made of Thermo-Panel materials. When I look at it, it appears to big one big solid piece, pretty smooth to the touch too. The main seems are at the front and back and lots of putty types of seams around roof appliances that need checked and resealed. Is this a rubber roof? It doesn't look like others I see on YouTube videos that have large seams the entire length down both sides too. What do you clean it with and is there anything you put down regularly to seal and protect it? I've Googled this so many times and I just wind up more confused, I don't know what the material even is to begin researching proper care.

FIRE UP · 08-27-2018, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorim

I have a 1999 Winnebago, the only reference to the roof in the owners manual is that its made of Thermo-Panel materials. When I look at it, it appears to big one big solid piece, pretty smooth to the touch too. The main seems are at the front and back and lots of putty types of seams around roof appliances that need checked and resealed. Is this a rubber roof? It doesn't look like others I see on YouTube videos that have large seams the entire length down both sides too. What do you clean it with and is there anything you put down regularly to seal and protect it? I've Googled this so many times and I just wind up more confused, I don't know what the material even is to begin researching proper care.

lorim,
First off, 99.999999% of the Winnebagos made all have a fiberglass roof. They can call it any technical name they want but, it's a fiberglass roof. Fiberglass is fiberglass. Just like on a boat or anything else fiberglass. All it needs is some good cleaning with some soap and water and, then a good coat of car wax. Yep, it's a bit of work but, in the end, your roof will be in great shape. As for the SEAMS, not "SEEMS", the smart and most efficient way of making sure they're in the best shape is to get a heat gun and being a bit careful, heat those SEAMS and carefully scrape off ALL of the existing caulking.

Then, get DICOR, self leveling seam sealant/caulking and, being very generous with it (another words, don't be skimpy) re-apply a very nice bead over the joint. It will self level to a point but, will also seal things up very nicely. Oh, by the way, once all the old sealant/caulking is removed, get some alcohol and rub it/clean it very thoroughly where the new caulking is to go.

Now, also, do the same to each and every one of the roof vents, plumbing vents, antennas, shower skylight etc.

Some go crazy with the eternabond tape in much of what I just described. But, I myself am not a fan of putting tape all over the place. The Dicor product is a well thought of product and the factory uses it on many, many different motorhomes. Good luck.
Scott

lorim · 08-27-2018, 01:09 PM

Thanks Scott.. I thought it was fiberglass but I had somebody tell me over the weekend that it wasn't and they were very insistent. This totally confused me, it feels smooth to me like fiberglass not rubbery or spongy.. sure its 19 years old, dirty and needs washed/waxed but they insisted that it was chalky because it was rubber and needed care asap. Fiberglass can get chalky from the sun too can't it?

DryCreek · 08-27-2018, 04:19 PM

While it is important to take care of any roof penetrations, probably the most important area you should pay close attention to are the side seams where the fiberglass tucks into roof edge "gutter".

Make sure that you use only the correct, approved sealant/adhesive. Regular silicone caulk will not keep the roof edge from popping out and peeling back under heavy crosswinds and passing trucks. To ensure that the sealant/adhesive works properly, you will need to remove the old bead and clean thoroughly with a solvent before applying the new stuff.

Brob · 08-27-2018, 06:03 PM

I am personally not a huge fan of the Dicor sealant as I have scraped off so much of the cracked stuff over the years. I have been using the Sika 505UV with great success for a while now.

FIRE UP · 08-27-2018, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorim

Thanks Scott.. I thought it was fiberglass but I had somebody tell me over the weekend that it wasn't and they were very insistent. This totally confused me, it feels smooth to me like fiberglass not rubbery or spongy.. sure its 19 years old, dirty and needs washed/waxed but they insisted that it was chalky because it was rubber and needed care asap. Fiberglass can get chalky from the sun too can't it?

Lorim,
Yes, fiberglass roofs can, like all things that sit in the sun, get weathered. And, they can do it to the point they get chalky. But, that's gonna take quite a bit of time. Now, here's what I did a few years ago, when we first procured our coach. The roof was in pretty good shape, for not really having any real maintenance done on it from the previous owner(s).

I got up there one day and scrubbed the heck out of it with soap and water and, some cleanser. That took off any and all dirt, debris, bird droppings, bee droppings, sap and anything else that would come off with that kind of cleaning. Then, I had to clean off some globs of Silicone that the bone heads dropped all over the place when installing the King Dome satellite dome. Now, once that was all done, I got out the DeWalt machine buffer with some rubbing compound. That smoothed things out very, very nicely. Once that was done, out came the "Kit" car wax. I did the whole roof.

When done, it was almost as nice as the sides (not quite) of our coach. Below are pics. Yes, it was a great deal of work. Not very many on here will attempt to do the same kind of work. So, that was about 6+ years ago and while it's not nearly as nice as it was, it's still in very nice condition. It gets washed about every other month or so.

As for the "important" parts of sealing and maintaining your roof, well, yes, Winnebago does have a call-out sheet for each individual coach as to what kind of sealant/adhesive etc. is to be used for each given application. As for the use of "Silicone" for specific parts/applications, YES, it is to be used. Take a look at this video from Lichtsinn RV which, is only a couple of blocks from the Winnebago factory. I figure if they're recommending Silicone, AND Winnebago is their primary information, they ought to know what they're talking about.
Scott

https://www.lichtsinn.com/webcast-ar...maintenance-rv

Gary RVRoamer · 08-28-2018, 08:56 AM

If the fiberglass is weathered and chalky, it can be cleaned and painted. Dicor makes an excellent fiberglass roof paint (I've used it on mine), but there are others.

Dicor lap sealant also works fine, but you can use a variety of lap sealants (caulks) on a fiberglass roof - compatibility is not a problem as it is with EPDM roofs. A self-leveling sealer is convenient for flat surfaces, though. For the side seams and around openings, the Sika product or Geocel Proflex work well.

DryCreek · 08-28-2018, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

As for the "important" parts of sealing and maintaining your roof, well, yes, Winnebago does have a call-out sheet for each individual coach as to what kind of sealant/adhesive etc. is to be used for each given application. As for the use of "Silicone" for specific parts/applications, YES, it is to be used. Take a look at this video from Lichtsinn RV which, is only a couple of blocks from the Winnebago factory. I figure if they're recommending Silicone, AND Winnebago is their primary information, they ought to know what they're talking about.
Scott

https://www.lichtsinn.com/webcast-ar...maintenance-rv

Yes. Pay particular attention to where they show the correct product for white roofs, It is Manus Bond 75 - a Urethane based Adhesive Sealant.

Since you mentioned that your roof looked "chalky", I assumed that you had the white roof - not the painted edge roof.

lorim · 08-29-2018, 05:05 AM

Yes the roof is white.. would I be able to use the Eternabond tape with the Manus Bond 75? I'm not positive what direction I want to go with getting the roof cleaned and sealed, I almost think it would be easier if there weren't so many options.

Another question on the caulking, I have to replace the skylight this year. It has a large crack that has leaked inside the MH and has been repaired with what appears to be caulking of some sort. I'm looking at getting one from Eztops which is a Lexan Polycarbonate material, are there caulkings that I should stay away from for the application?

DryCreek · 08-30-2018, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorim

Yes the roof is white.. would I be able to use the Eternabond tape with the Manus Bond 75? I'm not positive what direction I want to go with getting the roof cleaned and sealed, I almost think it would be easier if there weren't so many options.

Another question on the caulking, I have to replace the skylight this year. It has a large crack that has leaked inside the MH and has been repaired with what appears to be caulking of some sort. I'm looking at getting one from Eztops which is a Lexan Polycarbonate material, are there caulkings that I should stay away from for the application?

A good washing with dish soap and a hose has always worked to clean my roof. I use a soft brush on a pole - in fact it's the same one I wash the RV sides with.

If you are replacing a skylight, I'd go with either a self-leveling product such as Dicor's, or EternaBond tape firmly pressed down with a braying wheel (roller).

For the edge seams, just Manus Bond 75 will be good enough for years of service - just inspect it every six months or so and touch up any areas that have lost adhesion.