Roof liquid rubber - Good or no good?

[cbilodeau]

I read about EPDM liquid and the primer on IRV2. I bought my Pace Arrow last year and never did anything for the roof. But the roof has so many large black spots that I decided to do the EPDM liquid.

So I went at my local RV Store Supply. The guy told me I just needed to wash the roof with his expensive product and that is it.

He said that he does not sell EPDM liquid because nobody does it unless they want to sell the RV. He says that paint over rubber just don't work and that after two years it will peel and then it is going to be a mess to clean and do it over.

This is completly different from what I read in the IRV2 threads. But on IRV2, the people who speaks are the one that just did their roof so I don't have their opinion after 2 years.

So here I go: does it work on the long term? How many years did it last for you? Did it peel?

Is it possible this saleman makes more money with cleaning products than with EPDM coating?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[BFlinn181]

I really don't know why the 'guy' would tell you that. My roof is EDPM and was showing the black rubber in many spots. I scrubbed it, then used the proper prep/cleaner and put two coats of EDPM roof coating on it. It's been two years and no peeling. I used Dicor products.

Amazon.com: DICOR CORPORATION RP-CRC RUBBER ROOF ACRYLIC COATING WHT GALLON RP-CRC-1: Automotive

[shiggs68]

I would only use the Dicor products. With that said, your roof should be good for like 7 years with just a good cleaning. And even doing the coating, it must be clean first.

If it is only 2 years old, I would just clean with the Dicor cleaner and use the UV Protectant.

You also need to inspect all the Lap Seal usages. Remove any cracked or dried areas and apply new Self-Leveling Lap Sealant.

Look at the videos on how to properly care for an EDPM Roffee on the Dicor web site.


Sent from my iPad using iRV2 - RV Forum
TravellingRVDoctor, LLC

[cbilodeau]

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

I really don't know why the 'guy' would tell you that. My roof is EDPM and was showing the black rubber in many spots. I scrubbed it, then used the proper prep/cleaner and put two coats of EDPM roof coating on it. It's been two years and no peeling. I used Dicor products.

Amazon.com: DICOR CORPORATION RP-CRC RUBBER ROOF ACRYLIC COATING WHT GALLON RP-CRC-1: Automotive

I will do a good cleaning with the RV cleaning products he sold me. If I still see this black spots and I feel it is the rubber that is showing some wear then I should put two coats of EDPM.

If I can get some more people to tell me if this product resisted for many years it would help me even more in my decisions.

Thank you

[cbilodeau]

Originally Posted by shiggs68

I would only use the Dicor products. With that said, your roof should be good for like 7 years with just a good cleaning. And even doing the coating, it must be clean first.

If it is only 2 years old, I would just clean with the Dicor cleaner and use the UV Protectant.

You also need to inspect all the Lap Seal usages. Remove any cracked or dried areas and apply new Self-Leveling Lap Sealant.

Look at the videos on how to properly care for an EDPM Roffee on the Dicor web site.


Sent from my iPad using iRV2 - RV Forum
TravellingRVDoctor, LLC

It is a Fleetwood Pace Arrow Vision 1999. The roof is EDPM. And I think it is type ALPHA but I am not sure.

Yes I bought everything needed for the lap sealant, the plastic tool to remove some of it.

[BFlinn181]

Besides using the plastic tools, a heat gun will really help loosen the caulk. Acetone is a good solvent to clean up the self-leveling caulk. Just be careful not to tear the rubber sheet. EternaBond makes a very good, wide tape for covering seams or tears in the roof.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Black spots isn't very specific - could be just dirt and black mold, or could be the fabric backing showing through. Dirt can be washed off and must be thoroughly washed off if you want to re-coat. Failure to do so will indeed result in peeling after a short while. I suspect the RV shop guy was just tired of complaints from people who just slopped the liquid on without doing adequate prep work, or failed to use the primer where required.

Your signature shows a 1999 coach, so it's possible the rubber material is worn enough to need a new top coat, but you need to clean it anyway. A strong detergent, bleach and a bristle brush is all that is needed for that - not an expensive "rubber roof cleaner". Once it is clean, inspect the rubber sheet material to see if the woven backing is visible. If not, you are done. If you can see the weave, a coating such as Liquid Roof or Kool-Seal RV is a good move. Fleetwood mostly used EPDM rubber sheeting from Alpha Systems, so you need to use a primer with most brands of liquid coating.

[cbilodeau]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Black spots isn't very specific - could be just dirt and black mold, or could be the fabric backing showing through. Dirt can be washed off and must be thoroughly washed off if you want to re-coat. Failure to do so will indeed result in peeling after a short while. I suspect the RV shop guy was just tired of complaints from people who just slopped the liquid on without doing adequate prep work, or failed to use the primer where required.

Your signature shows a 1999 coach, so it's possible the rubber material is worn enough to need a new top coat, but you need to clean it anyway. A strong detergent, bleach and a bristle brush is all that is needed for that - not an expensive "rubber roof cleaner". Once it is clean, inspect the rubber sheet material to see if the woven backing is visible. If not, you are done. If you can see the weave, a coating such as Liquid Roof or Kool-Seal RV is a good move. Fleetwood mostly used EPDM rubber sheeting from Alpha Systems, so you need to use a primer with most brands of liquid coating.

Thank you for this input. I will do a good cleaning today or tomorrow.

I see that for the coating Dicor have two product. This one has ceramic particules so that the heat is not communicated to the coach interior.
The standard one is this.

I would take the ceramic version. A bit more expensive but useful.

[BFlinn181]

I see you also posted on the General Class A forum for more comments on EDPM roof covering. They have been used for decades on flat roofs around the world, the rubber membrane (EDPM stands for ethylene propylene diene monomer) is also used for pond liners. It serves as a flexible, waterproof liner and durable cover for flat roof construction. On sticks and bricks flat roofs, it is usually covered by gravel stuck to hot asphalt to shield it from ultraviolet rays from the sun. UV will degrade unprotected EDPM over time. On an RV, you can see the disadvantages of using hot tar and rocks to protect the roof. The proper treatment on a mobile roof needs to be a good, stable, relatively light weight coating that protects the rubber membrane, stays flexible, and sheds water. The roof coatings made by Dicor, and other manufacturers, does just that. You can research more sources using Google if you wish.

There alternatives to maintaining your EDPM roof, Plastic replacement roofing can be used. It usually costs at least $4,000 -$8,000 dollars, according to materials, size, complexity of the job. It still requires checking, cleaning and caulking.

Rhino Linings Corporation | Rhino Linings Corporation News - Coatings Company Press

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZLktJ0ZCLs

[cbilodeau]

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

I see you also posted on the General Class A forum for more comments on EDPM roof covering. They have been used for decades on flat roofs around the world, the rubber membrane (EDPM stands for ethylene propylene diene monomer) is also used for pond liners. It serves as a flexible, waterproof liner and durable cover for flat roof construction. On sticks and bricks flat roofs, it is usually covered by gravel stuck to hot asphalt to shield it from ultraviolet rays from the sun. UV will degrade unprotected EDPM over time. On an RV, you can see the disadvantages of using hot tar and rocks to protect the roof. The proper treatment on a mobile roof needs to be a good, stable, relatively light weight coating that protects the rubber membrane, stays flexible, and sheds water. The roof coatings made by Dicor, and other manufacturers, does just that. You can research more sources using Google if you wish.

There alternatives to maintaining your EDPM roof, Plastic replacement roofing can be used. It usually costs at least $4,000 -$8,000 dollars, according to materials, size, complexity of the job. It still requires checking, cleaning and caulking.

Rhino Linings Corporation | Rhino Linings Corporation News - Coatings Company Press

Ok, I just ordered 3 gallons of Dicor EPDM coating with ceramic particules and 3 quarts of Primer on amazon.ca.

Do I need to reseal with tapes all around the acessories like around the AC? My coaking seems perfect, and I have no leaks.

[BFlinn181]

No, you don't have to reseal or re-tape everything, just places that show dried or cracking caulk or bad seams. The coating can't replace bad caulking, it just just helps protect the EDPM membrane.

[cbilodeau]

Here is a picture of my roof. I went up there and I see no real dirt. I will clean it very good but it is going to be easy. The black spots are realy wears. So this saleman just don't know what he is talking about I guess.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Hard to tell in that rather fuzzy photo, but that does look like worn spots rather than dirt.

Remember, a salesman job is sell what he has to offer, not what you need. And few sales people in RV businesses are actually RVers. They may "know" what they hear in the store and what the various product reps tell them, but they rarely know much about actual RVs.

[Peterd503]

I did my 32 foot with epdm liquid rubber roof 4 years ago. I used 4 gallons. It is still in good shape. It also eliminated the chocking issue. Don't paint yourself into a corner. I used scaffolding to do the edges.