We just purchased a 2011 Holiday Rambler 32RLS. According to the build date, it is 2 years, 3 months old right now.
First question involves the EPDM rubber roof.
I just thoroughly cleaned the roof and I noticed what appears to be small black dots all over the entire roof. It appears to be the bottom black layer of the membrane but I am not entirely sure. It is not mildew.
Here's a picture of what I'm talking about
:
Here's what the whole thing looks like:
Should I be concerned about the black dots all over the entire roof?
Should I consider coating the EPDM rubber with some kind of roof coating like "liquid roof" or "liquid rubber" to extend it's life? I am constantly battling the black streaks and white chalk down the sides. I assume a fresh roof coat will stop both those problems right?
My second question involves the Battery:
I just replaced the RV/Marine battery last week to the tune of $120
because it would go dead in 20 min's when not plugged into shore power.
I don't want to do that again for a while and Looking through the TT paperwork I found the battery was already replaced once before. The TT is only 2 years old so I want to figure out how I can prolong the battery life so I'm not replacing a battery every year.
First thing I have noticed is that the house charger constantly charges the battery at 13.8v... It never goes into any kind of trickle mode or anything like that. It's Full charge all the time or nothing. Is this normal?
I briefly spoke with a guy in service at Camping World and he says there is something wrong, it should shut off when the battery is full. (By the way, They have found something wrong with everything on my TT so far.) I don't trust them at this point.
I installed a battery "cut off" right at the battery so I can disconnect it from being charged 24/7 but that is only my temporary fix. I want a more permanent solution. I am considering purchasing a "Battery Buddy" computerized charger which charges at 4 or 5 different rates determined by battery condition and charge.... I'm thinking this may prolong the battery life.
I also changed all interior bulbs to LED's to reduce the load on the battery at night when we're not on Shore power.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Sorry for being so long winded but I just want to make sure I do everything right here.... We just sold our 1993 Class "A" M/H for $11,000 It was in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition all due to my obsessive maintenance regiment and my constant attention to the details. I want to continue this with our new TT with hopes it lasts us for many many years.
Thank you.