Community Forums

Trav1950 · 02-20-2015, 12:36 PM

Does anyone have any experiences or thoughts on what products will protect our coach's Fiberglas (white) roof and prevent it from oxidizing. Spoke with a friend this morning who has a 2013 Tiffin Zephyr and has some white drippings coming of the roof after raining and has been told it's residue mixed with moisture. Both my friend and I spend quite a bit of time around the coasts, in salty and sunny environments which probably lends itself to this condition. I have not had this problem with our coach,yet and would like not to. I use Aero Cosmetic's Wash' N ' Wax on the vertical walls and wash the roof regularly, but haven't gone beyond that. Any thoughts? Doug & Connie Travis 2013 Itasca Ellipse 42QD

Bigdsl · 02-20-2015, 12:46 PM

I clean mine a few times a year with a wash/wax combo (Blue Coral) from wally world. It seems to really help with the white streaks and gives me a reason to inspect the roof and the EternaBond tape.

MSHappyCampers · 02-20-2015, 04:02 PM

I just wash the roof occasionally and when I get the white streaks down the side I just wipe them off with a dry towel, thanks to full-body paint!

jacwjames · 02-20-2015, 05:29 PM

I had just been washing my roof and it seemed to get dirtier and the oxidation continued.

Last year in June I broke down and did a thorough job of washing using a combination of Awesome, Softscrub, and Tide and a small pressure washer to get it really clean and white. I then applied a couple coats of Zep High Traffic Commercial Wax. In October I washed again, which didn't take any effort at all, I then applied 2 more coats of Zep.

The roof still looks great and I don't have any oxidation.

Doggy Daddy · 02-20-2015, 05:45 PM

Check out DIY EPDM roof coating. EPDM Uses and Benefits | EPDM Coatings LLC

Firebug5 · 02-20-2015, 05:46 PM

Last summer I used dawn detergent with hot water in a 5-gallon bucket, some bar-keepers-friend on anything not white (especially black mold spots), with a long-handled scrub brush. Then I rinsed her off and let her dry for a day. Then I put a couple of coats of mop-n-glo floor wax on with a sponge mop. So far, so good. No white streaks anywhere!

I also use 303 Aerospace Protectant on the sides and slides between paste waxing. I may try this on the roof if the mop-n-glo fades.

You are welcome to practice on my moho! It did get really, really slippery, and I tied the hose to the ladder to keep it from sliding around. Be safe up there!

Bruce

keymastr · 02-20-2015, 05:55 PM

I have cared for a lot of fiberglass since I have owned many boats and there is no real easy way to prevent oxidation other than to keep it waxed. Polishing it smoothe so it shines and then keeping it protected with wax is the only way to keep the pores closed. If you use a detergent that strips the wax like dish soap then it will not take very long for the glass to oxidize. The wax fills microscopic holes or "pores" in the glass and once the wax is stripped then the elements can penetrate the glass from the inside.

Some will recommend Zep floor wax but that stuff is a real bear to remove once it starts to peel and chip off, and it always does eventually. You may get 2 - 3 years before it does. If it was my new coach I would pay for a clear coat paint to be applied which should give a decade of good service with nearly no maintenance. Same is true for the sides. Paint, even if just clear coat, is far more durable than gel coat. Boats have gel coat because it is much more forgiving to touch up dock rash than paint. Usually just requiring sand paper and polish verses re-painting sections and trying to blend them.

RVs use gel coat instead of paint simply because it is cheap and also easy to remove any scuff marks made during final assembly.

Do not use wax with carnauba on white gel coat or it will turn it yellow and usually is permanent.

336muffin · 02-20-2015, 06:05 PM

Zep high traffic floor wax. We scrub the roof with brush and water,dry, mop on 4 coats, totL time 3hrs start to finish all while standing. Lasts 2 years, cost $14.95 a gallon. Use 1/2 gallon on 43ft =4 coats.

Medico · 02-21-2015, 06:23 AM

Welcome, glad to meet you!

Thornhammer · 02-21-2015, 08:28 AM

Doug & Connie

we are glad yall joined us

dons2346 · 02-21-2015, 08:22 PM

The best stuff on the market. Insulating roof paint for buses, recreational vehicles

Gary RVRoamer · 02-22-2015, 03:40 PM

At first just washing ours was sufficient, but that got frequent so I started using Mop & Glo floor wax and that helped. When the white streaking again became frequent, I decided to solve the problem more or less permanently by painting the roof. I used Dicor's Fiberglass Roof Coat and it did a terrific job. Haven't had a drip of white in near two years now.

The roof coat is just a paint, so putting it on is easy enough. It's the prep work that takes time. Dicor outlines a laborious process for prepping but my roof was in excellent shape except for the chalking so I used my own simpler method.
1.Scrub roof thoroughly with brush, detergent & bleach to remove as much dirt & chalk as possible.
2.Mask off the edges and anything else you don't want painted. Remove a/c covers and other easily removable gear
3.Wipe well with a liquid sandpaper product to soften the surface to accept the paint
4.Paint (two coats) per the directions on the can
5.Reinstall gear and remove masking

waroland · 02-22-2015, 06:13 PM

I just last month finished washing and applying Zep high traffic floor wax, I did 3 coats. My coach has the bubble cap on the front and it shines beautiful. I am parked under some Live Oaks here in Leesburg, FL area and usually I have to blow the roof off several times by now. I haven't had to do this once in almost two months. The leaves just blow off and the whole roof shines like a new penny. I usually have white streaks on the windshield after a rain but now it looks like I just cleaned it.