Stayto

31 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

It might have been somewhat better if it had been under cover  but what you have is pretty normal for an EDPM roof after 20 years. As long as it has not been leaking what you have should not be a problem if you take care of it. As long as you didn't pay too much for it you probably haven't done that badly.

Good to know. Sadly, I overpaid for it as it was during a time a couple years back when inventory was low and everyone was looking to escape their various lockdowns. I got it as an emergency “bug out” vehicle to flee the state where I lived if that became necessary. It did not, but I ended up leaving anyway. I like to think if I can get the roof looking decent, that this will be better suited to be lived in than traveled with, which many folks around here seem to do. Thanks for the help!

3 hours ago, GlennWest said:

What is your rv? Mine is 20 years old also but in great shape.

It is a Gulf Stream Sea Hawk(fifth wheel), but I am it’s 3rd owner. And I did not do my due diligence when purchasing. Also, being fairly  uneducated on storage/protection, I let it sit uncovered for about a year in Colorado at an appreciable altitude of 5400 ft. 

4 hours ago, RV_ said:

Any leaks inside before? Any soft spots when you walk on the roof different than the rest of the roof, if so or it did actually leak inside from the roof before then you may want to replace the whole thing, to remove the "rubber roof" and repair/replace the roof membrane. It needs to be in a place with a roof to protect from rain while that work is done.

I would follow Kirk's advice and use Dicor products because they are one the largest EPDM membrane manufacturers and know what works.

The life of one of these is usually 10-20 years tops.

What damages them the most are cleaners that contain petroleum distillates for cleaning. Even some RV products contain petroleum.

From your picture you are long overdue for a new roof whether over the old with one of the coating products you can apply, or all new.

Safe Travels!

Thank you for this info. No evidence of leaking inside, nor any detectable soft spots in roof. I would replace the roof if I was going to keep it. This fifth wheel is 20 years old and also very heavy. I’m going to sell it before I’m stuck with it. Don’t know how I’ll find a covered place to do the work, but maybe rain will let up by summer.

Thank you for that information. And just to follow up, how much more scrubbing (if any) should I do before applying?

Hi-

my rubber roof is in need of treatment. Based on what I had read, at first I thought that the black would scrub off, but as it turns out, black is the color that is underneath the white coating that is coming off when I scrub. I assume the white is a sealant which needs to be reapplied(see photo). Is this correct? If so, what product should I use? Also, how much scrubbing should I do before applying? I’m asking, because the black rubber just continues to break down under scrubbing/friction and is making quite a mess of the sides of my RV. This is the first RV I’ve owned. Thanks for any help.