Is this a sign my roof membrane is failing?

Mike2338 · April 15, 2017

I was up on the roof today doing an inspection and noticed what appears to be areas where the white outter layer is wearing off and a lower layer with beige/tan is showing. The area is behind one of the air conditioners. If this is wear how much time do I have left with the roofing? Unit just turned 5.

I am trying to figure out how to post pics.

M

On edit...I need to figure out how to reduce file size for the pics.

Itinerant1 · April 15, 2017

There are free "Picture resizer" just google. They can do singles or batch pictures and make them smaller in size.

LindaH · April 15, 2017

48 minutes ago, Mike2338 said:

On edit...I need to figure out how to reduce file size for the pics.

On Windows, I open up the picture with Paint and then I can resize the picture. If you're using a Mac, I have no idea.

Mike2338 · April 15, 2017

Here is one that is closer detail.

bigjim · April 16, 2017

I would say no. Stains don't necessarily relate to serious degradation. Do look a couple of times a year and I wouldn't start worrying until it approaches 12 years. Mine was god for 15 before I did a treatment. If I had it to do over I would do a treatment sooner. I could not do it myself then and I an not real satisfied with mine. It should have been good for at least 5 more years but I have had some issues and I found out a year later that he didn't use what I thought I understood he was using. He used a product called Hengs. So when your time comes make sure who you are dealing with.

Kirk W · April 16, 2017

I too think that looks like some type of stains. Have you tried cleaning the roof? They typically last far longer than 5 years.

Ray,IN · April 16, 2017

I suspect a type of mold. Next time you wash the roof, add a few oz bleach to your 5G bucket of Spic N Span wash water and use a soft brush(I use and old MH washing brush with a 5' handle), allow the soapy water to sit a few minutes before rinsing thoroughly.

Pat & Pete · April 16, 2017

I'd try Ray's bleach approach first , but those brown spots could easily be leaf stain . Those stains may never come out , once they are 'cured' into the material .

I've never tried it , but , I wonder how Oxiclean would work on something like that .

edatlanta · April 18, 2017

My 5 year old roof looked very similar to your picture when I found out it was leaking water through the membrane. My picture shows more cracking than yours however. While it is said rubber roofs "should" last a long time, not all of them do and the roof warranty's are not worth the ink it takes to print the warranty. Here is a picture of my 5 year old rubber roof which was cleaned per the manufacturer's recommendations every six months. My dealer's service manager did it each time since I have vertigo and will not get up on a roof.

Be very aware of any leaking through the membrane. I caught mine before any serious damage was done. This picture is in the area where the condensation drains away from my front a/c. The same was happening to the roof by the rear air but appeared much worse. It just wasn't leaking "yet".

Kirk W · April 18, 2017

1 hour ago, edatlanta said:

My 5 year old roof looked very similar to your picture when I found out it was leaking water through the membrane.....................................

~ ~ ~ My dealer's service manager did it each time since I have vertigo and will not get up on a roof.

1

I do not get this, as no EDPM roof should be leaking through the membrane in 5 years. Did you get any warranty credit at all, and who was the membrane manufacturer? What cleaning product did your dealer use to clean the roof? What did Jayco have to say about the problem?

RBH · April 19, 2017

I'm with Kirk on this one. I would be very suspicious about the "cleaning" the dealer did. SOMETHING isn't right here.

rpsinc · April 19, 2017

While the suggestions of cleaning the EPDM roof are right on, it is good to add some conditioner or treatment to it after the cleaning process is done and the roof has dried. While there are products out there that target that task specifically, I have had good success with 303 Protectant. Good for other things too.

coachmac9 · April 19, 2017

I would agree about the EDPM lasting longer than 5 years...we re-did ours last summer and it had lasted 15 years.

Mike2338 · April 19, 2017

In follow up...my pictures were from just after washing.

I took the advice and went back up with some bleach based clearner. No change. The membrane does not feel rough and I must say it does not look like stain. It almost looks translucent.

Is the membrane white all the way through or does it change?

Thanks for the input.

m

edatlanta · April 19, 2017

On 4/18/2017 at 8:05 AM, Kirk Wood said:

I do not get this, as no EDPM roof should be leaking through the membrane in 5 years. Did you get any warranty credit at all, and who was the membrane manufacturer? What cleaning product did your dealer use to clean the roof? What did Jayco have to say about the problem?

It was definitely leaking through the membrane. I still have a piece of two laying around I think.

The manufacturer was Alpha Systems and their total warranty was $225.00 and that was only if I used their replacement material. Fat chance of that.

The only thing that was ever used on the roof was a little bleach with for some stains and Dawn and a soft brush.

Jayco said it was out of warranty.

I replaced it with RV Flex Armor which turned out to be just about the same price as a new rubber roof. I don't worry about leaks anymore since I have zero rubber on the roof and zero caulking to fail.

I agree it should not have failed, but it did and the manufacturer's 12 year warranty wasn't worth the ink it took to print it.

I will NEVER own another rubber roof longer than it takes to have it sprayed by RV Flex Armor.

Ray,IN · April 21, 2017

On 4/19/2017 at 5:20 PM, Mike2338 said:

In follow up...my pictures were from just after washing.

I took the advice and went back up with some bleach based clearner. No change. The membrane does not feel rough and I must say it does not look like stain. It almost looks translucent.

Is the membrane white all the way through or does it change?

Thanks for the input.

m

All EPDM membranes for RV roofs I have seen are black with a white coating. Industrial EPDM roof membranes I have seen are just black.

You might email pictures to your roof membrane mfgr and see what they have to say, that is not normal IMO.

Mike2338 · April 22, 2017

Update...

I spoke with the RV Manufacturer (DRV) and sent photos. They have not seen this before. The tan areas are not holes. I can still press my nail in and feel the cushion.

I am waiting for a call back.

The membrane manufacturer is Dicor.

I am adding another photo to show scale.

Kirk W · April 22, 2017

5 hours ago, Mike2338 said:

The membrane manufacturer is Dicor.

I believe that they still have a 10-year warranty. Let us know what they respond if you will.

Shadow Catcher · April 23, 2017

There are various thicknesses 45 to 90 mil of EPDM roofing and in both black and white. If and when you decide to re-roof you might want to consider going with an industrial/commercial supplier.

Mike2338 · May 3, 2017

Update...

I sent pictures to DRV and Dicor. Neither could say with any confidence what was causing the marks. Both did say they thought the marks are stains. Either atmospheric or possibly staining from below caused by the adhesive.

Neither thought the marks were an indication of the membrane failing. They of course said the membrane should be checked regularly. My confidence is not high in their responses. All I can do is continue to monitor.

Dicor did forward me their cleaning procedure to remove mold. I have attached it for your reference.

Thanks for your replies.

m

CLEANING DICOR.doc

Pat & Pete · May 3, 2017

To be honest , I think the 'spots' look identical to the leftovers of what seems to be mildew or maybe a mold that has plagued our bump strip / screw covers . We've tried literally everything we could think of , over the years , and a lot of what others have suggested to remove/clean the covers , only to be left with brownish spotty 'stains' . They don't / won't come clean .

Seemingly , the integrity of the cover material has not been bothered by all the different agents we've tried . Must be some pretty good material , as I was very aggressive with some pretty serious agents .