Top Tips For Maintaining Your RV’s Roof

The roof of an RV has quite a job. It must endure harsh sunlight, pelting rain, cold snow and ice, and not to mention traveling 60+ miles an hour down countless freeways across the US. Given all of the torture the roof gets, it isn’t something you want to overlook in your RV maintenance plan. It is always better to prevent a problem before it happens then to learn of it while it’s pouring rain outside. It is important to know what kind of roof you have as well as how to maintain it.

Related Read: RV Roof Maintenance

Types of Roofs

There are three main types of RV roofs. The first I will discuss is rubber. This is the most common RV roofing material. It is one of the cheapest roofing materials. It is also rather light which is great on an RV. It does require some more maintenance than some other materials though. There are two types of rubber RV roofs. One is an EPDM roof which stands for Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer and the other is a TPO roof or Thermal Polyolefin. You will want to look at your manual to see which roof you have.

The second type of RV roof is fiberglass. It is slightly heavier than rubber and costs a bit more. I have noticed this type of roof on a lot of motorhomes. It is a little less labor intensive to maintain than a rubber roof as you will see later. This is the type of roof that I personally have on my rig.

The third type of roof is aluminum. This is much more rare than the two previously mentioned. You find it mostly on aluminum RVs such as Airstreams and some older models of RVs. It doesn’t require all that much maintenance but it does add more weight than fiberglass and rubber.

Keep It Clean

The most common step to maintaining your RV roof is to keep it clean. Finding a place to spray it off every now and again does wonders for the roof of any material. If you want to get it really clean, preferably three times a year, you will want to use a cleaner.

Related Read: Three Ways to Clean your RV’s Exterior

Before any spraying is done, you will want to remove any debris from the roof such as branches or leaves. It is also a good idea to sweep the roof off to remove any loose dirt. Once everything has been removed without water, it's time to spray the roof down. The best place I have found to do this is a self-service truck wash , especially if the place you are staying does not allow you to spray off your RV. Once sprayed down, you can use a car cleaning brush or a mop with the cleaner, much like washing a car.

The cleaner you use will depend on the type of roof. The following is a list of recommended cleaners for each type of roof.

Rubber

EPDM - This type of rubber roof should be cleaned with an EPDM approved cleaner. Any cleaner that is free from petroleum distillates. An example of a "no no" cleaner for an EPDM roof would be mineral spirits. It might work to clean tree sap off your roof but it will also eat through your EPDM rubber. You will want to check that any cleaner you use on an EPDM roof says it is free of petroleum distillates.

TPO - This type of roof is not quite as sensitive as the EPDM material. A mild detergent such as Murphy's Oil Soap or Dawn dish soap should do the trick. Just wash the roof as you would a car. Be very careful as roofs tend to get a little slippery when they are wet.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass can be washed with basically the same cleaners used on a boat or a car. Just like a car, it should be waxed a couple of times a year to prevent oxidation. There are a number of car polishes and waxes on the market. Make sure you get one that acts as a UV protectant. If you wax it yourself, work in small areas at a time and make sure you are careful not to slip as a newly polished and waxed roof can be slicker than a wet one.

Aluminum

With this style of roof, a cleaner like Simple Green can be used to clean it.

Recaulk/Seal

After a while, the sealant around your vents and other rooftop necessities will wear out. It is important to check the caulking or lap sealant for any cracks or wear. If it is minor, you can sometimes get away with cleaning and covering over it with caulking or sealant. If the condition of the caulking is very poor it may be time to strip out the old stuff which can involve a little digging and scraping before resealing those areas.

Here is a good article that talks about one way to repair old roof lap sealant by simply cleaning and reapplying new sealant over the existing one. Keep in mind that you will want to use a different cleaning product than the linked article says to use if you have an EPDM roof as mineral spirits are used.

Related Read: Keeping a Solid Roof over Your Head

Conclusion

Keeping your roof clean and making sure the caulking is in good condition pretty much covers it when it comes to the top maintenance you need to do for your roof. Just these two things should help keep your roof from leaking for many years. These are not the only things you can or will have to do depending on your roof. For example, an EPDM roof may need to be resealed every 3 to 4 years. This I consider beyond the scope of a regular maintenance tip. Dicorproducts.com has several products available when it comes time to do that larger maintenance task.

What type of RV roof do you have and do you have any special tactics that help keep it in tip-top shape? Please share in the comments below.