# Roof maintenance



## zrxfishing

A little off subject and I'm not trying to hi jack your post. I called Keystone yesterday and aked them 2 questions. 1 What products to you recomend for cleaning and sealing the rubber roof and to prevent staining. Their reply was that it is not recommended or neccesary to clean or seal the roof and that if I still insisted on doing so to decide on a product on my own. 2 What type and manufacturer of a cover is recomended. I was told not to cover it. So basically don't maintain my roof and don't cover the camper and I'll have no problems????? I like my current outback that is being traded in on a new 312BH, but I'm definitely am not impressed with Keystone customer service.


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## CamperAndy

I am moved your post to its own topic.


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## Chasn'Racin

zrxfishing said:


> A little off subject and I'm not trying to hi jack your post. I called Keystone yesterday and aked them 2 questions. 1 What products to you recomend for cleaning and sealing the rubber roof and to prevent staining. Their reply was that it is not recommended or neccesary to clean or seal the roof and that if I still insisted on doing so to decide on a product on my own. 2 What type and manufacturer of a cover is recomended. I was told not to cover it. So basically don't maintain my roof and don't cover the camper and I'll have no problems????? I like my current outback that is being traded in on a new 312BH, but I'm definitely am not impressed with Keystone customer service.


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## CdnOutback

The place that maintains my trailer told me to never cover the unit and I get them to check all the seams and joints every spring and he fixes any that need fixing. He said the condensation under the cover will cause problems.


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## raynardo

Opinions are like buttholes....everyone has one....here's mine - don't use a cover.

I've never used a cover in over five years and the OB still looks good. It sits outside all the time, and since I don't live in the winterzone I never have to winterize it, I just use it.









Covers are expensive, don't last over five years, and are a real pain in the butt to put on and remove. And then there's the condensation issue. Who needs all those headaches?

As for roof treatments, I'm also not a big fan of those, but I hedged my bets just before I headed out on our seven week journey this year and had my local RV joint give it the once over. I like this outfit, because by nature they're extremely conservative and tell me things like, "You don't need it."

Since I'm guessing my 26RKS will be the last trailer I ever own, I'll do what it takes to keep it up to snuff, but I won't waste money on it for things that don't make sense.


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## ED_RN

Heard of lots of issues with cover moving in the wind and cuasing damge to finish on trailer, but it is your choice. Keystone doesn't warranty the roof material the roof manufacturer does. They probably don't want to suggest something because if hurts the roof you are going to go after them.


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## KTMRacer

Dicor makes the roof material and they have a cleaner for it as well as a protectorant. My dealer says just to wash the roof with whatever you use to wash the trailer with, e.g. mild detergent/car wash soap and use a soft brush or mop. They say dirt etc. doesn't really hurt the roof and gutters, but cleaning the roof and gutters will help minimize black streaks, which does make sense to me. I wash mine a few times/year and inspect the seams and sealant very closely.


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## CamperAndy

KTMRacer said:


> Dicor makes the roof material and they have a cleaner for it as well as a protectorant. My dealer says just to wash the roof with whatever you use to wash the trailer with, e.g. mild detergent/car wash soap and use a soft brush or mop. They say dirt etc. doesn't really hurt the roof and gutters, but cleaning the roof and gutters will help minimize black streaks, which does make sense to me. I wash mine a few times/year and inspect the seams and sealant very closely.


X2


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## Joonbee

CamperAndy said:


> Dicor makes the roof material and they have a cleaner for it as well as a protectorant. My dealer says just to wash the roof with whatever you use to wash the trailer with, e.g. mild detergent/car wash soap and use a soft brush or mop. They say dirt etc. doesn't really hurt the roof and gutters, but cleaning the roof and gutters will help minimize black streaks, which does make sense to me. I wash mine a few times/year and inspect the seams and sealant very closely.


X2
[/quote]

X3 and have had great results. You can tell when you clean it you are getting the dirt off and when you can tell when you are sealing it that you ARE providing a barrier of protection.

Jim


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## zrxfishing

My neighbors trees make a mess of my camper. I always covered my old camper in the winter and never had an issue. I was thinking about always keeping the new one covered just to keep it clean. I would love to get a car port for it but can't afford that option.


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## Scoutr2

There was just an article about this subject in the latest "Highways" magazine, from the Good Sam Club. The newer ADCO covers are made from the same material as the Tyvek house wrap, which prevents water and wind from penetrating from the outside in, but allows moisture and condensation out. So these covers will not trap moisture inside and can help keep the sun's UV rays (which have cooked my decals) off the trailer, as well as tree sap, dirt, and other contaminants in the air. Since the rain never hits the roof, the covers cut down on the black streaks, as well.

Now then - the wind causing the cover to flap around may cause some abrasion to the fiberglass shine in some places, but I don't know that to be a fact. Perhaps someone has experience with these covers. I wish I had covered mine over the years, because the roof is badly stained (even when I clean it), fiberglass and decal colors have faded, and the decals have shrunk, wrinkled, and cracked on the front and the driver's side (which faces the sun in my storage spot). I believe that if I had covered it these last five seasons, it would look nearly new.

Just my opinion, but I have no experience to back this up. Good Sam's advice was to use the covers, to lengthen the "new look" life of your trailer (although, the Highway's magazine and Good Sam are owned by Camping World, which sells the covers. Go figure!)

Mike


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## Tyvekcat

Scoutr2 said:


> There was just an article about this subject in the latest "Highways" magazine, from the Good Sam Club. The newer ADCO covers are made from the same material as the Tyvek house wrap, which prevents water and wind from penetrating from the outside in, but allows moisture and condensation out. So these covers will not trap moisture inside and can help keep the sun's UV rays (which have cooked my decals) off the trailer, as well as tree sap, dirt, and other contaminants in the air. Since the rain never hits the roof, the covers cut down on the black streaks, as well.
> 
> Now then - the wind causing the cover to flap around may cause some abrasion to the fiberglass shine in some places, but I don't know that to be a fact. Perhaps someone has experience with these covers. I wish I had covered mine over the years, because the roof is badly stained (even when I clean it), fiberglass and decal colors have faded, and the decals have shrunk, wrinkled, and cracked on the front and the driver's side (which faces the sun in my storage spot). I believe that if I had covered it these last five seasons, it would look nearly new.
> 
> Just my opinion, but I have no experience to back this up. Good Sam's advice was to use the covers, to lengthen the "new look" life of your trailer (although, the Highway's magazine and Good Sam are owned by Camping World, which sells the covers. Go figure!)
> 
> Mike


Yes, what Mike said. I have to clean the air conditioner cover, a lot! It likes to change colors if you don't keep it clean. The decals came off the max vent cover, I have added new ones, one set didn't even say Max vent, like Dura-cloud or something, LOL.
The decals on the sides are peeling at the edges. I use that Gel-Coat for cleaning the sides and getting the streaks off. Its good but time consuming. Shines it up good, even the side that gets the sun. It brings the light green back to respectability, but doesn't last.
I repainted the "Outback" logo on front when those decal letters went south. Paint seems to stick to the Filon. 
Thought about letting my nieces, design and paint the sides. They like dragonflies, ponies, cats, so who knows what it may look like : )


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## Tangooutback

I used the Dicor roof conditioner once and it neither help nor harm anything other than put a little dent to my pocket book.

I now only wash it off with water and dish soap basically to minimize the black stain running down the front and back. When it comes to roof I miss my Coleman popup with aluminum roof. I wonder why these more expensive trailers are built with the funky rubber roof.


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## jimc

Scoutr2 said:


> There was just an article about this subject in the latest "Highways" magazine, from the Good Sam Club. The newer ADCO covers are made from the same material as the Tyvek house wrap, which prevents water and wind from penetrating from the outside in, but allows moisture and condensation out. So these covers will not trap moisture inside and can help keep the sun's UV rays (which have cooked my decals) off the trailer, as well as tree sap, dirt, and other contaminants in the air. Since the rain never hits the roof, the covers cut down on the black streaks, as well.
> 
> Now then - the wind causing the cover to flap around may cause some abrasion to the fiberglass shine in some places, but I don't know that to be a fact. Perhaps someone has experience with these covers. I wish I had covered mine over the years, because the roof is badly stained (even when I clean it), fiberglass and decal colors have faded, and the decals have shrunk, wrinkled, and cracked on the front and the driver's side (which faces the sun in my storage spot). I believe that if I had covered it these last five seasons, it would look nearly new.
> 
> Just my opinion, but I have no experience to back this up. Good Sam's advice was to use the covers, to lengthen the "new look" life of your trailer (although, the Highway's magazine and Good Sam are owned by Camping World, which sells the covers. Go figure!)
> 
> Mike


I have used the ADCO covers on my last two trailers and have not had any condensation problems. That said, we do leave the roof vents cracked all the time. With the MaxAir covers we've had no issues. We live in south eat Wisconsin and Have always just felt better covering our trailers. Haven't noticed any abrasions etc. from the cover blowing.


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## Txcamper

I use Dicor on every year on the seams and small cracks that develop around the top ac unit, moon roof, antenna area etc. It worked well and is easy to apply.


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## Bill & Kate

We just traded out 2005 Jayco JayFeather for an 277LR, and always kept a cover on the Jayco. The fiberglass and decals still look new. We started off with a cheap generic cover, and it only lasted three years, so we replaced it with a CalMark custom cover which fits like a glove, and after three years, still is in great shape. Since we tend to use the trailer for longer trips a couple or four times a year, putting it on and off isn't much trouble.

It only takes the two of us about 20 minutes to put it on, and I can get it off, rolled up, and stored all by myself in about 15 minutes. It sure is nice to uncover it for a trip and have it all shiny and clean. Also don't have to work about the sun cooking the caulking, or flying vermin building nests.

We will be ordering up a new CalMark once we get the new trailer home and can take the measurements.


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## hoodscoop

ED_RN said:


> Heard of lots of issues with cover moving in the wind and cuasing damge to finish on trailer, but it is your choice. Keystone doesn't warranty the roof material the roof manufacturer does. They probably don't want to suggest something because if hurts the roof you are going to go after them.


Here on the Eastcoast I see a lot of RV's with covers, so I bought one......what a pain to install and remove. Still having problems getting it in the bag that came with it. As far as blowing in the wind, it sure did that. Did not effect the RV but tore the cover. Now I have an expensive, torn cover that will not fit in the bag! Might not make it back on next winter.


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## Stance

Scoutr2 said:


> There was just an article about this subject in the latest "Highways" magazine, from the Good Sam Club. The newer ADCO covers are made from the same material as the Tyvek house wrap, which prevents water and wind from penetrating from the outside in, but allows moisture and condensation out. So these covers will not trap moisture inside and can help keep the sun's UV rays (which have cooked my decals) off the trailer, as well as tree sap, dirt, and other contaminants in the air. Since the rain never hits the roof, the covers cut down on the black streaks, as well.
> 
> Now then - the wind causing the cover to flap around may cause some abrasion to the fiberglass shine in some places, but I don't know that to be a fact. Perhaps someone has experience with these covers. I wish I had covered mine over the years, because the roof is badly stained (even when I clean it), fiberglass and decal colors have faded, and the decals have shrunk, wrinkled, and cracked on the front and the driver's side (which faces the sun in my storage spot). I believe that if I had covered it these last five seasons, it would look nearly new.
> 
> Just my opinion, but I have no experience to back this up. Good Sam's advice was to use the covers, to lengthen the "new look" life of your trailer (although, the Highway's magazine and Good Sam are owned by Camping World, which sells the covers. Go figure!)
> 
> Mike


I think they are just trying to get people to buy covers (namely from CW). That's just my opinion.


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## KTMRacer

I cover ours with an addco designer cover (the one with tyvek top, polypro sides). You can definitely tell which trailers in our community RV lot get covered. They are the ones w/o yellowing plastic, nice decals, no pealing/fading, minimal or no black streaks, shiny sidewalls. Now we get lots of rain, not much wind.

I store my cover in a 50 gallon plastic garbage can, last in/first out way. That way it is easy to install, just pull from the can onto the roof, walk to the front of the roof and drape it over. I can install/remove it myself in less than 30 minutes. Ours is 2 years old and holding up well. We cover it summer or winter, anytime it will be sitting for more than 2-3 weeks between uses. I use the storage bag over the propane tanks, the ladder cover over the electric tongue jack.

Now if we lived in a place with lots of wind especially if it was sandy, not sure I'd use a cover. And I learned, don't try to install or remove in even a slight breeze!! can you think parachute??

And the cover defnitely helps keep down inside temps in the summer. The tyvek reflects the sun, so the roof stays much cooler, and the side covers keep the sides cool as well.


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