Major Roof Deterioration After 5 Years - Page 3

VicS1950 · 12-27-2015, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spoon059

...

I will never understand the desire people have to either polish the inside of their waste tanks or the roof of their RV's. EPDM roofing has been around for at least 50 years in commercial applications and it never gets treated and it lasts.

...

I agree.

In post #4 I mentioned the (what I consider) excessive roof treatment schedule included in the original post.

The cleaning and application of a product 2 times per year could be a contributor to premature material failure. To mention it as a possible cause is not a personal attack. There have been many times in my career where my comments/findings related to failure analysis have not been appreciated. To ignore possible causes may send a roof owner down a road of repeat failure regardless of material brand/type.

FWIW.

vic

Corky506 · 12-30-2015, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edatlanta

Do you know the brand of roof material you have?

I'm doing the same thing you are. I patched my bad spots and will be replacing with rv flex armor as soon as they can get to it after the first of the year. I'm sorry my problem was not caused by a storm so I could claim insurance. The only coverage I get is a ridiculous offer from Alpha Systems as payment for their roof membrane failure after 5 year into a 12 year warranty (warranty haha).

not sure of brand I think it is Alpha It is way to noisy when it rains to be Dicor. The noiest roof we have ever had

Corky506 · 12-30-2015, 03:43 PM

[QUOTE=Corky506;364901]Not sure of brand I think it is Alpha It is way to noisy when it rains to be Dicor as on my past units. The noiest roof we have ever had Insurance adjuster came and roof will be paied by them. Now the wait for RV Armor /QUOTE]

edatlanta · 12-31-2015, 06:12 AM

My rubber roof issue will be taken care of starting 5-6-2016. I'm having RV Flex Armor installed in Madison, MS. This is sort of a Christmas present to me, but being paid by me. Since I full time the peace of mind is worth it. The install takes 2.5 days.

With all of the rain we have had in the past couple of weeks I sure am looking forward to any reduction in noise from rain on the roof as well. Any reduction will be appreciated however major or minor. Even if no sound reduction the fact that the rubber roof is gone will be good enough for me.

I will never own another RV with a rubber roof. If I buy a new one I will do exactly what I saw two days ago while visiting he RV Flex Armor facility in Madison, MS. I saw a brand new Montana 5th wheel having the rubber roof replaced. I should have done this myself years ago. I was told this happens a lot and I certainly understand why.

**norty1** · 12-31-2015, 06:47 AM

Will be interested in your experience. If I ever have to replace mine, this product will be the top contender.

TCNashville · 12-31-2015, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edatlanta

My rubber roof issue will be taken care of starting 5-6-2016. I'm having RV Flex Armor installed in Madison, MS.

Ed, would you mind posting the approximate cost of this and do they remove the old roof, or just apply the product directly over the old roof. Thanks.

edatlanta · 12-31-2015, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCNASHVILLE

Ed, would you mind posting the approximate cost of this and do they remove the old roof, or just apply the product directly over the old roof. Thanks.

They remove any of the old roof that has deteriorated or needs removal to repair a "wet spot". They spray over the rest. I'm having my crank up TV antenna replaced with a non-crank up omnidirectional Winegard antenna so they will remove the old roof around the old antenna mount area. I never ever use this antenna and it has leaked through it a couple of times in the past 5 years, so it is going away. They replace vent covers as well as a/c gaskets. Their charge is $160.00/linear foot of roof, but this price increases tomorrow to $170.00. I got in just under the wire with the old price even though the work won't be done under this next week.

spoon059 · 12-31-2015, 02:39 PM

That's expensive for a 30' trailer, but it sure seems like a great product. Let us know how you like it.

edatlanta · 12-31-2015, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spoon059

That's expensive for a 30' trailer, but it sure seems like a great product. Let us know how you like it.

Much cheaper than a new trailer. And cheaper than a new rubber roof.

edatlanta · 01-05-2016, 04:59 PM

Left my Designer at the facility to start the RV Flex Armor install. Tomorrow morning they start and tonight it will be stored inside.

Cdash · 01-05-2016, 07:03 PM

Hope all goes well and you get a good product and a relief from worrying about leaks!

BigJohnD · 01-05-2016, 07:33 PM

Man, they have went up in price for sure. The quote to do our 40' fiver in 2014 was $5700 plus tax. That was quoted by Jennifer Adair at the main place in Green Cove Springs Florida. Slide roofs were $15 per square foot. So, I guess a 40' fiver now would be $6800. $1000 more than just a little over a year ago, but still cheaper than a rubber roof. Hope to see your results soon.

edatlanta · 01-06-2016, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigJohnD

Man, they have went up in price for sure. The quote to do our 40' fiver in 2014 was $5700 plus tax. That was quoted by Jennifer Adair at the main place in Green Cove Springs Florida. Slide roofs were $15 per square foot. So, I guess a 40' fiver now would be $6800. $1000 more than just a little over a year ago, but still cheaper than a rubber roof. Hope to see your results soon.

I'm ready to see the results too vs sitting in this motel room for the next two days. I am going to drop by after lunch and see what they have found so far after they start work on the roof this morning. Preliminary look/see is that the roof looks a lot better than some Alpha Systems roofs they have seen at the same age, but still not good. As I previously reported I have worked hard to keep this roof clean and carefully watched all caulk since new. It is just a loosing battle with rubber roofs. I suppose for part time use and for a unit that is kept under cover most of it's life then rubber makes sense, but for full time use it is useless in my opinion. The rubber roof product might have been pretty good years ago, but after looking at the membranes that are being used today - Nothing But Junk IMHO. Cost reduced to the point of BAD NEWS.

Off of Soap Box Now.

SkyBound · 01-06-2016, 07:03 AM

I feel your pain with your roof troubles. Really sucks for that to happen, and I hope it gets resolved. I know you're frustrated by it, but it looks like the end is in sight.

I'm starting to think that there is a fine balance to be found in rubber roof care. They need to be clean and inspected periodically, sure, but I find it funny that those owners who don't care as much about their rigs as the members on this board do are the ones that don't really have any major problems. Any one else catch my drift here? It's like we care so much that we do too much. Rubber conditioners and specialized cleaners and UV protectants, etc... kind of thinking not really necessary with the modern rubber roof. I'm not saying this unfortunate situation (original post) was the direct fault of something you did, don't get me wrong. What I'm saying is that the modern rubber roof can be a durable, long-lasting component of a trailer if it's taken care of properly, which other than inspecting and cleaning once or twice a year with mild soap, is all it needs.

mohok1 · 01-06-2016, 05:59 PM

edatlanta, I'm confused as to where the working is being done? I hope you do post end result pictures and your thoughts and recommendations.

edatlanta · 01-06-2016, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohok1

edatlanta, I'm confused as to where the working is being done? I hope you do post end result pictures and your thoughts and recommendations.

RV Flex Armor is headquartered in Green Cove Springs, FL (rvroof.com). They have two other locations that are authorized applicators in Florida, one in Madison, MS (where I am now), and one in Mesa, AZ. The one in MS is much closer to my home base.

edatlanta · 01-06-2016, 06:22 PM

I dropped my 5'er off late yesterday and work started today. I was only concerned about 1 spot for a potential leak directly in front of the front a/c. As you can see from the first picture it might have been one spot that ran under the membrane or it could be more than one. Who knows. At least it is gone now. There is similar issues between the kitchen roof vent and the front a/c. So all decking is being covered with new (it is bonded on mine and can't be removed) from front to rear and then the RV Flex Armor will be sprayed on. The second picture is the front section they were working on a little while ago.

As a side note, the original decking had a little valley on the port (left) side parallel to and just inside the outer edge. At least that will be gone now also. Also note in the second picture the mount for the replacement broadcast TV antenna. The crank up one is gone.

More pictures will follow tomorrow.

edatlanta · 01-06-2016, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdash

Hope all goes well and you get a good product and a relief from worrying about leaks!

Thank you.

**Crabman** · 01-06-2016, 07:09 PM

It does appear from those dark spots there was a leak. So do they put down all new plywood or just replacing the bad spot?

edatlanta · 01-06-2016, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crabman

It does appear from those dark spots there was a leak. So do they put down all new plywood or just replacing the bad spot?

The decking is actual luan (or however you spell it) and is bonded to the top of the roof so it can't be removed without damaging the insulation. But what you see in that first picture exists in several areas so to keep the roof smooth, they will be overlaying all of it front to rear just like you see in the second picture. The roof is perfectly dry at the moment and all of their work is done inside so I'm not worried about overlaying a damp spot. This will give me a slightly thicker roof plus the RV Flex Armor on top of that which is 1/4" thick. I should notice a lot less rain noise inside.

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