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Old 12-19-2015, 04:15 AM   #21
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I will definitely keep this forum informed of my progress to get rid of the bad rubber roof.

The bottom line is I have totally lost faith in ANY rubber roof, but especially any material manufactured by Alpha Systems. They no longer make the EPDM membrane material that has failed on my Designer. I can't help but believe there is a reason for this. Do you think their current offering is any better? I'm betting even cheaper.

And anyone that believes the rubber roof manufacturers "12 year warranty" is dreaming. An offer of $227.00 as total compensation by Alpha Systems for a 12 year warranty rubber roof that failed in it's 5th year? I'm thinking it will be worth it to write them a "stick it" letter. They want a 12"x12" section of the bad roof membrane. I wonder if they will still want it if they knew it has been coated with Dicor 2 step repair product to keep it from destroying my interior while I wait for the replacement to be applied?

I am now half way through my first cup and just stepped down off of my soap box. I wish all here a Merry Christmas and I'm outta here mid-morning for Ft. Wilderness and a week with my grandchildren and Mickey. Since it is 34 degrees right now at this RV park in south Georgia, I'm ready for some warmer weather.
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Old 12-19-2015, 07:12 AM   #22
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They could be getting the new roof material from the same nice folks that supply the TowMax tires.
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Old 12-20-2015, 05:08 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by norty1 View Post
They could be getting the new roof material from the same nice folks that supply the TowMax tires.
I never thought of that. Great thought.
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Old 12-20-2015, 08:04 AM   #24
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...

The bottom line is I have totally lost faith in ANY rubber roof, but especially any material manufactured by Alpha Systems. ...
I can understand why you feel that way. I believe you are correct to point to a specific product line though.

EPDM roof membranes are known for long life. Many buildings are protected by them without any problems except at joints and penetrations. The EPDM membrane materials rarely fail.

I have learned that RV roof EPDM membranes are generally lighter gauge material as compared to commercial roof membranes. Whether that selection is based upon weight and fuel efficiency, or cost is up to you to decide. I know what my thought is.

Recently I was talking to an RV tech who replaces roofs. He mentioned that he always buys commercial grade EPDM membrane material. He won't replace with RV grade. Commercial product definitely will add some weight, but negligible in my opinion.

That said, my 2001 EPDM membrane is still in good condition. All my leak problems have been related to joints and penetrations where sealants or installation methods were a factor.

Not all EPDM rubber roofs are bad.

I trust your replacement choice will do what you need. Trust your Dicor repair and just enjoy the grand kids.

vic
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Old 12-20-2015, 06:01 PM   #25
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I can understand why you feel that way. I believe you are correct to point to a specific product line though.

EPDM roof membranes are known for long life. Many buildings are protected by them without any problems except at joints and penetrations. The EPDM membrane materials rarely fail.

I have learned that RV roof EPDM membranes are generally lighter gauge material as compared to commercial roof membranes. Whether that selection is based upon weight and fuel efficiency, or cost is up to you to decide. I know what my thought is.

Recently I was talking to an RV tech who replaces roofs. He mentioned that he always buys commercial grade EPDM membrane material. He won't replace with RV grade. Commercial product definitely will add some weight, but negligible in my opinion.

That said, my 2001 EPDM membrane is still in good condition. All my leak problems have been related to joints and penetrations where sealants or installation methods were a factor.

Not all EPDM rubber roofs are bad.

I trust your replacement choice will do what you need. Trust your Dicor repair and just enjoy the grand kids.

vic
Thanks vic. As I said in a post a few minutes ago "I'm at Ft. Wilderness for the week. No grumpy here!

I will take care of the roof issue first thing next month.

It has rained hard on the Dicor repair before I came to Florida. So far so good.
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Old 12-20-2015, 07:27 PM   #26
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edalanta, I have the same roof on my 2011 and I do not see any deterioration at all that I did not cause. I think yours may be explained by the salt environment and heat from those summers in the sun.

Still seems like they should last longer. I have friends with 10-12 year old rigs that show no signs of failure.
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Old 12-20-2015, 08:31 PM   #27
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Roofs should last more than 5 years with no maintenance. The fact that you took preventative measures and still had a problem is sad.
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Old 12-21-2015, 01:35 AM   #28
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I had a EPDM roof by Dicor on an RV I sold a year ago. It was a 2002 model. I cleaned it once a year with Dawn and never had anything that looked like an area to leak. Had to re-caulk a few times. It was uncovered it's whole life. Must be that FL UV penetration.
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Old 12-21-2015, 04:52 AM   #29
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edalanta, I have the same roof on my 2011 and I do not see any deterioration at all that I did not cause. I think yours may be explained by the salt environment and heat from those summers in the sun.

Still seems like they should last longer. I have friends with 10-12 year old rigs that show no signs of failure.
The first areas that showed failure were the spots under the a/c's where the condensation drips out. Since I full time and spend a lot of time in hot/humid areas in the summer there is no doubt there was a lot of condensation dripping on those areas for the past 5 years. But that is still very poor performance for a 12 year guaranteed roof and Alpha Systems offer of $227.00 as total compensation under the terms of that warranty is even worse than the quality of their roof membrane.
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Old 12-21-2015, 04:53 AM   #30
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Roofs should last more than 5 years with no maintenance. The fact that you took preventative measures and still had a problem is sad.
Totally agree.
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Old 12-21-2015, 04:55 AM   #31
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I had a EPDM roof by Dicor on an RV I sold a year ago. It was a 2002 model. I cleaned it once a year with Dawn and never had anything that looked like an area to leak. Had to re-caulk a few times. It was uncovered it's whole life. Must be that FL UV penetration.
Or the membrane material has been cost reduced since your 2002 model and is no longer a quality product?
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Old 12-21-2015, 08:46 AM   #32
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Old 12-26-2015, 05:56 PM   #33
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Have a 2011 Pinnacle. Last week in a storm here in Alabama the wind tore 7 8 to 12 inch tears in roof material. Roof washed 3 to 4 times a year with Dawn and water. One dealer said dry rot. After five years that's BS. Patched tears with etetna bond tape until insurance claim is completed. Then a new roof. Probably rv armor. Bank account will be lighter.
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Old 12-26-2015, 06:40 PM   #34
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I have my roof cleaned and approved EPDM roof protectant applied every six months and have done this without fail since I purchased new in August 2010. This cleaning and treatment is done by my selling dealer service manger.
I can't help but get stuck on this part of your post. EPDM does not require ANY protectant at all. In fact, up until a couple years ago they specifically stated NOT to use any product at all, just clean and inspect. For some reason, people wanted to "protect" the roof and were looking for products to spend money on. Well, Alpha Systems figured if their end consumers wanted to spend more money, why not spend it on an Alpha Systems product and VIOLA... they started making a "protectant".

I just sold my 17 year old EPDM roofed trailer last fall. I never cleaned the roof (other than the caulk joints with the walls to inspect) and certainly never applied protectant and it lasted perfectly for 17 years.

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 have to wonder if perhaps one of the "protectants" applied by your dealer wasn't approved for EPDM and caused the early failure.

Its unfortunate that your product failed. I would suggest the spray on bedliner application for your roof. Cheaper and it seems to be a better, but heavier, product.
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Old 12-27-2015, 05:00 AM   #35
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Have a 2011 Pinnacle. Last week in a storm here in Alabama the wind tore 7 8 to 12 inch tears in roof material. Roof washed 3 to 4 times a year with Dawn and water. One dealer said dry rot. After five years that's BS. Patched tears with etetna bond tape until insurance claim is completed. Then a new roof. Probably rv armor. Bank account will be lighter.
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).
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Old 12-27-2015, 05:11 AM   #36
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I can't help but get stuck on this part of your post. EPDM does not require ANY protectant at all. In fact, up until a couple years ago they specifically stated NOT to use any product at all, just clean and inspect. For some reason, people wanted to "protect" the roof and were looking for products to spend money on. Well, Alpha Systems figured if their end consumers wanted to spend more money, why not spend it on an Alpha Systems product and VIOLA... they started making a "protectant".

I just sold my 17 year old EPDM roofed trailer last fall. I never cleaned the roof (other than the caulk joints with the walls to inspect) and certainly never applied protectant and it lasted perfectly for 17 years.

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 have to wonder if perhaps one of the "protectants" applied by your dealer wasn't approved for EPDM and caused the early failure.

Its unfortunate that your product failed. I would suggest the spray on bedliner application for your roof. Cheaper and it seems to be a better, but heavier, product.
I can assure all of you the product used as a protectant for my roof was EPDM approved and I have it in writing from Alpha Systems that EPDM protectants are ok to use.

Also, the bed liner products aren't recommended for RV roofs due to the flexing that the roofs go through as we use them. A metal truck bed is much more rigid than an RV roof. The products designed for RV roofs have much more flex than the bedliner products which could crack on some roof applications. I will be replacing my Alpha Systems roof with RV Flex Armor.

Why does an EPDM roof last 17 years? Lucky or maybe the manufacturer of that material has cost reduced it through the years so that the product they sell today isn't worth you know what? I'm betting on the second option. Also, Alpha Systems is no longer making the EPDM membrane that failed on my RV. I wonder why? Oh yeah, the new one is "New and Improved".
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Old 12-27-2015, 07:29 AM   #37
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Why does an EPDM roof last 17 years? Lucky or maybe the manufacturer of that material has cost reduced it through the years so that the product they sell today isn't worth you know what? I'm betting on the second option. Also, Alpha Systems is no longer making the EPDM membrane that failed on my RV. I wonder why? Oh yeah, the new one is "New and Improved".
I'm just saying, if it was a problem with the product then there would be a lot more failures than just yours. You seem very set on using unnecessary protectants and using whatever replacement you found. Good luck moving forward.
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Old 12-27-2015, 08:10 AM   #38
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After looking at the damaged area again it looks isolated to the a/c area? Am I correct on this?
If so possibly a Coil cleaner could have been used and not properly done or wrong type? Maybe the problem is in the air conditioner?
Just thinking out loud on this.
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Old 12-27-2015, 06:13 PM   #39
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After looking at the damaged area again it looks isolated to the a/c area? Am I correct on this?
If so possibly a Coil cleaner could have been used and not properly done or wrong type? Maybe the problem is in the air conditioner?
Just thinking out loud on this.
I appreciate your asking a question vs telling me I don't know what I'm doing and causing the problem. This site has never been that way thank goodness.

There has been absolutely zero cleaner of any kind on the a/c other than fresh water from a hose. But you are correct, the worst deterioration areas are where the a/c drips condensation onto the roof.
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Old 12-27-2015, 06:32 PM   #40
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I'm just saying, if it was a problem with the product then there would be a lot more failures than just yours. You seem very set on using unnecessary protectants and using whatever replacement you found. Good luck moving forward.
If anything I said was wrong, I will apologize. I'm sorry if my comments offended you, but I spoke the truth. Thousands of other trailers were made the same year with the same product and they don't have any major failure. I don't agree with your premise that the product is flawed. I simply provided a suggestion of a possible reason that YOUR roof failed. Sorry you took that as some sort of attack, I was just trying to provide a logical reason as to why your particular roof failed...
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