No Maintenance Roof?

[F350guy-JAY]

Is there really such a thing? I know there are a couple of companies that say that but not sure if that is totally true. The reason I ask is I have been researching other types of rv's that might be easier for me to handle with my 2 new knee replacements. Bottom line, every thing has a trade off and I'm pretty much convinced staying with our Pinnacle is about as good as anything else.

The one common thing with all or most rv's is getting on the roof to inspect and/or reseal. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do that anymore and have been told I shouldn't. I know I could hire it done but not sure how much I trust someone else to do as thorough a job as I've done thru the years of owning one of these things. We have had zero issues with the Pinnacle roof and I was able to get up there and inspect it before I had my first surgery last May. Even though it's in good shape I was thinking about having a new roof put on it by RVArmor or whatever that advertises no maintenance. I know it would be a little pricey but we bought our Pinnacle before the big price increases hit so our "investment" is low compared to what it would be now. Just looking for anyone with any experience with the no maintenance roofs to see if it actually is just that.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

As folks say, you take your chances by doing nothing to your roof, if you feel that you can only be the one to do a thorough enough job for long term ownership. We all age out of some ability to do certain jobs. Personally I used the Gaco product on mine after cleaning. This product has had a pretty good track record on preventing some of the common issues creating leaks with fewer times of recoating using the normal Dicor product. The edges along the roof of the camper are usually the first areas that you see leaks starts along with the edges of the components mounted on the roof . So thoroughly coat those areas for starters . Then roll the Gaco on the roof membrane.

 

[Grumpy]

There a couple members who got the sprayed on roof and hopefully they'll post soon.

 

[Jagiven]

I have a former (retired) coworker who had a spray on roof put on his 5ver. He loved it, and said he would do it in a heart beat on a new camper.

I don't think there is a OEM roof that is truly maintenance free. I think the closes thing is the fiberglass MH roofs. I have seen a few videos where manufactures have stated they are using a different self leveling sealant that will not crack or bubble like Decor.

 

[RogerR]

Even if my roof was solid, seamless aluminum I would inspect it yearly, after bad weather and in situations where low branches, etc. might contact it. In addition, every opening, vent, pipe, light, etc. might become a place for water to get in so they need checking to maintain your RV.

As above, if you can't do it yourself, look for a good and reliable service person to do it for you.

 

[poohbear]

There a couple members who got the sprayed on roof and hopefully they'll post soon.

When I picked up our 5er at DFW RV Roofs who sprayed ours the owner told me to stay off the roof now. Four years now & I have only been on it last year to replace the front AC & tv antennae. The spray is nearly 1/4 in thick and goes over the edge seams & the seam of front cap. I would do it again even if just doing the roof of a future purchase.
I am also of the bad knee crowd having the right knee done in 2017 & in recovery of doing the left knee end of Dec.
If your not agile & in good health stay off the roof .A friend of my Daughter her Dad is in bad shape From falling off his rv. He is still in a vegetive state so they don't know if he just fell & damaged his head or what.

 

[Camp CA]

Three new fifth wheel trailers over 20 years and never inspected or performed and any maintenance on the roof membrane. Then my new 2022 Jayco Pinnacle experienced membrane failiure on a small section of the roof radius on first trip out while traveling on treeless roads and camping in the open which required replacing the entire roof membrane for $14,000. Now I inspect it on every trip.

 

[F350guy-JAY]

When I picked up our 5er at DFW RV Roofs who sprayed ours the owner told me to stay off the roof now. Four years now & I have only been on it last year to replace the front AC & tv antennae. The spray is nearly 1/4 in thick and goes over the edge seams & the seam of front cap. I would do it again even if just doing the roof of a future purchase.
I am also of the bad knee crowd having the right knee done in 2017 & in recovery of doing the left knee end of Dec.
If your not agile & in good health stay off the roof .A friend of my Daughter her Dad is in bad shape From falling off his rv. He is still in a vegetive state so they don't know if he just fell & damaged his head or what.

Exactly why I don't want to climb up to the roof anymore. Everything but the knees are in good shape and want to keep it that way. My wife says she will do it but I don't like that idea either. My selling dealer is 100 miles away and there is no one local to do it. I'm hopeful I can do the maintenance on everything below the roof once the latest knee replacement gets fully operational which I know will never be like the original. One advantage I do have is we park the Pinnacle in our rv garage. It's only exposed to weather when we travel which wasn't much last year due to my surgeries. Ordinarily we have it out 90 to 120 days a season. Maybe the original roof will be good enough under those circumstances and I'm overthinking it.

 

[Jerry713]

I’ve been doing a lot of research of late on RV roofs annd I angree im skeptical on a maintenance free RV roof. Our 2021 Jayco doesn’t need a new roof but some of the sealant used around roof penetrations is already starting to crack. I looked at a roof replacement but I cannot justify the expense. Instead I am going to seal all roof edges and around all penetrations with Eternabond (I’ve already started doing this) and then I’m going to apply Henry Tropicool 887 roof coating over the roof and over the Eternabond. I’m seeing reports of 12 plus years with this product with no issues. I take some of that with a grain of salt but this product should extend the life of our roof for 6-8 years even in the Texas sun.

If I was physically unable to do this work I would look for an experienced roofer to do some side work and hire him to do the work.

 

[poohbear]

I forgot to say we had the RVArmor done because I hit a limb along the edge above the entry door. It was actually over a grand cheaper to let them fix the edge & spray than what 2 jayco dealers & 1 rv shop wanted for a oem roof.
I think those of us that keep our rv under a roof have way less reason to keep getting on the roof but I have no scientific data, just my thought.

 

[camjam Jay]

Is there really such a thing? I know there are a couple of companies that say that but not sure if that is totally true. The reason I ask is I have been researching other types of rv's that might be easier for me to handle with my 2 new knee replacements. Bottom line, every thing has a trade off and I'm pretty much convinced staying with our Pinnacle is about as good as anything else.

The one common thing with all or most rv's is getting on the roof to inspect and/or reseal. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do that anymore and have been told I shouldn't. I know I could hire it done but not sure how much I trust someone else to do as thorough a job as I've done thru the years of owning one of these things. We have had zero issues with the Pinnacle roof and I was able to get up there and inspect it before I had my first surgery last May. Even though it's in good shape I was thinking about having a new roof put on it by RVArmor or whatever that advertises no maintenance. I know it would be a little pricey but we bought our Pinnacle before the big price increases hit so our "investment" is low compared to what it would be now. Just looking for anyone with any experience with the no maintenance roofs to see if it actually is just that.

My dealer sprayed a RV armour on my roof about 5 years ago and it has held up great. Looks like the day it was sprayed. They did a great job. I did have to climb up there this year to clean the mildue off because it looked terrible.
Don't think it hurt the roof any. The dealer told me it was so tough you could shoot an arrow at it and it wouldn't penetrate. I highly doubt that, but it is nice not worrying about a leak after previous having the issue before the armour was applied. If I get another 5th wheel it will be on of the first things I do to it.

 

[F350guy-JAY]

The wife and I went to the Tulsa Boat, Sport and Travel show today. We looked at a lot of rv's of all types and found absolutely nothing that would make us want to change. Stayed out of the $600K motor homes on purpose.

We had some more discussion on maintenance and my reluctance to ever climb on the roof again. I'm 76 and while so far so good except for the knees it makes better sense for us to keep our Pinnacle in good shape for however much longer we can do this. The FlexArmor guy had a booth at the show and after a lot of discussion with him we decided to proceed with it. He cut the price some for us since we booked at the show. It will be done the week of the 19th. I like the idea of spraying it plus he is going to color match the tan color on the sides where it rolls over to the guttering.

 

[Doug-JAY]

I signed a contract today with RV Armour. Read a lot of good reviews. $4200 for an 8'x24' travel trailer. I'll let you know after job is done in March.

 

[jetlag]

The wife and I went to the Tulsa Boat, Sport and Travel show today. We looked at a lot of rv's of all types and found absolutely nothing that would make us want to change. Stayed out of the $600K motor homes on purpose.

We had some more discussion on maintenance and my reluctance to ever climb on the roof again. I'm 76 and while so far so good except for the knees it makes better sense for us to keep our Pinnacle in good shape for however much longer we can do this. The FlexArmor guy had a booth at the show and after a lot of discussion with him we decided to proceed with it. He cut the price some for us since we booked at the show. It will be done the week of the 19th. I like the idea of spraying it plus he is going to color match the tan color on the sides where it rolls over to the guttering.

Awesome Jim, can't wait to see pictures of it when done.

 

[F350guy-JAY]

Really wanted to see a Brinkley or Alliance Paradigm but neither were at the show. Looked at some travel trailers but the only one that interested us at all was a Grand Design Imagine and it wasn't all that great. I guess we are just spoiled having owned fairly spacious rigs thru the years. Even though our Pinnacle is the smallest in the line up it just doesn't feel small. Making a change wouldn't solve the maintenance issue and would probably cost a lot of money.

I've done a lot of mods and additions to our Pinnacle like disc brakes, Roadmaster shock absorber kit, MorRyde X-Factor cross members, Reese Goose Box, Torklift steps, upgraded tv and sound system, Splendide washer, Nautilus shower door and probably some others I can't remember. Some of those things weren't cheap but would probably be even more expensive now. So, we kind of have it where we want it and keeping it just makes sense.

It's probably not a good economic decision to do the FlexArmor roof but if it keeps me off of it I'm fine with it. The installer will give me some pictures which I'll post later this month.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

I don't get the costs of RV Armor myself. Of course when spraying anything the prep work is a huge part of the costs to protect items that you do not wish to coat. I guess if you wish to keep your unit long term there is nothing wrong with trying to do things right and using what people consider to be the best.

Each area has their favorite coatings, favorite rvs and favorite foods too. But with the membrane roofs I do believe there needs to have the ability to flex a bit with the temperature changes if you look at the tension of the stretched fabric in its original condition.

Of course reading some of the upgrades non related from the roof that some of you folks have done makes its very dangerous for me. This points to the mindset that I eluded to in my axle thread. Manufacturers could do a lot better when turning out their product, even at an increased cost. The prices of anything is still objective to everyone's expendable income and retirement funds.

Frankly all we need is something to sleep in, carry our change of underwear and food supplies and want something that's more dependable on the road and not leave me on the side of the road or come apart as a result of traveling off road in remote areas. And the supposed off the road units now are way too small for my comfort and most seems to be concentrated on rigging more so than being built any better than most of what I call the cruising models.
The only maintenance free anything is something that you stick behind the house or storage unit and never bring it out to use it ever.

By the way I went in a Brinkley this past week at a dealership. I was impressed with the interior and the equipment. I did not get a chance to look under the skirts though.

 

[norty1]

Maintenance free was not a big issue 20 years ago. Now days it comes up a lot if you do your own maintenance!

 

[ladamski]

In May of 2023, My wife an I had our local FlexArmor shop coat our 12yo 30’ Jayco travel trailer. It took us a year and 2 visits to there booths at RV shows to come to the decision. Yes it is a big investment, but if you really love your current RV the way my wife and I love ours, it’s worth it. Our shop let me come in and walk the platform and see the progress. And with a 50 year transferable warranty someone else will also benefit from your decision.

 

[corv65]

We had the roof on our 5 wheel removed and replaced it with RVRoof sprayed on. Personally I would do it again, it is thicker than most all applications and leak free which is the most important. The only problem these are not done just anywhere.
Go on line RVRoof.com and it will show you the process and locations.

 

[pawags45]

Flex Armour Roof

There a couple members who got the sprayed on roof and hopefully they'll post soon.

I just had a Flex Armour Roof put on my 2019 Pinnicle 36SSWS. Cost was around $7800 They are all over the country. Got mine done at Double Duces in York PA. FlexArmor Triple Lifetime Guarantee RV Roof you can find the closest one to you by following this link https://rvroof.com/ We love ours and it is Maint. Free.