Roof Cleaner

[Bill-K]

Want to do a roof treatment on my Sundance 2900 MK with 303. Any suggestions on what to use to clean it first? Prefer biodegradable if possible.
Thanks
Bill K
Redding, CA

 

[TGLBWH]

I did my roof in the spring with a new product, Pro-Tec by Camco, purchased at General Trailer here in Michigan. It is a 2 part cleaner, sealer and the results were the best ever. After all summer the roof still looks better than the day I bought my rig. Tweety's carries it at http://tweetys.com/pro-tec-rubber-roof-kit.aspx. Good Luck

 

[boatdoc]

We've always washed our roof with spic&span and a soft brisle brush. Never have put a protector on it, didn't think you had to.

 

[Gaffer]

Dicor (the maker of the rubber roof) used to reccommend Dawn dish wash soap until they started marketing their own lable of cleaner. They did this not because there was anything wrong with Dawn but because of customer inquiries of what to use.

 

[Bob&Patty]

I thought that Dicor did not recommend putting any sealer on their roofs. Maybe I'm wrong...but still use Dawn to clean it and no sealer.

 

[SJH]

I too use either Dawn or Blue Coral which ever I have handy. EPDM and/or TPO does not need protectant or other preparations per manufacturer. A simple cleaning is adequate. I have in the past used a 50/50 mix of Spic n Span and Murphys Oil Soap (vegetable based) with good results.

 

[JohnDar]

I heard about a cleaner called L.A. Totally Awesome, available at the Dollar Store for about $3 a gallon. Mixed about 1/2 cup in a 2-gal. bucket of water and used a soft brush to clean my roof, awnings and slide toppers. Looks almost good as new. I made up a 1:1 dilution in a spray bottle and used it, with a microfiber cloth to clean off black streaks and pitch on the cap and sides.

 

[SJH]

I heard about a cleaner called L.A. Totally Awesome, available at the Dollar Store.

Awesome is a great cleaner for a buck! Do be aware it will remove any wax you have on your rig!

 

[JohnDar]

Awesome is a great cleaner for a buck! Do be aware it will remove any wax you have on your rig!

Other than a wash & wax product, I've never applied a paste/liquid wax to the rig. After cleaning the roof and the caps/black streaks, I rewashed the rig with RV wash & wax. So long as it's reasonably clean and shiny, it's good enough for me.

 

[Bob&Patty]

SJH, I need to get some of that. I want to wash the rig to all the wax off so I apply the floor wax to make it shine again.

 

[traveler44]

I think I got my Totally Awesome at the Dollar Tree store. I don't mean to split hairs I just thought it might make it easier to find. Tom

 

[Bob&Patty]

Washed the roof on the Horn today with a little help from a pressure washer. Crawled up on the roof with a bucket of dawn soap and water and my trusty brush. Then the light came on.....I have a pressure washer...back down the ladder (hate climbing ladders) , got it hooked up and running. Back up the ladder (toooo old for this crap). Wet down the roof, scrubbed the roof with soap, let it set a minute or 2. Used the pressure washer to rinse it off. DUDE....THIS ROOF WAS NOT THIS WHITE WHEN IT WAS NEW. From now on its dawn and my pressure washer until it blows me off the roof.

 

[greatheron]

When we picked up our Bighorn our service tech that did the walk thru recommended using Murphys Oil Soap. not only does it clean, but adds moisture to the roof membrane. I've used it three times now and so far so good.

 

[donr827]

Just cleaned my roof this morning. I have been using Simple Green for years and like the product.
Don

 

[Westwind]

Just cleaned my roof today, I had been up on the ladder painting the trim on the house and looked over to the trailer roof and realized it needed a good cleaning. I used Simple Green and a dash, I mean dash of bleach. I used a scrub brush around the vents, AC's, and skylight and scrubbed the vent and AC covers. Then the long handle soft brush for the rest, it really was dirty since I hadn't done it since last fall. I also washed the top of the front and rear caps, think I need to do the roof at least twice a year. Gave the whole trailer a good rinsing off and tomorrow, hopefully the rest of the trailer will get a good washing.
I had a rubber roof on my previous TT, but this is a EPDM rubber roof, whatever that means so I'm trying to just use Simple Green, I used Comet on the old roof and it did a good job cleaning but you really had to rinse it good since you didn't want that stuff running down the sides. Since I'm dealing with a much much larger area to clean I'll stick to Simple Green on this one.

 

[2psnapod2]

I was up on my roof the other day, and it has spots all over it. Looks like a leopard but with white skin. Is this normal? As soon as the park clears the wash ban, I am going to be giving the whole rig a good wash.

 

[wino2]

Taking care of our roofs is one of the most confusing things there is on owning a Trailer everyone says something differant. We have always inspected our roof regularly and treated it yearly. According to the Heartland owners manual they are to be inspected every 3 months and treated yearly (treated with what). Our dealer says you spot treat around the vents every six months(once again treat them with what) I mean what does the Mfg recommend. Right now our trailer is in for our yearly service and they are cleaning our roof and applying a RV protectant by either Dicor or Thetford. After reading everyones comments we all do something differant. SO WHAT IS THE PROPER CARE OF OUR ROOFS. We have owned RV'S for a long time and have always taken good care of them, probably too good. It's a big investment and I know I keep telling my Husband, THIS IS THE LAST ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JohnDar]

This is from the Dicor website:

Is it necessary to protect my rubber roof against UV Rays? No.

My roof seems to "oxidize" and run down the sides when it rains. Is this normal? The simple answer is yes. EPDM does oxidize slowly; it is supposed to. This is normal. By oxidizing, your EPDM rubber roof is protecting itself from damaging UV rays. Over the lifetime service of your roof this oxidation process claims about the thickness of two sheets of notebook paper. Cleaning the roof at least four times a year, or more often if necessary, will help greatly.

My take on roof cleaning & maintenance:

Clean it with soap and water, using a medium stiffness brush when you climb up there and can leave a mark with your finger drawn across the surface in the dust. While you're up there, inspect the caulking joints for excessive cracking or separation (tiny surface spider cracks don't count). Done.

 

[wino2]

Thanks, appreciate it. I just called Heartland, they recommend Dicor, and to follow what ever Dicor says. Go Figure

 

[ihsolutions]

I would be very (to the tenth power) careful about using a pressure washer on an RV rubber roof.

I use a rubber roof cleaner that has a protectant built in. It's made by Best I think, specifically for rubber roofs.

It's easy to get confused and distracted about what to use to clean these roofs, as others have noted above.

The most important thing is DO NOT USE ANYTHING THAT CONTAINS PETROLEUM DISTILLATES! This will break down the roof material and dramatically shorten it's life.

For whatever it's worth, the Dicor rep at the 2011 rally suggested Spic 'n Span and a medium bristle brush for roof cleaning. That particular product is getting harder to find, but anything similar should be OK. I've also used Oxy Clean with some success, though you have to mix it a little stronger than the product packaging suggests to get good results.

I clean my roof probably 4x a year, and inspect it every 2-4 weeks or more often when traveling. Better safe than sorry.