Rubber roofs
 

Over the past 30+ years, we have owned several RV's including 3 HiLo's. With the exception of our last HiLo which we sold last June, I have never experienced any roof leaks from the previous RV's whether they had either a metal or rubber roof. The metal roof on the 2406 T was a different story and I have several posts on the forum describing the steps taken to correct the problems encountered when electrolysis takes its toll on metal roofing.

Since we sold the HiLo, we purchased a 2006 Class C motor home which has a rubber roof. In the initial check I made of the roof, everything looks very good. I recently had to replace every one of the 4 roof vents due to deterioration from having been painted. Naturally, I had to get on the roof to accomplish this.

When I finished the project, I noticed my knees had some smutty looking substance that I discovered was difficult to remove. Also, I noticed while on the roof, it had a dingy, ashy appearance and there were 2 or 3 small air pockets on the rubber roof. So, my questions to the forum is, should I wash the rubber roof and apply the special paint for rubber? What should I do about the small air pockets that are about 2" to 3" long and 1" to 2" wide?

Having treated the metal roof on our HiLo with KoolWhite elastomeric paint, I also learned they have a paint for the rubber roofs; do the forum members who have rubber roofs do a periodic application of this paint as a preventative for future problems? When you find small air pockets, do you puncture them to let the pressure escape and is there a procedure for this that should be followed like adding or filling the pocket with some sort of adhesive?

The MH does not have any indication of leaking either on the ceiling or sidewalls and I do want to prevent any future possibility of that happening. I would like to know what the forum members with rubber roofs do as preventive maintenance to insure against this happening.

Also, having replaced all the caulking around all the windows on our HiLo, I am aware of the moisture potential there. The MH has a rubberized molding around the windows rather than the caulking; does anyone in this forum have any past experience with this type of window molding? What type of preventive maintenance should be done other than inspection?

Jerry Curtis
Former 2406 T owner

Hi,

The chalky condition is normal for the rubber roof. Do not worry about the bubbles and do not puncture them. Wash the roof with a product specifically made for rubber roofs and a coating of rubber roof stuff like Kool White is a good idea. There are several brands of coating available and every one has there favorite.

Rubber roof care
 

We have a rubber roof and we wash it with a localy available product called Korkay. One person I know washes it with simple green. I also would recommend coating your roof with Kool seal. Tape off with blue painters tape where you want the kool seal to end. This will give you a nice crisp transition. I'm not sure what to tell you about your window reseal. Perhaps a local RV place could advise you on this. We have a speciality glass shop we used when our cap window was falling out.