How to Save Thousands on RV Roof Repairs
A brief history of RV roofing
Original RV roof, looking at the front
This article is not written to be a complete history of RV
roofing, but to give you an overview of what has happened over the last forty
years. In the early 1960s, most of the RV roofs were using a metal product to
make the roof water tight. Then, in the early 1980s, white EPDM roofing membrane
was introduced to this market. At the time there were only two manufactures of
this product in the U.S.: Carlisle and Colonial Rubber Works. I was an employee of Colonial Rubber Works at
that time, so I am more knowledgeable about their involvement in this market.
Colonial was looking for another market to sell their EPDM sheeting into, so they
started contacting RV manufactures about using their EPDM sheet on roofs of the
RVs being produced in the factory. The ability of EPDM roofing to withstand
outside weathering and UV light degradation made it one of the best roofs to
put on a flat roof surface.
Original RV roof, on the back
With this information, Colonial then sent salesmen to the
manufactures with the EPDM roofing product. The RV industry was very interested
in this product and its longevity on the roof. Since RV’s are produced in a
factory, the manufactures were very concerned about how quickly they could
install this product on a new roof and the cost. They were convinced this was a
superior product, but the determining factor would be how quickly it could be
installed in the manufacturing environment. They found out that this product
could be installed quickly and give the consumer a better product. At this time
Colonial provided a ten-year warranty on their white EPDM roofing while the
manufacturers usually gave a 5-year warranty to their customers. This EPDM
product was .045 mil thick and white. It quickly became the dominate roof in
the RV roofing industry.
Damaged roof, front of RV
Colonial continued testing the white EPDM membrane to make
sure the membrane would hold up long term on any flat roof. I worked in the research
and development (R&D) lab and tech service with the roofing division. One
of my jobs was to visit the job site when a customer had a complaint with
Colonial’s EPDM roofing. We found that even though EPDM is one of the best
rubbers for UV resistance, there were problems with the membrane after being
exposed on a roof after eight to fifteen years; this only occurred on the White
EPDM membrane. We found that white EPDM membrane would chalk and develop cracks
in the membrane after direct exposure to the sun. We cut samples and
examined them under a microscope and found out that some of these small cracks
would go deep enough into the membrane it could fail and leak. At that time, Colonial was only giving a ten-year warranty. In 1993 or 1994, Firestone bought
Colonial Rubber’s roofing plant in Kingstree, South Carolina. Since then, manufacturers have started making
their membrane half white and half black. This serves two purposes: if the
white cracks, the black will still be water tight and it cuts the cost since
white EPDM is more expensive.
Damaged roof, front of RV
EPDM white on black roofing dominated the market until a
couple of years ago when RV manufacturers started looking at cheaper roofing
products. Some of them replaced the .038 mil and .040 mil EPDM with a .030 mil
thick TPO. This product is extremely thin and will not hold up as a long-term roof.
This is not important to the RV manufacturers since they only warranty their
product for a limited time and most of the roofing problems won’t occur until
after the warranty period, so they are off the hook. This seems extremely short
sighted on their part since RVs cost thousands to hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
Applying the adhering membrane for the new roof, front of RV
You may wonder why I am writing this article or what is in
it for me, and that’s a good question. Yes, I have been involved in the do it
yourself (DIY) market for EPDM roofing and RV roofing since 1993. At that time, I formed my own company, AKT
Specialty. I do not sell any RV products direct to the manufacturers; I only
supply homeowners and RV owners with products to do their own repairs or
replacements. To be truthful, the moves that RV manufacturers made to be more
efficient and cut cost has been great for my business, but bad for consumers.
There are tens of thousands of RV roofs failing every year and we supply
consumers with RV roofing products for those repairs. I have owned five RVs and
I understand the frustration that comes when you pay $40,000+ for an RV and
have a roof leak within the first six years.
Applying metal bar to the front of the RV roof, on top of the rubber
There are a couple of
things that manufacturers of RVs can do that will save consumers millions of
dollars and cost them only fifty to a hundred dollars per unit, but they are
not willing to do it because roofing problems don’t show up big until the
warranty is expired. First, they can go
to a thicker membrane which would only cost a few more cents per square foot. Secondly,
they could add an eight-foot strip of EPDM cover tape on the front and back of
the RV where the metal is pulled up over the roof and fastened down with screws
and a metal bar. When this RV roof detail is installed at the factory, they use
a thick bead of caulk. In the roofing
industry, caulking is a temporary solution and not permanent like cover tape. Almost
all the leaks I have encountered with the RV roofs have been in this location.
Be sure you use an EPDM tape that has been designed by the manufacturer and
always prime the location where the tape is being applied; this will help it be
a permanent solution rather than just temporary. I would recommend taping these two areas
before leaks ruin the roof and cost thousands of dollars. I did some research
and found out that it costs from three to seven thousand dollars to replace
your RV roof.
Applying 6" tape over the metal bar on the front of the roof
I would like to warn you to be careful when ordering
replacement roofs for your RV. There are products out there that are only 8’6”
wide that are cheaper because of their width and thickness. The factory does
use this product, but their installation is done by professionals and they don’t
make mistakes during installation. I have personally installed these membranes
on damaged RV roofs and with this narrow 8’6” material, you have only an inch or
two to play with and if you’re over an inch you could not get a good seal around
your roof edge detail and that will result in a leak. If you have a mistake on the edge and you have
glued the membrane down, you have a terrible mess to correct. I recommend that you
always purchase a product at least a foot wider than you need, as this will save
time and money. Just remember, if you purchased a bullet proof vest, would you want one
that was thin or would you want the thicker one which would surely provide more protection? I hope
this information is helpful and I will try to provide some videos and pictures
that might help you. You can always contact Johnnie or Tim at www.flatroofsolutions.com and we will be glad
to discuss your needs or questions. Our toll free number is 1-866-630-7660.
