Walking on Roof - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

ckindle56 · 05-01-2011, 11:48 PM

Is it OK to walk on the roof to perform cleaning and maintenance ?

sam · 05-02-2011, 12:29 AM

Say a prayer for safetyy before you go up. I always support the ladder as my Hubby goes up on our rubber roof with the HiLo in the low position. Wear good supporting rubber soled shoes. Get on your knees as much as you can . I stay close by to hand him cleaning supplies.hose or tools,caulk ect.

RichR · 05-02-2011, 08:51 AM

A wet soapy roof can get very slippery, so plan your work so you stay off of that. The soft soled sneakers are a good suggestion both to protect the roof surface and to increase traction. BE CAREFUL! Sam's ground crew work is a good idea.

PopRichie77 · 05-02-2011, 09:21 AM

Sam, you keep referring to the rubber roof on your Hi-Lo, I could be wrong but as far as I know Hi-Lo never put rubber roofs on their trailers, the roofs were aluminum. They have the texture and look like a rubber roof. If you have a rubber roof it wasn't put on by the factory. Check it out and let me know, very curious.

RichR · 05-02-2011, 09:51 AM

They did have rubber roofs about ten years ago for maybe two model years. I think they determined them to be a bad idea.

PopRichie77 · 05-02-2011, 11:19 AM

You are so right RichR,
Just talked to Rob at J R Repair and Hi-Lo did put rubber roofs on for a couple years but stopped because of having numerous problems with them. He didn't know the exact years.

JMDoering · 05-02-2011, 10:34 PM

Yup, Sam is correct. Our 2004 Towlite has a rubber roof.

Knock on wood, no problems with it...yet. I discussed this roof, in depth, with our local trailer repair tech. His experience with rubber roofs on a number of different brands was good... providing they were properly cleaned and conditioned periodically (once per year). He said the biggest thing that wrecks them is the used of harsh detergents and petroleum-based cleaning products.

Jim

sam · 05-02-2011, 10:59 PM

One time our HiLo dealer mentioned that he thought the previous owner had the roof replaced with a rubber roof. We always baby the roof and do proper maintenance. No way to verify this change out to a rubber roof. So far no problems. The previous owner did battle with a tree branch and the dealer did a good job with the patch repair. It sounds like boiling macaroni on the roof when it rains. It is a rubber roof for sure.

JMDoering · 05-02-2011, 11:14 PM

Hah, When it rains my wife says the angels are making popcorn!

Jim

JackandJanet · 05-03-2011, 11:17 AM

It's loud as hell, isn't it?

- Jack

sam · 05-03-2011, 02:18 PM

When it rains on the roof it wakes us up most of the time. Probably said it sounds like boiling macaroni to complement our Italian heritage.

cptmoney · 05-06-2011, 12:17 AM

Any details on how to properly maintain/condition these rubber roofs?

We're looking at an older '94 Funlite that has a rubber roof - no idea if it's factory original or not. Doesn't sound like it.

Current owner says they've had zero problems with it - but I want to start off on the right foot, for sure.

JMDoering · 05-06-2011, 06:26 PM

CPT,

Our new (to us) 2904T has a factory rubber roof. After some research via the internet, and much discussion with our trusted RV tech., basically I've learned that in our part of the country the roof should be cleaned, then treated with a UV protector at least annually. In other, rainier and more humid parts of the country this treatment should be performed more frequently. I'm using a product called: Protect All Rubber Roof Treatment. Honestly, I don't have a lot of experience with this particular product, I'm working off the recommendation of our RV tech. Note that there are several different comparably priced brands available.

We've also learned that cleaners containing either petroleum chemicals, or citric acids, can cause the rubber to bubble. Furthermore, we're told the roof can be damaged by using a pressure washer. I've opted to use the same brand cleaner recommended on the "Treament" container. Now all I need is a rain-free 36 hour period to get the job done... difficult here because of the unusually wet spring!

The other big aspect of rubber roof preservation recommended is to use a trailer cover (at least) in the off season.

Hope this answers your questions,
Jim

JackandJanet · 05-06-2011, 08:09 PM

I'm a bit puzzled by all this discussion.

Here in Tucson, about 50% of the home roofs are coated with the white elastomeric paint that is applied with a roller. Once it cures, you can walk on it, wash it, sweep leaves off and so on. I coated our home roof with two coats of this stuff about six years ago and it looks fine. In a previous home, I sold the house with a roof coated with the same stuff about 10 years old and I did not have to do a thing with it before the sale. It requires virtually NO maintenance!

I know this same stuff can be applied to the top of a trailer, and intend to do it to ours when necessary.

I'm trying to understand though, what is the difference between a "rubber roof" and my roof? Mine is a "domed" plywood base (maybe 3/4" thick), with a thin aluminum sheet on top and then painted white. Anyway, it's advertised as "safe to walk on".

We've even had fabric awnings coated with the elastomeric stuff, which has made them impervious to the elements. I plan to extend the trailer "coating" out to the top of the awning fabric (the part that's exposed when the awning is rolled up). It can be tinted to match most any color you need. I can buy 5 gal cans of it at Home Depot or Lowes for around $60-70, (I haven't priced it recently, though).

Couldn't this stuff be applied to a "rubber" roof? Or is there something about the underlying construction I'm not understanding?

- Jack

sam · 05-06-2011, 10:11 PM

In the Good Sam Club magazine May 2011,Highways is an article,Do it yourself/Renew your roof. It referencesBill"s RV Service,Bill's RV Service and Dicor,www.dicor.comI look at it this way $100.00 wotrth of cleaner/primer,Dicor Lap Sealant andDicor rubber roof coating is far cheaper than a total roof replacement. A little TLC each season makes for a dry roof. This article is about rubber roofs only. I hope this helps clarify what needs to be done. Use masking tape at the edge of the roof where it meets the fiberglass side. I should have said blue painters tape.

JMDoering · 05-06-2011, 10:48 PM

Jack,

Rubber roofs are new to me also. Essentially, my roof is also domed plywood, but instead of being covered with an aluminum sheet, its covered by a "rubber" sheet. The "rubber," is apparently a highly UV resistant material specifically engineered for use on RVs. Up close it looks a lot like heavy weight canvas stretched tight across the roof. It has a rough surface texture, but is non-porous.

When first introduced, this roof material was really pushed as the new miracle material for RV roofs. Well it hasn't quite worked out that way because some drawbacks turned up over time. Like the sensitivity to certain chemicals, chalking if not periodically "treated," gray streaking if the chalking isn't controlled, etc. The good traits include ease of patching (if needed), lack of corrosion, significantly higher UV resistance (compared to fiberglass), and a few others including lighter weight....

Jack, if I had my druthers, I'd prefer the roof you have. Our '69 Bon Voyage has an aluminum roof that has held up, without any maintenance, VERY well for over forty years. I've never even painted it with the sealant stuff you mentioned.

Jim

JackandJanet · 05-06-2011, 11:47 PM

Thanks, Jim -

I appreciate the explanation. So, it sounds like a membrane that doesn't truly "bond" to the plywood substrait? Or if it does, it is not really able to stand up the the elements (UV, temperature, moisture, etc.). I wonder if it were coated if it would hold up? As I said, canvas awnings can be coated with the elastomeric and they seem to last forever!

We also have a very pricey elastomeric stucco paint here now that will probably outlast the home it's used on. It's what I plan to use when we get up the energy and funds, to paint the house.

- Jack

PopRichie77 · 05-07-2011, 07:25 AM

I don't know a lot about rubber roofs but my son inlaw has been putting comerical rubber roofs on from when it first hit the market, it replaced tar paper. The manufactures of rubber roofs had schools, that the roofing companys sent some of there employes to, to learn how to put a rubber roof on properly and each company used different methods. Rubber roof seams or laps were first glued together, but to many workers got high from the glue, after several years the glue was banned. They then went to a soft rubber tape which sticks on bothsides. Many different methods were used in the beginning to hold the rubber down, including gluing in spots. Not sure how they do it now, or how Hi-Lo did it. I do know that no pretrolem based cleaner or sealent should be used as it will deteirate the rubber. Rubber roofs shrink, which is what makes them appear to fit very tight. If the ends are not properly fastened and enough material was not put under the point of fastening it will pull out. The rubber used on commerical roofs was warrenty for 20 years, but improper fastening was a problem and probably still is.
I only know this stuff because we put a rubber roof on my brothers cabin, back in the early 90tys and the son inlaw explained things. IT is a house trailer with an addition and the roof is close to flat and tar paper wasn't working out. The rubber roof worked.
Here is a link to a CO. has good information about rubber roofs, click on the headings on the left side.
http://www.flatroofsolutions.com/

JMDoering · 05-07-2011, 10:26 PM

Pop,

BIG thanks for the inside scoop (link) regarding these rubber roofs. So far I don't have any complaints about ours, other than that I'll have to "treat," it every year. The good thing is if it starts catastrophically leaking, I think it would be fairly easy (translating to relatively cheap) to replace, by J & R of course! Time will tell...

Jim