EPDM rubber roofing?

[vender10]

Sent: 3/18/2004

Has anyone tried this system on a roof that has no leaks to ensure you never have any in the future? Based on the price and the infomation in the link below I think it would be a really good investment for long term roof life. Please review and give me feed back my wife and I intend to ensure our volunteer stays in TOP shape.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-roofs/rubber2.htm

Thanks
Chris Schurmann

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 3/18/2004

EDPM roofing is what my 79 Winnie has.  Its starting to get hard, but has held up well.

[Beatty1950]

How much time and expense did your effort take ??  And how soon can you start on mine   

Appreciate any more info/pictures that you can provide.  I am looking at doing the same thing soon.  I got estimate yesterday for a rhino roof (same thing used in truck beds) for $500 to $1200.  Linex Bed Lining cost estimate was $1400.  Like to spend less but want to do once if possible.

Thanks

Dave Beatty

[Sea Hag]

I am exploring the possibilities for roof repair on my 76 D23C Chief - I saw some rubber roof kits on several RV supply sites I think rvsurplussalvage.com  had the best prices so far a kit for a 24 ' was $ 170  other sites ranged between $ 200 - $300 depending on size . If it comes down to covering the hole roof ,this seams like the way to go if you only want to do it once.  Mine has a coating moped on the whole roof and poor patch and flashing jobs . the front panel has been relaced . I'll scrape it off next spring till then the Self Leveling gutter seal I applied is working for now on leaks Ive found . - Sea Hag

[Beatty1950]

Thanks for the advice....  $170 seems like a great deal for an entire roof.  Found at:

http://www.rvsurplussalvage.com/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_
id=1623&category_id=e36ed5450e2692977ff821231f6fa57a &

How long will this type of upgrade take

Thanks

Dave Beatty

[Sea Hag]

I could only Guess on how long it would take , I've never done it . Basically, it is like a flat building roof or ice and water dam, a one piece rubber membrane ( with a white reflective outer side in this case ) You would have to Clean and scrape the roof down , including old flashing around vents etc. , to the aluminum and structurally patch any holes . I would also remove any railing or ladders and the rain gutters on the sides . Dry fit the membrane ,cut out penetrations ( Vents - A/C etc,) and trim edges , roll membrane back up ,Apply cleaner and primer - then at one end apply adhesive and start laying it down , pull off the backing ,and rolling it down smoothing it out - I don't think you have much time to work with it once it is down , so you apply the adhesive as you go . There is a Flashing tape to apply around the pentrations . then reinstall your Gutters and hardware , it self seals around screws etc, but I'd still reseal them with self leveling gutter seal to be safe .  -  I think this would take much less time and equipment than applying a second aluminum skin over the old one . they had that listed too sold by the Roll foot 7-'6" wide Some one had done this to a Southwind I also Own Part of . --These winnies were constructed with thermo panels mfg. by Winnie Inc . bonding the outer skin to sheet Styrofoam insulation to the finished inner skin . then cut to shape and for any opening and installed . my roof is two panels and sides are each one panel .  As far as the time it would take ? - The standard builders answer is always Two Weeks            Sea Hag

[Dave-Pam1]

I replaced the roof on my 73 about 4 years ago using the firestone commercial non-re-enforced rubber(edpm). I replaced the front 2/3 of the roof and raised it an extra 1/4" where the air con. sets. I glue it down with the recommended yellow glue (contact cement). I used one sheet and covered the old section as well. I got new vent flashings and a new plastic refer vent cover at the rv store fairly cheap. I had a shop to do it in so I took my time, but it was a pretty easy job overall. If you don't have any major damage now you could clean your existing roof and raise you air con. some and glue the rubber with out rebuilding anything.

I got it from a commercial roofing company in Seattle that has a foreman that's a friend of mine. I only used a piece 10' x 22'.(The rolls come in 10' wide x 100' lengths) It was only worth about $10.00. The 5 gallon bucket of glue cost me $50.00. I used a roller to apply it. I glued and screwed my sandwiches of plywood and 1" Styrofoam, so I used over half of the glue. I also glued my 4' x 8' sheets of ceiling material inside. I don't remember the cost of the incidentals.

[arewethereyet]

From: arewethereyet

I found a great site for all interested in rubber roofing their rigs. It has ask "an expert" and all info on rubber roofing.
http://www.mobilehomerepair.com.  I found it very informative.

[ibdilbert01]

Sent: 7/27/2008

I had a few extra hours yesterday and swapped my black EPDM rubber with white 45 Mil thick Professional Grade TPO, white.

I've never worked with TPO before and thought it would be about same as EPDM. The TPO is much stiffer and harder to fold around corners. But after some hard work and a bit of sweat I got her finished.

Things I've learned that work really well on roofs.

1. Eternabond tape
2. Pure Silicone
3. Gutter Sealer Silicone

I always run a beed of silicone on the edges of the eternabond tape to keep the edges clean and to keep wind from peeling it up.

Gutter Sealer has more of a rubber texture than regular silicone. Once applied to plastics and metals, its doesn't come off like regular silicone. I've broken plastic items trying to get this stuff off, so be careful.

A small storm came through last night and so far the rig is showing no leaks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one!

[SmallDiscoveries1]

Sent: 10/21/2005

Oh, I forgot a couple of things. Seeing that you live pretty close to Bloomington, IL. I could bring you all the glue you will need for the rubber so you won't have to buy it. I can also give you a video tape I bought on applying the rubber.

The best place I found, costwise on the EPDM is here:

https://www.rvsurplussalvage.com/catalog/display.php?product_id=1883

It is $170 for 20 feet and $42.50 for 5 more feet. I believe it cost me about $90 to have it shipped from Elkart, IN to Columbus, IN. You could of course make a trip over there and pick it up.

That place is also a really good place to get vents and vent covers and refrigerator vents too. I highly recommend them. I have bought quite a bit of stuff from them and have been very pleased.

Steve 

[nikoj]

EPDM, TPO and PVC
I'm going to replace my roof in June and need to decide which single ply membrane material to use. I hear EPDM gets chalky and streaks fairly quickly, has anyone had dealt with this problem?  Reading up on TPO and PVC  online is sort of funny, it's like a cat fight between the representative groups on which is the worst product. I imagine all three would be more than adequate, TPO and PVC  need to be heat welded around penetration fittings, making the process a bit more complicated. Has anyone had a leaking EPDM roof?

nikoj

[ibdilbert01]

"TPO and PVC  need to be heat welded around penetration fittings"

I just used clear gutter sealer.  No leaks so far.  I also used rubber carpet glue to glue it down.   On a professional note, I think they all will work just as well.  I went with the TPO because it was cheap, and I'm a tight@$$.   :-X

[nikoj]

Did you get your TPO through a retailer?

[ibdilbert01]

I bought it on ebay mid summer last year.    I don't think it was very much, 100 bucks or around that for an 8ft x 25ft piece. 

[rsflight]

We repaired and reroofed the entire RV last year with EPDM rubber.  I documented the process and it can be seen at RV Reroof

[Froggy1936]

Here is an option for rubber roof from an ad in a local (North Wales Paper) Quality unknown  if you are interested give em a call  Ad read   New Rubber Roof 10 ft x 50 ft Roll  $175.00               610 944 0773   5/9/2010  Frank

[jkilbert]

i'm planning on a roof replacement  in the next year or 2 and i'm looking into the liquid epdm roofing. this site has some really good info

http://liquidroof.net/

[hose-man]

I did a TPO roof because a local commercial roofer was willing to give it to me for free.   It was the end of a roll & not much use to him.   It is thick and feels very durable.   I put a new roof structure on too, with some crown to it for drainage.   Gluing the roof on was a sticky messy adventure with the contact cement they use to adhere it.    Everything turned out pretty nice.   There were a number of bubbles when i first did the roof, but they laid down over the next few months.   

There was no welding necessary at the roof openings.  All the standard vent caps & structures work fine with butyl tape underneath & self leveling lap sealant over the top.   I discussed using commercial roof vent boots with the fellow who gave me the materials, but he suggested that it would would fine & be much cheaper to just do it the way the RV mfgrs do it.

The only thing left to do is the corners.   The TPO is thick and doesnt fold over itself very well.   I plan to stop & visit the roofer to get a pointer on how to best finish the TPO at the corners.

Time will tell how durable it really is, but right now I'm sleeping well at nights knowing theres no worry of a leak.
 

[bigwave]

You  could goto walmart and for 35.00 get the rhino liner gallon and apply it yourself. I did that on a tralier i had cost me 90.00 3 gallons and has never leaked  great stuff

[jkilbert]

the rhino lining would probably work but one problem....it's black....and black absorbs heat. gpratt here has a black rubber roof that was applied by the PO on his winnie, i have a white kool-seal coating on mine. on a bright sunny day there is good 30deg difference in temp between the two, his being notably hotter. it is hot enough that his a/c will run continuously.  Hm? Hm? rhino lining from a shop that installs it does come in colors to match your truck....i wonder if they have white??

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Rhino lining does come in white...you can even order it on Ebay and whatnot in white and a few other basic colors.

If your roof is solid though, and you haven't reroofed it with rubber, then stick with Kool Seal or a similar white elastomeric coating.  Much more cost effective than Rhino, and lighter...and easier to recoat in the future.  I've even had good luck with the Henry brand, sold at Home Depot, for around 60.00 for 5 gallons.

Kev

[bigwave]

True. I work in the hvac business and I came across some of the best stuff you can buy for metal to prevent leaks or fix a current leak. The stuff last until you use a slovent to dissolve or grind off. Its used from anything from a condensate pan to a cooling tower on a buidling the one that cost upwards of 200,000 grand. So if the stuff is good enough for a building and a compays reputation then its good enough for a rv. And its white and the price is 95.00 for 5 gallons. Its a two part system resin and hardner.Stuff is the best