RV Rubber Roof Conditioning Tips and Products
Dave SolbergWe recently received a question from a Club member in regard to conditioning an RV rubber roof. They wondered, I’ve already cleaned the roof, is conditioning actually necessary? According to RV expert Dave Solberg, the answer is a definitive yes. Rubber roofs are constantly exposed to the elements, particularly UV rays that can cause the membrane to dry out and turn to chalk. Cleaning the material does not prepare it to endure these often harsh conditions.
For that reason, Protect All makes a line of products that are specifically geared toward protecting whatever kind of roof you have. Whether your roof is EDPM or TPO, there’s a conditioner to match. Dave explains which product is meant for your RV rubber roof, and tells you how best to use it to ensure you get that ten-year warranty!
We had an interesting question coming down the site about rubber roofs, and we've done a lot of videos on this, but I thought this was interesting. This owner watched the video on rubber roof maintenance and was concerned about the application of conditioner after the cleaning. They called Decor, the maker of the rubber roof and they said that conditioners were unnecessary and a waste of money. Just wash with 409 or Dawn dish washing soap. Why do you recommend using a conditioner after cleaning?
And I thought this was interesting, because I've done a lot of research on the rubber roof, the EDPM is one version, TPO, Alpha System. There's fiberglass, there's even aluminum and Decor actually has a rubber roof maintenance manual. And in that manual, they recommend cleaning depending on the type, they do not recommend 409, they recommend their cleaner. Some of the manufacturers recommend Dawn dish soap, the blue version to clean the material. But once you clean it, it's not conditioned, It's not protected from UV rays that are gonna make it chalk, And gonna make it deteriorate and dry up and even Decor sells a conditioning product on their website and through their dealer networks.
So it's a little concerning who she talked to at Decor that doesn't recommend their own product. I recommend using a conditioner because once you clean the unit, you're still gonna have that sun beating down on it, just like a tire or any other rubber component you would have in a vehicle's seals. You know, you use some type of UV protection on there. Now, I recommend a couple of different ones, this happens to be the rubber roof treatment by Protect All, and you'll notice that it's got UV protection built into it. Now this one's designed for EPDM.
Now, if you have an Alpha System, they recommend Murphy's oil soap. The way you can tell, is if you go inside the vehicle take one of your flanges down from a roof vent, you'll have some extra material that's kind of tucked in there, pull that material up, and if it's got a black background or rubber background it's going to be EPDM, that would be this product. If it has a white background, then it's going to be TPO. And if it has a fleece lined background then it's gonna be an Alpha System. Again, the Alpha wants to do the Murphy oil soap.
If I had a TPO, this is a product from Protect All, it's got UV protection built right into it, it's good for all surfaces, it polishes, it waxes, and it protects. And it's good for rubber fiberglass and a variety of different products. But, that's the reason I recommend conditioning because just cleaning is not gonna protect it from that sun. So it's gonna chalk, it's gonna dry up, and frankly you're gonna void your warranty because the rubber manufacturers recommend conditioning once a year to get that 10 year warranty.
What if your rubber roof material is the same color on the bottom?
I posted a question yesterday about using petroleum distillates on the roof membrane? I'm waiting for an answer because I have read that you cannot use them on EDPM. And where did it go? I thought it would be here.
looking at the RV rubber roof conditioning Tips. I've looked up Rubber Roof Treatment by Protect All that you recommend. I am having problems finding out how much is needed.. how many square feet will that spray bottle that you show in the video cover. thank you