Anyone Ever Install a Rubber Roof?

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KandT

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Got tons of micro cracks and am getting some water in my 11 year old EPDM roof.

Looks more tedious than difficult to replace.  I am guessing I can do it in two 12 hour days.

Has anyone done this and can pass on success or advice? 

Sounds like the painted products are not the way to go.

Thanks!
 
Haven't done it, but the process doesn't seem difficult. Just effort to remove and replace everything, seal all the seams, etc. Be prepared to find damage to the substrate, though. If water has been getting in, there is likely to be rot in places.

Don't use a roof coat if there are physical cracks or holes in the old EPDM. Those products are designed to replace a worn-away surface coating, not to repair damaged EPDM.
 
I have  never heard of a roof going bad in 11 years. Are you the original owner? If it was used rig somebody must have put something on the roof to clean that caused it.

Now I have never had to replace one but if you have some good help and I would think a cat walk on both sides so you can pull the material over it at the same time it shouldn't be to bad of a job. Just make sure you get all the wrinkles out before the glue dries.

Good luck
 
Thanks guys - I'll try to upload a couple of pics this weekend.  I never seem to be able to get them to size right.  Maybe I just have some bad caulking but it is completely microcracked where I can easily see the black under the white exterior.
 
From what I have observed, if water has come in from the roof I would plan on replacing the damaged plywood. The local dealership buys it from Lowe's or Home Depot at around $12.00 a sheet.

In helping a pal of mine we spent the first day removing vents, antennas, AC's and actual roof material. Second day spent correcting the damaged substrate and adding wire, cable and HDMI just for future use. Next weekend the roofing was installed and left to dry. After that the items removed were reinstalled with a lot of Dicor sealer. 

Overall the job was pleasant with only few cuss words. We just took our time with a lot of thought on how to proceed at each step. It is doable for a couple of DIY'ers Worst part was the AC's. We slid them up and down on a ladder then sat down with a cold beer for reward. 
 
We replaced our rubber roof a few years back.  It was 18years old.  I posted an article in the library section under major repairs, or http://www.rvforum.net/miscfiles/RV_re-roof.pdf

It was not difficult but time consuming.  It's also best done with 1-2 helpers.
 
Wow Bob, that was a really good description of replacing a rubber roof. I personally like the plastic roofs like I had on my Holiday Rambler motorhome, now sold. Now I am looking at a travel trailer that comes with a rubber roof.


Bill
 
OK so here are some pics.  Do you think my roof needs replaced or just recaulked?  We found the rot in the bedroom indirectly below the vent in the pic.

By the way, if a ceiling does get wet how long would the luan stay that way?  I went over it with caulking a month before the problem was discovered and it was still wet.

Thanks to Bob for a detailed and well written description!!

It does look like micro-cracks on the roof surface but as I am learning about EPDM I am thinking it is just the black underlayment showing from UV deterioration.

Oh and one more thing - The only place I feel "squish" is near a cutout like a sunlight and at one "seam" under the EPDM.  I weigh 200 pounds (well actually 197 :) and a GENTLE up and down motion does not feel weak.

Oh how I wish I had X-Ray vision to see if I had rot under there!!
 

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My brother's neighbor replaced the rubber roof on his Bounder. My brother let him use his shop so he could get it completely inside. Jay took all the trim & edging off and everything on the roof off. Just peeled the old one off, and rolled the new on and sealed it up. took a couple weekends but wasn't too terribly difficult, just a little time consuming.
 
Jay had top replace quite a bit of plywood due to rot but that's right, he and his brother-in-law took all the old off and did the ply repairs. Got the new stuff in and we rolled it all out on top of the coach to make sure it was square, then rolled it back up and started gluing it down. Used a thick nap paint roller and rolled the glue on about 3 feet at a time and rolling the roof material onto the glue and worked out the air bubbles with a squeegee as we went. Took about an hour or so. Then they put all the things back on. Guess it fixed it, he said it didn't leak.
 
I would replace it if the majority of the roof looks the pic with the tear.  If it's localized maybe not.  Hard to say without seeing it.  If you plan on keeping it a while it's probably better off to suck it up and do right once.

Luan is a sponge, and falls apart once it gets saturated.  Depending on what type of foam was used as insulation it could stay wet almost indefinitely.  The water gets trapped between two non breathable surfaces and just slowly ruins everything.

If you think that is the case then I would allow the time to replace the roof and repair accordingly. Shouldn't be a horrible job.  A couple weekends.  Just need good weather.
 
Thanks God's Country.  There are only two tears about 4 inches long apiece. 

I can see what you mean about it getting trapped indefinitely as slowly rotting things out.  I am hoping that is what has happened with some old caulking so far.  I looked at it today and in Pennsylvania the one discovered rot hasn't dried since it was literally frozen. 

I noticed some possible soft spots by the a/c and wondered if it needed the cover taken off and carefully inspected.

Always something too learn!!  I don't think I am in a point where it will cause me troubles bel during a trip so I may just put some UV protectant paint and everbond and caulking and call it a day. 

Tough call.  I will second guess myself many times.
 
I'm in Pa too, so I get you.

BTW I was primarily concerned with the cracking in the close up with the tear, not so much the tear.
Get it tarped!

Let us know what you end up doing and how you made out.
Good luck with it.
 
A couple of small tears can be fixed using Eternabond tape and not worry about tarps. It comes in various widths. Replacement of a whole roof because of a couple of small tears seems a bit excessive.
 
I have some eternabond on the tears now.

In regards to the white cracking - that's the concept behind the Dicor paint correct?  I understand the Dicor product doesn't fix a broken roof but should it fill those cracks down to the black underlayment so the life of the roof is extended??

This is a starter RV so paint that extended the roof life would be more in order if possible.  It was raining today and nothing seemed to be leaking so I may have caulked the problem shut (and sealing the water in) with my end of year maintenance.
 
we had our roof replaced a few years ago - here's the link for this post on this site: http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,60072.msg561308.html#msg561308
still looks great !
 
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