Soft Roof

[Thunderman]

I know the general rule for roof maintenance is to wash with Dawn dish detergent of which I have done at least twice a year.
Now the roof has started to have the appearance of a "spider web" crack,and is very soft. I was on the roof a couple of days ago removing the A/C cover. In the process it seems the roof material had become very soft and some of the white area seemed to part from the black layer. The unit stays in the heat all the time and is 7 years old.

Have you experienced this and did you apply a coating?

Thanks!

[DonandJudy_12]

It would be useful to know more about your unit- What year? Where is the unit located most of the time? What state? JHMO- Don

[Thunderman]

The unit was purchased new in 2004 and is located in south central Texas.
Thanks!

[sreigle]

Weldon, I have no clue but you might call Dicor and talk to them about it. They might be able to answer your questions.

A word of caution to those who use Dawn or anything else to clean the roof... A couple of years ago in a seminar at one of our Goshen rallies the Dicor people said Dawn is good but do NOT use the version with a citrus smell. Same for any other product with a citrus base. The problem is birds and squirrels think there is fruit under there somewhere and start pecking and digging into your roof. Honest, that's what they said!

[Thunderman]

Thanks Steve,
I have talked to Dicor and they wanted pictures of which I have sent to them. They responded, they would like for me to wash it with a MEDIUM scrub brush and advise as to what the look and feel of the roof is like. I will do that in a day or two....it does seem they may be open to furnishing the material for a new roof and I would have to take care of the labor end. At least at this point Dicor is trying to work with me.

[Clemson1881]

Given time the hot sun will dry up and cause the white coating to become chalky. It will begin to crack and flake off. If your rig is parked in the sun it would have been good preventive maintainence to apply a protective coating yearly that keeps the roof from drying out. Dicor says nothing is needed, but I have seen what the sun does to rubber roofs. 7 years is a faster failure than usual though. In my experience it has been more like 10-12 years. You can clean the roof really good and apply a white coating at this point. Kool Seal, Dicor and others make the sealant especially for rubber roofs. Camper dealers and Camping World sells them. Do not leave the black exposed for long. The sun will cause it to heat up to the point it will burn a hole in your roof.

[Thunderman]

Greg,
Yes sir I have looked at the coatings available but will have to wait and see how things go with Dicor. The coatings are like many things, you find some who are happy with them and some who are not.
Thanks!