Oak trees are winning

[Pete Hanson]

We live in a very nice oak forest here in Massachusetts. The problem with this is that oak trees are very dirty trees and we have to canstantly clean outdoor furniture etc. Well, I got up on the roof of the Monty yesterday with my trusty bottle of Thetfords roof cleaner and discovered that the stains are getting tougher and tougher to get out of the Dicor roof. I got a lot of dirt off the roof but it still looks dirty which really bugs me. I hate the thoughts of covering our rig but it may have to come to that unless someone on the MOC forum knows of a stain removing miracle.

[Okie Guy]

Pete,

My Miss Monty is also by Oak Trees here in Oklahoma. I have been battling this for a year straight now. I clean every 3 months and I also use Thetfords. I tried a couple of other things but always go back to Thetfords in the end. I have some spots which are stained and just will not come white. I gave in and stopped scrubbing before I wore a hole through the rubber. Good Luck on the spots.

Also...I considered the RV Cover but I am not sure those are such a good idea. I questioned whether they would wear a hole on the sides of the roof with wind moving. Also the wear on the sides from putting the cover on then taking it off. Would that dull/scratch the finish on the sides? I sure would like ot hear from someone who has used one of these covers.

Good Luck!
Phil

[RC and Samantha]

We have this problem. Our Montana sits under two very large Oak trees. We found that some of it is mold. We have used a bleach and water solution a couple of times and it all comes pretty white. One of the service guys from Keystone customer service told us to try it several years ago. You apply it and let it set for a while to does it's work.

In the past we used that 303 Aerospace Protectant once and it made the whole roof look worse after a couple of months, the mold was worse than ever. Now we use no Protectant at all and it seems to stay nicer.

I have read that the covers are not a good thing, that wind and weather makes them rub in places you don't want them to and causes more problems than it helps.

So that is our stain removing miracle. Just be sure to rinse really well and watch your skin while applying.

Patty

[Glenn and Lorraine]

You know I have found the best way around a dirty roof. I don't go up there. Roofs are supposed to get dirty and I have learned to live with that. After all, how often do you scrub the roof of your stick house? About once every six months or so I do go up and clean the roof the best I can but I don't waste my time trying to get out all the stains.
Last year at the fall rally we had the Dicor folks in to give us tips on roof maintenance and their comment was, NOW remember these are the folks that warrant our roofs, that the only reason they want you on the roof is to inspect it. Check out all the seams and caulking around the vents and such for cracking and replace as necessary. They also said that the only reason they sell roof cleaning and protectant products is so they know you are using the right cleaning/protectant and not something harmful to the roof such as petroleum distillates, harsh abrasives or citric ingredients. They also said that one of the best cleaners is Dawn dishwashing liquid.
Dicor Roof Maintenance
Truth About EPDM Rubber Roofs
I guess we really will have to persue Dicor for another appearance at the Fall Rally.

[Snownyet]

Our stick home has a huge messy oak tree hanging over the rear patio, Ive found bleach and a brush to be the best solution to cleaning up the stains. A cheap gas leaf blower comes in handy too for those damn acorns.

[Pete Hanson]

Glenn, as usual your wisdom makes good sense. If you don't go up on the roof you won't get fustrated with the staining. I guess I'm one of those anal guys who likes my equipment to look good for as long as possible (even the roof) but I can get over it. I like living in the woods but these oak trees drive me crazy sometimes. Maybe the solution is to cut them all down and burn them in my woodstove. Ha Ha.

[crandallbradley]

Cheap pole shed,wooden roof.