I own a 85 regal, 28' model, with an aluminum roof. It has no leaks, but I'm wondering what kind of maintenance I should perform to make sure it doesn't leak in the future. It is kept outside in the weather, all year round. Thanks
Jim

Attached to this post is the tech data for the stuff that is on there now. If you want to put another layer of that on, I have talked with the people at Anvil and they are very helpful.

I believe, (and what I will be doing this spring/summer) is cleaning the surface very well and putting on one or two coats of Kool Seal, (available from Camping World) and elsewhere.

If you search on Kool Seal you will find that many members have done that and have been satisfied. You are only likely to get moisture around vents, and other roof openings because the Barth roof on your coach and most other Barths is a single piece of aluminum. There are no gaps to leak and such.

I also leave my coach out in the elements, and have for seven years with out a problem but I am re-coating my roof because I will be spending time in warm climates this summer and it is my understanding that makes a big difference in reflecting solar heat.

Barth Roof Coating - Anvil 400 - (35 KB) ~

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bowers:
It is my understanding that makes a big difference in reflecting solar heat.

You betcha. I was up top recoating a trailer roof while my wife was inside. She came outside and was surprised to see the sun shining. It had cooled off inside so she thought the sun had gone behind a cloud.

I would also advise checking for any sealant put on by previous owners. It might not be good stuff, and will serve as an indicator of a problem area. Get rid of all you can, especially if it is silicone. One area to check is where the ladder attaches to the roof. That is the only leak area on Barths that I know of. Even if it is not previously resealed, reseal it anyway. My preference for spot sealing is Liquid Roof or Liquid Rubber. Some here have done their whole roof in it, but I just use it for sealing where Dave mentioned.

Dave,

I coated the entire roof with Liquid Roof three years ago. I didn't have any leaks, but wanted to preserve a good seal while the roof was still in good condition.

I will be replacing the old roof vent this season with a Fantastic Fan and will need to reseal the unit. I remembered that JNK Products also carried small quantities of Liquid Roof for jobs such as this. I pulled out my old invoice and here is what I spent in September of 2004. I purchased a five gallon pail of Liquid Roof for $319.00 including shipping. On my 36 foot regency, I used about four of the five gallons in the pail. Since I mixed the entire pail with the catalyst, the remainder was discarded.

It is a laborious process and it took me about six hours to complete. About three hours into the job, I realized I would not complete my work before night fall with out assitance. I enlisted my wife and 25 year old son to help. That did the trick.

Most of the time was taken up with the brush work sealing around all of the protrusions in the roof. I used an 18" heavy duty driveway sealer squeege to cover the flat areas on the roof. That worked really well. I started using a roller, but the Liquid Roof was too thick for rolling, hence plan B "the squeege".

I have had no leakes since the re-coating and have been happy with the durability of the Liquid Roof.

One thing I have noticed is that it gets dirty more quickly than the original coating. I need to use a rubber roof cleaner to do a good job of cleaning it. Regular car wash soap does not do as good of a job.

Bill G

Once Liquid Rubber is mixed, there is a pot-life to it, but it is also very temperature sensitive.....On my application, I ran out of daylight, placed the mixed contents in the shop refrigerator, and used it the second day to finish and the third day to touch-up & double coat some spots.....even played with it on another small project about a week later.....

Two caveats: Use a GEARED 1/2" drill to mix....You'll definately smoke a consumer-grade drill to mix properly, and wear only clothes that you intend to throw away.....

Kool-Seal works really well. Years ago I did an addition on my house; the roofing is sheetmetal. I pickled, primed and Kool-Sealed the new roofing sheets, and laid them in the yard in the sun. After drying a couple of days, I tackled installation.

When I joined the new panels with the old, I slid the new panel up and then grabbed the existing panel to align the two. Big mistake - the new panel was cool; the old panel burned my hand.

Which is the better product???

Liquid Roof -vs- Cool Seal

What is the cost difference???

Is one easier to MIX and APPLY than the other???

What is the CURING -or- DRYING Time for these products???

quote:

Originally posted by Medic37:
Which is the better product???

Liquid Roof

quote:

What is the cost difference???

A lot

quote:

Is one easier to MIX and APPLY than the other???

Yes.

I have used them both. Liquid Roof is better, but more expensive and more work. I use it for sealing real or potential leaks. I use Kool Seal for coating a non-leaking roof. Kool seal has sealed some leaks for me and failed to seal others. It is more likely to seal very minot leaks where there is very little gap or movement or puddling. Barths are pretty solid, so Kool Seal might be good enough.

Kool Seal requires no catalyst - it air-cures. If the surface is clean, it adheres very well. The Kool Seal on my house roof handled 100+ mph winds in the 2004 hurricanes. It's easy to apply. I did 1200 sq. ft. of roof (not including prep) in one day, using a deep-knap roller.

Besides being a snap to apply, it seals small fissures.

Why wouldn't you use Anvil if it was the original coating on Barths? Also what product(s) did you use to clean the top in preparation for recoating it?

Mike

Just recoated my roof two weeks ago. Pressure washed the roof(lots of dirt that scrubing would not remove). This left a perfect base coat,checked
all seams, rivits and applied the first coat of ANVIL 400. Put the second coat on the next day. It seems the hardest part of the job was the glare
from the sun. ANVIL 400 is definately WHITE. We have had two humongas rain storms and it's a nice feeling to know you are protected............