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Old 08-07-2020, 08:44 AM   #1
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New guy looking for some help...

Hi all! I just purchased a 08 outlook 31c and while the inside was taking well care of the outside not so much. Its not that theres damage , just the walls and roof obviously were never polished and such. While i cant find any leaks, i just wanna get on it before that happens.
My question is, its a fiberglass roof, should i just polish and wax it to bring it up and protect it or should i use that dicor fiberglass roof coating? Im unsure as to what to do...any advice from you season guys or gals would be great!Thank you!
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Old 08-07-2020, 09:50 AM   #2
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It may boil down to personal preference. My 6 y/o fiberglass roof is leak-free but has been scratched by limbs, stained by leaves, etc. I clean it a couple of times a year and check / repair / replace all the sealants as needed - but haven't seen the need to coat it. Let's see what other owners say ...
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Old 08-07-2020, 11:25 AM   #3
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I haven't had an oxidized roof to deal with, but I do put 303 on the roof a couple of times a year. Wash down the top to get all the dirt off, rinse, let dry and apply. It also gives me a chance to look over all of the caulking and sealants and head off potential issues.

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Old 08-07-2020, 01:08 PM   #4
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Just be careful not to put anything on your roof to make it slippery, like wax. I have an '05 and I don't believe it was gel coated for that reason. I also only wash the roof when it gets really soiled with bird droppings or sap (Simple Green works very well on sap) from Pine trees. I also cover it between trips of more than 3 weeks or so. Good luck and enjoy your Outlook. You'll never regret purchasing a Winn.
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Old 08-07-2020, 03:29 PM   #5
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I just purchased a 2000 Adventurer and it hadn't been polished in a long time. The roof was oxidized so I power washed it and it is all white again. Surprisingly the caulk and self leveling sealant was in pretty good shape with only a couple of bad spots. But the edges of the roof are not caulked to the aluminum side rails. Winnebago suggests inspecting the rails every 6 months to make sure the caulk is ok. There is no sign of any caulk on mine at all. By all rights it should have ripped off by now according to reports. See Az Expert on YouTube for Winnebago roof repair and replacement. He really knows his stuff and answers replies just about every night. I am going to use NuFlex 311 to caulk the edges of my roof to the aluminum rails tonight. Fiberglass roofs require silicone based caulks and sealants.

Living in Arizona heat is a real problem. I coated my house and detached garage two years with Henry's Tropicool and am going to do the Winnebago too. It is pure silicone, expensive, but with a lifetime guarantee. It is so white that you can't stand on the roof without sunglasses. It really cooled down the garage. The only problem is you can not stand on it when it is wet, we coated a walk out roof deck and I learned the hard way. I don't want to go up on my MH every year and coat or polish it. I have read where others have used it and been happy But there are lots of purists who can't deviate from what the dealer recommends. Just another opinion.

Alex
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Old 08-12-2020, 07:40 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigA View Post
I just purchased a 2000 Adventurer and it hadn't been polished in a long time. The roof was oxidized so I power washed it and it is all white again. Surprisingly the caulk and self leveling sealant was in pretty good shape with only a couple of bad spots. But the edges of the roof are not caulked to the aluminum side rails. Winnebago suggests inspecting the rails every 6 months to make sure the caulk is ok. There is no sign of any caulk on mine at all. By all rights it should have ripped off by now according to reports. See Az Expert on YouTube for Winnebago roof repair and replacement. He really knows his stuff and answers replies just about every night. I am going to use NuFlex 311 to caulk the edges of my roof to the aluminum rails tonight. Fiberglass roofs require silicone based caulks and sealants.

Living in Arizona heat is a real problem. I coated my house and detached garage two years with Henry's Tropicool and am going to do the Winnebago too. It is pure silicone, expensive, but with a lifetime guarantee. It is so white that you can't stand on the roof without sunglasses. It really cooled down the garage. The only problem is you can not stand on it when it is wet, we coated a walk out roof deck and I learned the hard way. I don't want to go up on my MH every year and coat or polish it. I have read where others have used it and been happy But there are lots of purists who can't deviate from what the dealer recommends. Just another opinion.

Alex

The Winnegago fiberglass roof to awning rail joint usually requires a Manus Bond Urethane Adhesive Caulk and not Silicone. Silicone does not have the required Adhesive Properties. Get silicone into the roof edge joints and you will have to do a lot of cleaning and scraping to get a good bond with the correct urethane adhesive afterwards. Yes there are other good Urethane Adhesive Caulks out there so its a personal choice if you want to try a substitute once the roof warranty is over.
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Old 08-13-2020, 11:39 AM   #7
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DITTO Tropicool.............
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Old 08-13-2020, 12:01 PM   #8
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Just keep it clean

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave73 View Post
Hi all! I just purchased a 08 outlook 31c and while the inside was taking well care of the outside not so much. Its not that theres damage , just the walls and roof obviously were never polished and such. While i cant find any leaks, i just wanna get on it before that happens.
My question is, its a fiberglass roof, should i just polish and wax it to bring it up and protect it or should i use that dicor fiberglass roof coating? Im unsure as to what to do...any advice from you season guys or gals would be great!Thank you!
As the owner of an 07 Outlook 31, I can say the roof was one reason I bought the outlook. The fiberglass roof is about 1/4" thick so it would take something very serious to damage it. I have installed solar on the roof which is anchored into the fiberglass and then sealed with NUCO 311 which is what Winnebago uses for sealant on that roof. I've had to touch up a few spots over the years, but most of the original sealant is still on the roof and in very good shape. I inspect and hose clean it every 2 to 3 months and never had a problem.
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Old 08-13-2020, 08:21 PM   #9
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Are you sure that your fiberglass roof is a 1/4" thick? On my 2006 Sightseer it was maybe 1/16" thick.


If you have what you say it sure would add a whole lot of weight to the roof structure.
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Old 08-14-2020, 04:39 PM   #10
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I looked up the roof in the parts manual to try to give you a better idea, but it was of little help. According to the manual, my roof, inside ceiling, and all the foam insulation are one piece. I am positive about my roof outside thickness being 1/4" or better because I had to drill into it for the anchors for my solar. It actually looked like I was drilling into PVC when I did it, so the roof is probably some kind of thermoplastic and not actually fiberglass. I've never had a problem with a leak even though it has a few tree branch scratches. A lot more careful now with all the solar up there.
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Old 08-31-2020, 06:05 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jimkamery View Post
I looked up the roof in the parts manual to try to give you a better idea, but it was of little help. According to the manual, my roof, inside ceiling, and all the foam insulation are one piece. I am positive about my roof outside thickness being 1/4" or better because I had to drill into it for the anchors for my solar. It actually looked like I was drilling into PVC when I did it, so the roof is probably some kind of thermoplastic and not actually fiberglass. I've never had a problem with a leak even though it has a few tree branch scratches. A lot more careful now with all the solar up there.

I'm getting ready to do a lot of rehab work on my 2008 Winnebago Access 29T roof and I was wondering what you ended up using on yours? I was considering using a coating on my roof as well did you use one and If so how did it work out?
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Old 09-01-2020, 09:33 AM   #12
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Soap and water is all I have ever used on mine. I use a sponge to clean it and a hose to rinse it off. If it was not a 1 piece roof and if it was thinner, I might think about coating it with something, but the roof is 14 years old and other than resealing a few things with NUCO 311 which is what Winnebago uses on this roof, I have had no problems.
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Old 09-01-2020, 10:00 AM   #13
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Dicor i believe makes a coating for fiberglass roofs...but its for if its starting to fail like lots of spider cracks and such or holes...ect.
I asked the roof guy on youtube thats in arizona and does tons of rv roofs..he told me as long as the roof isnt compromised just a carwash with a wax in it is fine or if you want to go all out put a coat of wax on it.
After all, thats why winne made fiberglass roofs...
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Old 09-01-2020, 11:06 AM   #14
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I did not measure the fiberglass but I just did a vent replacement and it is near a quarter thick and does hols screws . I just treat my roof a bit less than I do a boat as it is much harder to work on and far less visible!
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Old 09-01-2020, 01:37 PM   #15
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On my 2003, the fiberglass roof is not 1/4" thick but it does have a backer of 1/4" luan.

I don't know what type of aggressive cleaners the previous owner must have used on my roof but it had some spider cracks and if you rubbed your hand over it, you got tiny glass fibers poking into you. This was very hard on my knees whenever I worked on it! I ended up coating it with Dicor Fiberglass Roof Sealant about 4 years ago. It has held up very well and cleans up well too. Good stuff but it takes a lot of very important prep work before you spread it on.
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Old 09-01-2020, 03:35 PM   #16
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On my 2003, the fiberglass roof is not 1/4" thick but it does have a backer of 1/4" luan.

I don't know what type of aggressive cleaners the previous owner must have used on my roof but it had some spider cracks and if you rubbed your hand over it, you got tiny glass fibers poking into you. This was very hard on my knees whenever I worked on it! I ended up coating it with Dicor Fiberglass Roof Sealant about 4 years ago. It has held up very well and cleans up well too. Good stuff but it takes a lot of very important prep work before you spread it on.

That is exactly what I wanted to hear thank you. My roof has been badly degraded by an assortment of things whether storm or cleansers (Not to mention the walnut tree it was under for an extended period of time). I had to use a heavy de greaser and firm bristle scrub brush (Not metal) to clean the tree junk off and then I found several spots where the fiberglass had hairline cracks.
With any luck I can get this done before winter.
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