Milky water streaks off roof

llcrooks · 01-02-2021, 07:16 AM

Rain water that runs off the roof of my Winnie Journey Express leaves milky white streaks on my paint and windshield. Why is it milky? Is there some maintenance I should do to the roof?

**creativepart** · 01-02-2021, 07:49 AM

Your RV’s roof requires regular cleaning and inspection. Many of us also apply a protective application of wax or some UV shield product.

The items on your roof take the brunt of nearly constant UV exposure. As a result, sealants and caulks age, crack, and shrink, causing leaks. Plastics become thin and brittle which also can lead to leaks.

Yearly roof inspections are a minimum necessity but many inspect their RV’s roof quarterly or monthly.

The white streaks are probably oxidation from the filon roof material telling you to wash your roof.

Cataska · 01-03-2021, 07:12 AM

Could also be layers of dust warshing off if you dont keep it clean.

SoCo40 · 01-04-2021, 12:13 PM

Happy New Year

It does sound like oxidation. Looked up Avon, you also have a lot of trees. In southern IL. my troubles are farm dust and tree pollen. Keep it clean and waxed. Hope it helps.

llcrooks · 01-04-2021, 04:11 PM

I’m afraid to wax it because that could make it slicker for me when I get up there. Is there a non-slippery wax?

SoCo40 · 01-05-2021, 08:03 AM

Not that I know of. Might just start with a good washing.

DGundy · 01-10-2021, 04:38 PM

I purchased a gallon of Formula 303 for the roof. They also make a Formula 303 Tire Balm for your tires. These products protect against UV damage.

R2D2 · 01-10-2021, 06:18 PM

We had a protective sealant applied to our roof last year. This year we still have a milky runoff, so it's unlikely ours is oxidation; more likely caused by sealant deterioration.

Journey39n · 01-10-2021, 11:37 PM

My personal belief is you don't need to do anything extraordinary. I just use a brand name automotive wash & wax soap, to wash the outside and roof of my Journey Express, perhaps washing it twice a year.

Except for the front for bug removal, (and that has diamond coat), I have never waxed the RV. Been in lots of sun and rain, plus all over the country in all sorts of conditions.

Works great, looks great, always getting complements that the RV looks new. Never have had any issues. The white streaks seem to appear after slight rainfall or heavy dew, only occasionally, but after a hard rain they go away. That leads me to believe it is just dust being washed off.

But then the rig is mostly gray and silver with some black and crimson swirly stripes, might not show the white streaks as much as on your rig. I have only owned this rig for just over 10 years, so perhaps others know much more than me.

NeilV · 01-11-2021, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2D2

We had a protective sealant applied to our roof last year. This year we still have a milky runoff, so it's unlikely ours is oxidation; more likely caused by sealant deterioration.

If they didn't do a good job cleaning up the old oxidation the new sealant coat often won't last even a full year. I will use PolyGlow to seal the roof every few years or so after giving it a good going over with a light duty floor scrubber. The roof on a Winnebago is just like the rest of it and will oxidize just like a fiberglass boat left out in the sun without regular washing and waxing.

calendarboy · 01-11-2021, 06:13 AM

On my 2015 Winnebago Forza it became obvious that the white streaking was coming from the white, bare portions of the roof. Worse, scrubbing the roof actually seemed to make the situation worse.

I searched online for info. I called Winnebago.

Winnebago said the white roof is fiberglass. If white is washing off of it, it is oxidized fiberglass. The gel coat is gone.

It amazes me that Winnebago did not paint the roof to protect the gel coat and fiberglass.

People talk about waxing the roof for protection. I think it needs to be painted or treated with some coating to protect it. Luckily, the white area is not visible from the ground. So you can paint it with a brush or roller or whatever.

**creativepart** · 01-11-2021, 08:23 AM

Actually, there is no gelcoat on Winnebago roofs. The roof material is Filon. The same stuff that’s on the sidewalls of your RV.

It is fiberglass reinforced plastic but not a fiberglass/epoxy layer with a gelcoat surface.

The top surface of the Filon can oxidize so waxing or UV coating can help, just like on the sides of your RV. But it’s not particularly long lasting in the sun and rain.

R2D2 · 01-13-2021, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeilV

If they didn't do a good job cleaning up the old oxidation the new sealant coat often won't last even a full year. I will use PolyGlow to seal the roof every few years or so after giving it a good going over with a light duty floor scrubber. The roof on a Winnebago is just like the rest of it and will oxidize just like a fiberglass boat left out in the sun without regular washing and waxing.

Agreed, we have it done yearly. We don't use a floor scrubber, but rather an automotive buffer.