Essential Reasons for Regular RV Roof Maintenance
Imagine walking into your RV and noticing a puddle on the floor. Looking up, you see water dripping through a crack in the ceiling. You’re on vacation, miles away from any RV repair service. What do you do? You could duct tape the hole and hope for the best, but professional prevention is always better than an amateur cure.
The average RV roof needs to be resurfaced every three years, and even a well-maintained RV roof should be replaced entirely after twenty years. Your RV roof takes the brunt of rain, snow, and other weather damage, and regular RV roof maintenance is essential to keep your RV working properly. Before diving in and searching “RV service near me,” take some time to learn about the most common types of roof damage and why maintaining your RV roof is necessary.
Reason #1: Prevent Leaks
Leaks are the most common RV roof problem. They often occur around vulnerable points such as the seams around vents and the screw holes in roof mounts. Untreated leaks get worse over time, weakening the structural integrity of your RV.
Typically, leaks are not caused by sudden catastrophic damage. They come from the gradual wear and tear of ordinary RV life. Sun exposure dries out sealants, causing them to crack and allowing moisture to penetrate the roof. Driving on rough roads vibrates the RV, leading to small tears in the roofing material. Cold weather is an especially serious cause of leaks. In below-freezing temperatures, water enters tiny roof cracks and freezes. Water expands when it freezes, and the expansion widens the gaps. Bigger cracks allow more water to penetrate, the water freezes again, and the whole vicious cycle repeats.
Try to protect your RV from extreme temperatures to prevent leaks. However, no matter how diligent you are about RV roof maintenance, a few roof leaks are inevitable. You can check the roof yourself, but a professional should do the actual repair process. They have the tools to do the job properly and the experience to know what kind of damage to look for.
If you have a new RV, get the roof checked for leaks every two or four years, depending on the weather conditions it has been exposed to. If you purchase a used RV, get it serviced before taking it on a trip. You don’t want to discover a roof leak when you’re stuck in the wilderness during a rainstorm.
Reason #2: Fix Rust Damage
Rust damage is another common roof issue, especially among older RVs. Poor maintenance and repeated exposure to rain exacerbate rust problems, but even a well-maintained RV is bound to develop a few rust spots over time. If the rust damage is mild, an RV technician can simply remove the rust and resurface the roof. However, severe rust spots eventually turn into holes. If your RV has developed a hole, the technician will need to weld in new metal to repair it.
Never try to weld an RV roof by yourself. Being up high and handling hot metal is a recipe for disaster. Getting rust damage treated by an experienced RV roof repair service is essential. Ask the technician to check for and repair rust spots whenever you take your RV in for maintenance.
Reason #3: Repair Damage From Accidents
Most RV roof damage is caused by time and weather exposure, but sometimes a major accident causes sudden severe damage. Large hailstones can dent an RV’s roof, and falling tree limbs and rocks may crash through it. Heavy snow can pile up and cause the roof to collapse. When these things happen, it’s time to call in a professional mobile RV service team.
If possible, try to get your RV serviced before winter. Winter weather is a major cause of RV roof damage, and preparing your RV ahead of time protects you from shelling out money to deal with damage later.
Good Sam RV ProCare
If you want a reliable and experienced RV roof maintenance service, contact Good Sam RV ProCare. With over 15 mobile RV technicians, we currently service areas in six states across the US.
In addition to roof maintenance, we provide refrigerator repair, deal with sewage issues, and handle almost any other RV problem. Just give us a call for a one trip fix!
