Not every roof is made from the modern materials you’ll find today. Many old-style RVs come with metal roofs, which can prove tricky for owners who don’t know how to seal out cracks or damage in the metal. What do you need to know? What materials will you need? We’ve put together a brief guide for RV metal roof repair to help make things easy!
What You Need to Know
The most obvious difference is substantive: when you’re dealing with a roof made from metal, you have to think about repairs in a different way. Where you would normally address a leak in an RV rubber roof with simple cleaning and sealing, metal can sometimes be more treacherous. Metal that splits apart can even be sharp—so make sure you take the proper safety
precautions before repairing:
- Inspect and clean the area thoroughly before you start repairs. Metal that splits apart can become sharp and dangerous, which is why it’s so vital that you look for these issues before you get your hands dirty.
- Wear a good pair of protective gloves and safety goggles. Even if the safety goggles feel like overkill, their purpose is to prevent a surprise—like a swinging piece of metal or debris—that you never see coming.
- If you do move the metal around, be careful not to put it under too much strain. It’s better not to use too much force.
Not all metal roof damage will be an exceptional safety hazard. In some cases, you may simply need to seal out metal to help ensure a consistent roof that doesn’t let in any rain.
Use The Right Equipment
Start with an effective RV general cleaner. It’s important to use an environmentally safe product that won’t be corrosive to the metal. To accelerate the process, dry out the metal using a towel.
Once you’ve cleaned out the area and inspected the damage, you may find that you only have to seal a small area to get the roof back into working order.
The key here is to use an RV sealant that’s proven to work with metal. Our Silicone Rubber Sealant will do the trick. Not only can this sealant handle fiberglass and plastic, but it will safely bond to metal to create a quick cure that seals out the outside world. And because it’s an acid-free formula, it won’t corrode the metal or do more damage than other sealants might. Corrosion
is a real worry here—that’s why you’ll want to use a sealant that can handle metal and offer a quick cure without doing long-term damage.
Shop RV by LIFE
Want the right materials on hand to take care of just about any RV leak that you could potentially encounter? Then check out our RV sealants page to find the right sealant for your RV’s roof and its specific material.
