Washing M/H Roof (1 Viewer)

[Corky 8]

Good morning to you all, Could someone Please tell me the easiest way to wash the top of my Motorhome, its a Bessacarr E720, I spent most of the morning with the M/H pulled up tight to the side of garage with me on the garage roof a long wash brush taped to a longer broom handle ,it worked ,but not too good around tv antenna and rooflights ,it also has a full roof rack and access ladder,which I,m reluctant to spread a board across and work from, how do you all Cope, the roof was completely green with algea when I collected it from Dealer who quoted health and safety would not allow them to get up to wash it,
Thanking you for any info Corky




SPECTAMUR AGENDO (by our deeds we are known)

 

[justme AKA Grath]

Roof cleaning

The dealer is just bone idle!!!
Mine was the same when I collected it
On my old van, I used to climb up the ladder and walk on the roof as checker plate fitted:thumb:
On my new van I use large step ladders and find them quite ok!
I just have to be carefull not to push them over when I am on them
But you R V 's will not have a problem as I believe they are walkable on!!!

 

[Jim]

Your Bessacar roof should be absolutely fine to walk on, I used to lash two 35kg canoes to our Bessacar E495 roof and I weigh just under 3 canoes!

Just be careful up there when it is wet

 

[TestPoster]

Hi Corky
Welcome to the forum by the way
Good question this..... I guess it is not possible to stand on the roof of your van and that being the case makes cleaning it a tad difficult. I once cleaned the roof of a Swift Kon Tiki that we owned for a while and found that I could stand on the rear of the roof where the rack was so that made it easier.
I mixed up a bucket of Biological Washing Powder (Ariel I seem to remember...) and spread it around with one of those long handled cleaning brushes that you can get from the shows etc.... I left it for a while (about 1/2 hour???) and then went and scrubbed as best I could from the rear roof, and then got a ladder leaned up against the awning rail to reach the front bit. I then used a pressure washer (set to a gentle setting) to blast away all the crap. The sides were covered in a green mess but that was easy to wash off....
This does an acceptable job because the enzymes in the washing powder are helping with the cleaning and you are not just relying upon that scrubbing action alone....
I hope this helps

Keith

 

[Corky 8]

Thanks Justme, I.ll give the roof walking a try, I may have to take the tape off the brushes and wrap it around my knees to stop them knocking,:thumb: Corky

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[justme AKA Grath]

Washing

On my previous van, I washed the roof every time that I washed the van, which was every time that it was used (every 2 weeks).
On my new van, I must admit that I have only washed the roof 4 times in as many months.
I expect that the reason is because I do not have a roof ladder fitted and no checker plate at the rear.
If you do decide to walk on the roof without checker plate, be careful not to leave any dents made by your feet or knee's

 

[Corky 8]

Much obliged Kands, I like the idea of biological washing powder, sounds just the thing, and I will have to set to and make an extendable brush,to suit the job, But thank you for your input it is appreciated Corky

 

[justme AKA Grath]

Bucket

If you do go up on the roof tie a rope to the bucket and when you go up onto the roof you can take up the brush, hose and the other end of the rope and then pull the bucket up by the rope. Be very careful not to scratch the side of your van with the bucket and do not lean out too far or you may fall over
Make sure that the hose will not kink and make sure that it is long enough!!!.
Very frustrating, when you have to climb down to unkink it or unravel it from a tow bar or similar

 

[Corky 8]

Hi Jim and Thank you for your advice, I think I weigh three canoes so should be ok , most of my other camping vehicles, Caravannette,s Caravans have not ben a problem washing, and my old motorhome, a Bedford CF Debonair (yes that long ago ) was shaped so the roof was accessable from a step ladder, Many thanks , Corky

 

[TestPoster]

Corky
Above all that has been said, I think it was Jim mentioned about being careful up there when the roof is wet.....
If you are at all concerned don't go up on the roof.... It is a long way down
The roof will be extremely slippery when it is wet, fistly from the algae that is up there and next from the soap solution. Please do be very careful mate and wear correct footwear for the job like a good pair of trainers.
Just a quick thought.... Can you find a large car wash (personally I detest tham and do not ever use them) that will be high enough for your MH? If so I would guess that it would do a reasonable job of scrubbing most of the green crap off?????
Whatever, Please do be careful up there........ I know how scary it can be on an RV roof when it is wet oh:oh:

Keith

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[justme AKA Grath]

Good point

Kieth (kands) good point about the foot wear.
I always went "up on the roof "(Drifters & Kenny Lynch) wearing trainers.
Once when very hot, I went up wearing flip flops and I could not stop sliding around and my feet were slipping out of the flip flops!!
Very dangerous!!! always wear trainers!!

 

[Corky 8]

Hi Keith, Thank you for your concern ,I will take all the advice on safety and put it to good use, I,m no spring lamb but still have a bit of agility left (so I think ) my wife came up with a suggestion ,take it round to the local Bus / coach Garage and ask them if they will or allow us to use their gantry, but I would be in fear of the Tv antenna etc getting knocked off. Thanks very Much Corky

 

[Don Madge]

Roof cleaning expert

Keith is the roof cleaning expert, he has all manor of gadgets to clean on top of his van.

He knows where we live I'm hoping he will come and demonstrate his expertise. :thumb:

Don

 

[GJH]

On my new van I use large step ladders and find them quite ok!
I just have to be carefull not to push them over when I am on them

I'm the same - is it a Graham thing? In my case the steps (about as high as the van) are a legacy of the fact that there was a Leyland Cypress hedge in our garden when we moved here. I certainly wouldn't like to stand/sit on the roof of our Autoquest.

I bought a brush with a handle which can be adjusted for length. It can also be plugged onto a hose pipe but I only tried that the once (too awkward trying to deal with the weight of the hose as well). Nowadays I use a bucket with a solution of car shampoo in warm water - because of the length of the brush handle I can dip it in the bucket from up top. I still use a hose for rinsing off though.

I have to move the steps a few times to get all round the van but find that I can reach all parts of the roof in safety by doing so - better to move the steps a few times than reach too far and fall off

As regards the flying saucer aerial, perhaps I'm lucky in that it is pretty easily reachable from one side. From time to time I give it an extra going over with an ordinary car wash brush (easier to get at the underside than with the big brush).

I also use the car wash brush for giving the awning channel a good clean out - I found that it was muck lodged in there which was the main cause of black streaks when we first got the van - don't have such problems these days.

The roof doesn't actually get all that dirty so I tend to wash it just every other time I do the sides. Getting dead flies off the Luton actually cases me more work

Graham

 

[GJH]

Keith is the roof cleaning expert, he has all manor of gadgets to clean on top of his van.

He knows where we live I'm hoping he will come and demonstrate his expertise. :thumb:

Don

Maybe we should have a "Keith demonstrates roof cleaning on various different vans" meet

Graham

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[Corky 8]

Hi Don Hi Graham, I,m taking in all suggestions and have been looking on web sites at various brushes, some half decent ones on Towsure.co.uk ,looking for one with a deep but narrow (thats Irish ) ok narrow but deep brush head, to facilitate getting around objects like TV antenna (cant spell Aerial ) . I do have a jet washer which I will have to bring into play albeit used at a distance so as not to lift the paintwork, has any of you used the Brand name products for cleaning you R/V M/H and do they work any better than Car Shampoo/washwax,
Corky

 

[justme AKA Grath]

Jet washer

Be careful with the jet washer. Reasons,
You could get water in the van via any roof vent or roof light and also maybe too much pressure for any panel seam joints.
Just depends on how powerful and where you aim it!

 

[TestPoster]

Hi Corky
My brush is like Link Removed and Linda (LC1962 and a half ) sells Link Removed
This is a superb product that cleans well and leaves a decent shine too.....
My secret ingredient is called ELBOW GREASE ..................................
HTH

Keith

 

[justme AKA Grath]

Regular

To be quite honest Guys, I find that as I clean the roof regularly and the rest of the M/H every 2 weeks (longest interval) it never really gets too dirty and is very easy to give a quick clean.:thumb:
I think that if you leave the roof washing intervals too long it would make it hard work!:Blush:

 

[GJH]

My brush is similar to Keith's. I bought mine at a branch of Boyes (Yorkshire store group) for about £10 but I've seen them in other shops since.

I tend to wash the van each time we get home from a trip to remove flies/road muck. If we are at home for any length of time without using it I'll give it a wash when it looks necessary - I can see the state of the roof from the landing window.

Graham

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[TheAleMan]

My motorhome has a roof bar that goes all the way around it,so all I`m gonna do is put a couple of 8ft ish boards across and work off of them.have`nt tried it yet though,I like to work myself up first when it comes to cleaning stuff.

steve

 

[Corky 8]

Thanks Guy,s....... Keith I have ordered one of those brushes ,it actually looked like what I had in mind for the job ,I,m sourounded by forestry where I live so Algae is prone to grow on anything moving or not,I will try and keep up a cleaning Regime ,considering what I paid for the M/H its only right I look after my investment,I have bought a book on French Aires,Ive bought one on Markets of France, I intend buying a Sat Nav (when Ive made my mind up which one, ) Sony and Garmin are the front runners just now, are there any other books / guides you think I should know about, once again thank you all for your contributions Regards Corky.

 

[JayDee]

Maybe we should have a "Keith demonstrates roof cleaning on various different vans" meet

Graham

Maybe he could be the designated "Expert"?

Probably not a lot of help at this time of year, too cold:Sad:, but the most slip resistant thing I found was nothing - bare feet seemed a lot less slippery than anything else. Whatever you do wear, though, check there are no stones caught in the tread pattern of the soles - nasty damage .
I was advised by the dealer who sold us the Eldis that it was not a good idea to go further forward than the start of the lump (just forward of the middle roof vent.

Hope this is useful.

John

 

[justme AKA Grath]

Good advice

Maybe he could be the designated "Expert"?

Probably not a lot of help at this time of year, too cold:Sad:, but the most slip resistant thing I found was nothing - bare feet seemed a lot less slippery than anything else. Whatever you do wear, though, check there are no stones caught in the tread pattern of the soles - nasty damage .
I was advised by the dealer who sold us the Eldis that it was not a good idea to go further forward than the start of the lump (just forward of the middle roof vent.

Hope this is useful.

John

Good advice about stones caught in your shoe soles (I forgot to post that) as I had found that problem.

 

[sammclouis]

i just got my brother to clean the motorhome....unfortunately....THE ROOF WAS LEFT DIRTY...
i did the inside cleaning while he did the outside for me.....he didnt have much time so next time im sure he will do the roof...:thumb:

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[Corky 8]

Think you would need feet like a Hobbit to spead the weight evenly, I,m suprised the commercial boys havent picked up on this and come up with platform which you can take apart after use ,something on the lines of the scaffoding tublar section stuff. now theres an idea.oh:

 

[justme AKA Grath]

Time

Corky,
You must be aware that all the preparation of planks and scaffolding takes too much time!!.
If I use steps or as was the case with my previous van I went up on the roof!!.
Both of these only took 10 mins max and I would expect it would take you that long just to prepare and then you would have to do the job and then dismantle again..
Just use some steps but be careful!!:thumb:

 

[pappajohn]

Corky
Above all that has been said, I think it was Jim mentioned about being careful up there when the roof is wet.....
If you are at all concerned don't go up on the roof.... It is a long way down
The roof will be extremely slippery when it is wet, fistly from the algae that is up there and next from the soap solution. Please do be very careful mate and wear correct footwear for the job like a good pair of trainers.
Just a quick thought.... Can you find a large car wash (personally I detest tham and do not ever use them) that will be high enough for your MH? If so I would guess that it would do a reasonable job of scrubbing most of the green crap off?????
Whatever, Please do be careful up there........ I know how scary it can be on an RV roof when it is wet oh:oh:

Keith

including the stupid flying saucer tv aerial..................

john

 

[Corky 8]

Graham, you know your right, I suppose if I wash it say every other week I should become confident enough in doing it by Christmas, I keep telling the wife how slim she looks and she must have lost a lot of weight ,and how it would be best for her to be on top of the M/H being a light weight, and being use to doing the cleaning, It didnt go down to well,

 

[TestPoster]

Hi Corky
With that sort of smooth talking I think you are gonna be a lot slimmer by Christmas matey

Keith

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