Testing has found that it is the waterproofing spray that is applied to the cut edges of the wood used for decking that causes this issue. At times, this spray interacts with the membrane occasionally causing the roof membrane to grow/attract mildew in the areas where that spray is underneath the membrane, this is why you only see the lines where the seams of the decking meet underneath. Upon inspection it is found that the underside of the membrane is still completely white. The decking water proofing spray causes a reaction with the membrane, mildew can grow on the surface of the membrane in those areas. Alpha has tested pieces of membrane that this has happened to and found that the membrane is not compromised. This is just a cosmetic issue and will not affect the ability of the membrane to keep water out and perform as intended.
Works great, had a similar issue with my 310GK. Was a little hesitant with the brass brush. No issues. I’d say it got about 90% of the mold. I think a second application would take it all off. Used a combo a the 30 second solution and then a simple green solution to clean the entire roof. Looking pretty good
I did however take some Facebook grief from folks stuck on the Grand Design manual when I shared your video. Grand Design suggests Dawn etc etc. This will destroy your roof. I guess they just bypassed the Alpha information. Thanks for the tip, I’m happy with the results.
Sure thing. It’s not something I use often just maybe once a year when I need those hard black stains removed. Otherwise I use Gabe’s Pride RV Streaker for all of my RV cleaning. Thanks for watching. bit.ly/3xTciRf
Good job! The roof was one of the first things we tackled when moving in. Being in South Florida we experience so much rain, we wanted to be sure everything was extra sealed, not just with silicone but eternal bond too.
Hi friend. Thanks for walking us through this process and introducing us to the 30 Second product and for the tip on avoiding the alcohol based product.
Never heard of a soft brass brush-cool! Luckily, with the Airstream roof, we really deal mostly with dirt and not algae, but I can see how that would be nice to use of other things that may grown mold or algae; like the hatches of our kayaks. It worked amazingly well. Thanks. Bill and DeAnna
Those little soft brass bristle brushes are good for polishing soft metal objects as well without scratching them. It is a great product to have on hand especially for the underside of the awnings!
That's a common issue with many RVs. Looks like it did a great job! Thanks for sharing! I came over from New Horizons to watch a video, leave a message and smash that big red button! Nice to meet you and Merry Christmas! Steve
Go buy pool shock and spray it on through the downstream injector of your pressure washer. Keep it wet and rinse after about 10 to 15 min of dwell time. No need to scrub even and you can actually rinse with low pressure. 30 second cleaner is literally just diluted down bleach aka sodium hypochlorite. 30 second cleaner is 5% SH pool shock is 12.5% SH and 1/2 the price. You need 4% SH to clean that so you can dilute pool shock 2 parts water 1 part shock and so for $5 you will make 3 gallons of cleaner thats going to work just as good. The only difference in 30 second cleaner to normal bleach or pool shock is the 30 second cleaner is more expensive and they add a few drops of bleach stable surfactant in it to help it foam up but your cleaning a horizontal surface so it doesn’t matter anyways, and honestly bleach clings extremely well on its own to most all surfaces, especially if they are covered in organic growth because it foams up when it comes into contact on organic growth. If you really want to add your own soap, you can use gain laundry detergent, but do not use any dish soaps because they are not bleach stable. Or if you really want you can go to any pressure washing or soft washing website and they are going to have detergents and surfactants which are the same thing that are going to be bleach stable but you really don’t need them to be honest. The surfactant I like to use is called Apple Wash. I wash a bunch of RV roofs and none of them are as clean as yours when I start, and I never have to scrub. Don’t be fooled by the label and sales gimmick of 30 second cleaner they are just watering down, bleach, then selling it to you for more than twice the price But fortunately, I know and understand how to read SDS sheets, and I’m just relaying the information for you.
No problem. Hope this helps. If you read the pinned comment at the top it explains why this happens. I believe Grand Design has addressed this issue on their newer campers.
Yes indeed! Just spray the underside of awning with it. Let it soak the spray off with water. Just don’t stand underneath cause it will act like a bleach on clothes! Ask me how I know lol
Boy how I understand how to fight the wind when recording. Thanks for this. I haven't seen a video of a safe TPO product that works as well as this does. You have me excited about making another video of roof cleaning and thanks to your links, I have ordered the chemical and brush. Do you know if this works on side wall black streaks as well?
Your welcome. The stuff is amazing for the roof and awning as well but it’s not recommended for the sides of your camper. While I don’t think it will hurt, it just wasn’t recommended. Think it has to do with possibly stripping the wax coating. For black streaks on the sidewalls I use Camco RV black streak remover. I believe I have a link for that as well. Thanks for everything and feel free to reach out with any questions.
Thank you. No I don’t, we don’t have a rubber roof either. Most 5th wheels are now TPO or EPDM roofs. I’m not sure the 30 seconds cleaner would be great for a rubber roof. Just always make sure to rinse it well afterwards. I only do this maybe once a year. Otherwise I just use Gabe’s Pride RV Streaker to clean the roof regularly 👍🏼
It should be safe on fiberglass. Straight from the company they say their cleaner is safe to use on most outdoor surfaces including fiberglass but they recommend you always test it on a small spot first.
Great find for dealing with the black lines on the roof. Thanks for sharing. I do have one question though. Your TPO roof membrane seems to have what appears to be a lot of rough texture or small bumps/bubbles in the video. Not sure if this is just from the lighting or not as our roof only has the regular TPO texture but otherwise it is fairly flat and smooth. Just wondering if it is just the way the video looks or if you are getting any delamination/damage caused from this product. I have tried researching the product but I can't really see if this product contains any petroleum products that could damage the roof membrane. What are your thoughts?
No bubbles or ripples on our roof 👍🏼 Our membrane remains as good as the day we got it. The 30 Seconds cleaner was approved by Alpha Systems, the company who makes the roofing material and Grand Design. I’ve only had to use twice up there, once a year. Just make sure you don’t get the 30 Seconds Cleaner with alcohol in it cause one of their products does have that. Thanks for watching
@@WhyWait Thanks for the reply. I have purchased this product and am looking forward to trying it on both our roof and awning this weekend. I made sure I did not purchase the one with alcohol.
Tried the 30 second cleaner on both the awnings and the black lines on the roof this weekend. I was amazed at how well this stuff worked and how easy it was. Great find and great recommendation! Just wondering if you clean the entire roof with 30 second cleaner or just on the black lines?
@@billking1558 stuff is great! Took a lot of research two years ago to find something that would work and was safe for the roof. Only use it maybe once a year when it’s time for a deep roof cleaning and the black streaks have come back. It pretty much gets on the whole roof so I do the whole roof with it. Always rinse well and rinse the sides of the camper. Now, I usually use Gabes Pride RV Streaker for routinely cleaning the roof and camper. Great stuff. If you check them out use promo code:WHYWAIT at checkout so they know we sent you 👍🏼 Video on that product comes out this month. www.gabespride.com/store/RV-Roof-and-Exterior-Cleaning-Kit-p153049056
Turns out if you read the pinned comment I made its more of a Grand Design issue. It’s the waterproofing spray they use on the cut edges of the wood trusses below the membrane. Sounds like an issue they have since addressed 👍🏼
I'd like to think that getting me a pair of them red sneakers would help me move around on the roof like a cat.......but alas.....at my age.....I think it is going to take more than that! lol
I agree buddy lol. This was one of my first videos I ever did from 3 years ago. It’s been a learning process. Tell you what though I have one now and those Texas winds still wreak havoc on it.
Its sodium hypochlorite and no thats not commercial grade bleach. (SH) Sodium hypochlorite is the active ingredient in ALL bleach and 30 second cleaner is 5% sodium hypochlorite. Normal laundry Clorox bleach and other brands contain 6% to 8% SH depending on what you buy. 30 second cleaner is literally a diluted down version of normal bleach and they just add a few drops of a bleach stable surfactant to help it foam up and maybe they add a tiny bit of aroma/scent fragrance then they mark up the price to twice the cost. You can go to the pool store and buy liquid pool shock and that will cost less than 1/2 the price of 30 second cleaner and thats going to be anywhere from 12.5 % SH strength or if its really fresh it may be as strong as 16% SH content because the SH number that you see on any bleach product is the number that the SH content settles at when stored under normal conditions. So basically you can go buy pool shock at $5 a gallon and dilute it 50/50 or even 2:1 if its fresh and for $5 your going to make 3 gallons of cleaner thats just as good as 30 second cleaner. I personally guy Sodium Hypochlorite once or twice a month and it comes in large totes on a truck to me so I get 440 gallons at a time and it arrives to me with a lab test result at 16.5%. Then I dilute it through a metering dial that mixes it with water and then I have another metering dial that mixes it with my soap so by the time it comes out of my gun at the end of my hose. I’m able to spray at the perfect percentage required for the substrate I’m working with with. I hope this was helpful. There are a lot of gimmicks and misinformation within the chemical industry so I figured I would shortcut you.
Testing has found that it is the waterproofing spray that is applied to the cut edges of the wood used for decking that causes this issue. At times, this spray interacts with the membrane occasionally causing the roof membrane to grow/attract mildew in the areas where that spray is underneath the membrane, this is why you only see the lines where the seams of the decking meet underneath.
Upon inspection it is found that the underside of the membrane is still completely white. The decking water proofing spray causes a reaction with the membrane, mildew can grow on the surface of the membrane in those areas. Alpha has tested pieces of membrane that this has happened to and found that the membrane is not compromised. This is just a cosmetic issue and will not affect the ability of the membrane to keep water out and perform as intended.
Always good to learn from other recommendations from actual people who have tested it out! Seems like a great product! 👍 Thanks for sharing!
Your welcome. Been using it for almost two years now and have been very pleased with it!
The side by side split screen was awesome 👏🏻
Yeah buddy. Movie magic!
Works great, had a similar issue with my 310GK. Was a little hesitant with the brass brush. No issues. I’d say it got about 90% of the mold. I think a second application would take it all off. Used a combo a the 30 second solution and then a simple green solution to clean the entire roof. Looking pretty good
I did however take some Facebook grief from folks stuck on the Grand Design manual when I shared your video. Grand Design suggests Dawn etc etc. This will destroy your roof. I guess they just bypassed the Alpha information. Thanks for the tip, I’m happy with the results.
Awesome product, really works with minimum effort. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
Sure thing. It’s not something I use often just maybe once a year when I need those hard black stains removed. Otherwise I use Gabe’s Pride RV Streaker for all of my RV cleaning. Thanks for watching.
bit.ly/3xTciRf
Good job! The roof was one of the first things we tackled when moving in. Being in South Florida we experience so much rain, we wanted to be sure everything was extra sealed, not just with silicone but eternal bond too.
Definitely! Keeping the elements out is a full time job for sure.
Hi friend. Thanks for walking us through this process and introducing us to the 30 Second product and for the tip on avoiding the alcohol based product.
Sure thing. I hope it helps people out. I know I was stumped for awhile on what to use to clean these black algae marks.
Never heard of a soft brass brush-cool! Luckily, with the Airstream roof, we really deal mostly with dirt and not algae, but I can see how that would be nice to use of other things that may grown mold or algae; like the hatches of our kayaks. It worked amazingly well. Thanks. Bill and DeAnna
Those little soft brass bristle brushes are good for polishing soft metal objects as well without scratching them. It is a great product to have on hand especially for the underside of the awnings!
That's a common issue with many RVs. Looks like it did a great job! Thanks for sharing! I came over from New Horizons to watch a video, leave a message and smash that big red button! Nice to meet you and Merry Christmas! Steve
Thanks so much! Did the same for you
Go buy pool shock and spray it on through the downstream injector of your pressure washer. Keep it wet and rinse after about 10 to 15 min of dwell time. No need to scrub even and you can actually rinse with low pressure. 30 second cleaner is literally just diluted down bleach aka sodium hypochlorite. 30 second cleaner is 5% SH pool shock is 12.5% SH and 1/2 the price. You need 4% SH to clean that so you can dilute pool shock 2 parts water 1 part shock and so for $5 you will make 3 gallons of cleaner thats going to work just as good. The only difference in 30 second cleaner to normal bleach or pool shock is the 30 second cleaner is more expensive and they add a few drops of bleach stable surfactant in it to help it foam up but your cleaning a horizontal surface so it doesn’t matter anyways, and honestly bleach clings extremely well on its own to most all surfaces, especially if they are covered in organic growth because it foams up when it comes into contact on organic growth. If you really want to add your own soap, you can use gain laundry detergent, but do not use any dish soaps because they are not bleach stable. Or if you really want you can go to any pressure washing or soft washing website and they are going to have detergents and surfactants which are the same thing that are going to be bleach stable but you really don’t need them to be honest. The surfactant I like to use is called Apple Wash. I wash a bunch of RV roofs and none of them are as clean as yours when I start, and I never have to scrub. Don’t be fooled by the label and sales gimmick of 30 second cleaner they are just watering down, bleach, then selling it to you for more than twice the price But fortunately, I know and understand how to read SDS sheets, and I’m just relaying the information for you.
Hey guys! Thanks for sharing. I deal with the same thing on our GD Reflection.
No problem. Hope this helps. If you read the pinned comment at the top it explains why this happens. I believe Grand Design has addressed this issue on their newer campers.
Wow that came out great. And it will work on the awning too. Awesome.
Yes indeed! Just spray the underside of awning with it. Let it soak the spray off with water. Just don’t stand underneath cause it will act like a bleach on clothes! Ask me how I know lol
@@WhyWait lol!!!
Very informative. Thanks for the tips. That 30 sec cleaner really looks like it works well.
Thanks, It does! Works on all sorts of things. Very useful to have on hand.
Thanks for the worthwhile video.
Sure thing. 👍🏼
Boy how I understand how to fight the wind when recording. Thanks for this. I haven't seen a video of a safe TPO product that works as well as this does. You have me excited about making another video of roof cleaning and thanks to your links, I have ordered the chemical and brush. Do you know if this works on side wall black streaks as well?
Your welcome. The stuff is amazing for the roof and awning as well but it’s not recommended for the sides of your camper. While I don’t think it will hurt, it just wasn’t recommended. Think it has to do with possibly stripping the wax coating. For black streaks on the sidewalls I use Camco RV black streak remover. I believe I have a link for that as well.
Thanks for everything and feel free to reach out with any questions.
@@WhyWait cool. Send me the link to the camco black streak remover
@@HowToRV sure no problem.
amzn.to/37J88Oj
Thank you much. Now I must get to work cleaning.
Sure thing. Good luck! 👍🏼
Great job as usual!
Thanks!
11k views and only 151 likes, wth!!! Thanks for the video, and i did give it a thumbs up.
Hahaha well it is an old video and one of my firsts. My editing and sound quality has come a long ways but yeah, this stuff works great!
Great video, thanks for making it. I'm curious...do you use a rubber roof protector after cleaning with 30 seconds?
Thank you. No I don’t, we don’t have a rubber roof either. Most 5th wheels are now TPO or EPDM roofs. I’m not sure the 30 seconds cleaner would be great for a rubber roof. Just always make sure to rinse it well afterwards. I only do this maybe once a year. Otherwise I just use Gabe’s Pride RV Streaker to clean the roof regularly 👍🏼
I have the 5th wheel RV roof that made of the fiberglass do you know it this product is safe with fiberglass?
It should be safe on fiberglass. Straight from the company they say their cleaner is safe to use on most outdoor surfaces including fiberglass but they recommend you always test it on a small spot first.
Very Creative. Thank you for sharing 😊
Thanks 😊
Hello again 👍
Great find for dealing with the black lines on the roof. Thanks for sharing. I do have one question though. Your TPO roof membrane seems to have what appears to be a lot of rough texture or small bumps/bubbles in the video. Not sure if this is just from the lighting or not as our roof only has the regular TPO texture but otherwise it is fairly flat and smooth. Just wondering if it is just the way the video looks or if you are getting any delamination/damage caused from this product. I have tried researching the product but I can't really see if this product contains any petroleum products that could damage the roof membrane. What are your thoughts?
No bubbles or ripples on our roof 👍🏼 Our membrane remains as good as the day we got it.
The 30 Seconds cleaner was approved by Alpha Systems, the company who makes the roofing material and Grand Design. I’ve only had to use twice up there, once a year. Just make sure you don’t get the 30 Seconds Cleaner with alcohol in it cause one of their products does have that. Thanks for watching
@@WhyWait Thanks for the reply. I have purchased this product and am looking forward to trying it on both our roof and awning this weekend. I made sure I did not purchase the one with alcohol.
Tried the 30 second cleaner on both the awnings and the black lines on the roof this weekend. I was amazed at how well this stuff worked and how easy it was. Great find and great recommendation! Just wondering if you clean the entire roof with 30 second cleaner or just on the black lines?
@@billking1558 stuff is great! Took a lot of research two years ago to find something that would work and was safe for the roof. Only use it maybe once a year when it’s time for a deep roof cleaning and the black streaks have come back. It pretty much gets on the whole roof so I do the whole roof with it. Always rinse well and rinse the sides of the camper.
Now, I usually use Gabes Pride RV Streaker for routinely cleaning the roof and camper. Great stuff. If you check them out use promo code:WHYWAIT at checkout so they know we sent you 👍🏼 Video on that product comes out this month.
www.gabespride.com/store/RV-Roof-and-Exterior-Cleaning-Kit-p153049056
@@WhyWait, is it also safe for the EPDM roof as well?
Luckily we haven't had any algae issues yet. Maybe it depends on where you're at in the U.S.
Turns out if you read the pinned comment I made its more of a Grand Design issue. It’s the waterproofing spray they use on the cut edges of the wood trusses below the membrane. Sounds like an issue they have since addressed 👍🏼
@@WhyWait we have a grand design, maybe ours was made after they resolved the issue.
I did not see what ypu were actually using just hear you say could get with amazon
30 seconds cleaner…great stuff I use once in awhile link below.
amzn.to/2JfrFO1
I'd like to think that getting me a pair of them red sneakers would help me move around on the roof like a cat.......but alas.....at my age.....I think it is going to take more than that! lol
You like those! Had those shoes for years, I remember when I got them I was unsure about it, usually don’t wear shoes like that but they grew on me!
damm dude if your gonna do you tube videos get a wind filter for your mic. !!!
I agree buddy lol. This was one of my first videos I ever did from 3 years ago. It’s been a learning process. Tell you what though I have one now and those Texas winds still wreak havoc on it.
This stuff is bleach. Sodium hydro chloride, commercial grade bleach.
Its sodium hypochlorite and no thats not commercial grade bleach. (SH) Sodium hypochlorite is the active ingredient in ALL bleach and 30 second cleaner is 5% sodium hypochlorite. Normal laundry Clorox bleach and other brands contain 6% to 8% SH depending on what you buy. 30 second cleaner is literally a diluted down version of normal bleach and they just add a few drops of a bleach stable surfactant to help it foam up and maybe they add a tiny bit of aroma/scent fragrance then they mark up the price to twice the cost. You can go to the pool store and buy liquid pool shock and that will cost less than 1/2 the price of 30 second cleaner and thats going to be anywhere from 12.5 % SH strength or if its really fresh it may be as strong as 16% SH content because the SH number that you see on any bleach product is the number that the SH content settles at when stored under normal conditions. So basically you can go buy pool shock at $5 a gallon and dilute it 50/50 or even 2:1 if its fresh and for $5 your going to make 3 gallons of cleaner thats just as good as 30 second cleaner. I personally guy Sodium Hypochlorite once or twice a month and it comes in large totes on a truck to me so I get 440 gallons at a time and it arrives to me with a lab test result at 16.5%. Then I dilute it through a metering dial that mixes it with water and then I have another metering dial that mixes it with my soap so by the time it comes out of my gun at the end of my hose. I’m able to spray at the perfect percentage required for the substrate I’m working with with. I hope this was helpful. There are a lot of gimmicks and misinformation within the chemical industry so I figured I would shortcut you.