Green Roof!

[jwa]

Hi,
We have our Elddis parked up at home this winter and have charged the battery regularly, checked inside for damp and washed it down every now and then. Thought it was in good condition until I peered out of my son's bedrrom to be greeted by a green roof!
How, why and what to prevent it again would be useful to know having spent the best part of today on a ladder cleaning the green stuff off. Thanks in advance for any tips?
John

 

[Damian]

Green algae will always form on the roof over the winter time with damp weather etc.
How to prevent it.,possibly use a cover, but they are expensive and dont last long enough, in my opinion, to make them economical, or erect a car port type roof cover if you have space.
Easy enough to clean off with Fenwicks caravan cleaner.
You could use Fenwicks overwinter solution, it puts a protective film on the caravan and is easy enough to wash off in the spring.

 

[hgv dave]

hi jwa
you could try a good quality polish on the roof to make it eaiser to wash off the green stuff.............also dont forget to clean under the status dome like i did a few years ago

hgv dave

 

[jwa]

Thanks for that, I guess that means that the green stuff will always collect there over a period of time and I just have to make it easier to wash it off? Is there nothing that will prevent it from collecting there in the first place, other than a cover of some sort?

 

[Sproket]

I polish all of my van with Auto Glym including the roof, & never had any green stuff on it yet, it's a sod to do but well worth it.........

 

[Parksy]

You could lower the jockey wheel right down as far as it will go when the caravan is stored which will cause excess water to run off the roof rather than collect and create algae.

 

[ValA.]

You can buy a cover cheaply from ebay! We had ours three years, and it was lovely putting the van away clean in late Autumn - and unwrapping it again in Spring, still immaculately clean. The cover remained in good condition, didn't cause any problems with the van, and was easy to put on and take off as it had four zips - one on each corner. It was soft-lined, and the straps were strong. We had no tears except one that we caused ourselves, early on. No more green roof, no more black streaks, no more rain marks down the sides, just a shiny van when you start using it again.
I think, too, that because the polishes you put on in the Autumn, don't get washed off in winter conditions, the van is easier to wipe down after a long journey and the dirt doesn't seem to stick as much.

 

[RogerL]

You could lower the jockey wheel right down as far as it will go when the caravan is stored which will cause excess water to run off the roof rather than collect and create algae.

The jockey wheel doesn't need to be right down - just "pitch" the caravan so it's not level when in storage or at home.
I raise my jockey wheel slightly so that the water runs off the back - get less green stuff round the front windows and locker box that way.

 

[otherclive]

I wash the van in October and then give it a good spray with Fenwicks Overwintering. If we take it out during winter it just looks a bit matt!. Come spring it gets washed with Fenwicks Caravan Cleaner which gets rid of green mould and black streaks. I then spray with Fenwicks Bobby Dazzler which brings up a nice shine without the hard work of polishing. Then it normally only gets washed and Bbobby Dazzled once in the summer unless it is particularly travel stained. My threshold for seeing a pristine vvan is quite high as washing and polishing detracts from my enjoyment of caravanning. The van is 6 years old and still shines like new......when I do it that is.

 

[DavidO]

I can only confirm what others have said re Fenwicks producuts. My van is parked under trees. Using the winter product no green problem with green.Pine needles getting under the roof light is another matter.

 

[jwa]

Thanks everybody, that's given me lots to think about. I like tipping the caravan using the jockey wheel, makes sense, but of course, never occurred to me! Will also take a look at Fenwicks products. Wife is not keen on a cover, but she doesn't have to clean it!

 

[Martin24]

once you have rinsed, a spray over with auto glym caravan and motorhome cleaner will make life easier.

 

[catherine2]

Don't look out of your son's bedroom window in future
Life's too short to worry about washing parts of the caravan you can't even see

 

[Parksy]

Don't look out of your son's bedroom window in future
Life's too short to worry about washing parts of the caravan you can't even see

Top answer!!!

 

[jwa]

catherine wrote:

Don't look out of your son's bedroom window in future
Life's too short to worry about washing parts of the caravan you can't even see

Very good! Life's too short to even be in my son's bedroom ;-)