Heavy Snow Load Can Ruin Your RV

It's been one heck of a winter, the snow just keeps on coming. Everyone's concerned about ice dams and water damage to their homes, but what about the RV sitting so forlorn in the storage lot. All that snow piling up can do some serious damage if forgotten until spring.

RV's are constructed as light as possible to make them easier to tow by a wider range of vehicles. Even motor homes have only so much carrying capacity and likewise don't go overboard when it comes to designing the roof so it can carry a load.

Snow, especially snow that has somewhat melted and refroze, adds a tremendous amount of weight to the top of an RV. Making matters worse it not only weakens the structure, it can cause seams to stretch and open allowing water to migrate into the walls and ceiling of your RV.

Many times, if left to accumulate, excessive snow load will just completely collapse the roof of an RV.

The guideline I like to use is not to allow more than about 3" of snow to sit on an RV.

Of course there are many things to consider when it comes to removing excess snow from the roof of your RV. Not only is your RV roof constructed in a light weight manner, it can also be easily damaged if proper precaution isn't taken while removing the snow.

I prefer to cover my RV with a plastic tarp for winter storage. It not only protects the finish and interior materials from direct sunlight, it also gives some protection to the rubber roof during snow removal.

Rubber roof membranes can be easily punctured during snow removal. I always use a plastic shovel with a flat bottom and just slide it along with no down pressure to prevent damaging the rubber membrane.

Most RV roofs can tolerate walking on them, if done with care. During snow removal it's far safer to work from a ladder and remain off the roof altogether. You can't tell where the rafters or ribs are when buried in snow. Stepping in between the rafters may damage the roof.

You must take care even with a ladder as the rubber roof membrane extends over the edge of the roof and can be easily torn or punctured if the ladder should shift while you're working.

Another nice feature of having your RV covered with a plastic tarp is the snow doesn't adhere to the tarp very well and usually it takes little effort to remove the snow.

It takes a little effort to keep up with snow removal during long winters like the one we're going through. If you value your RV, you'll make sure not to forget it. Out of sight is out of mind, something that could turn your expensive summer entertainment into worthless scrap in a hurry. Don't forget to keep the snow load to a minimum.