Roof strenth/safety

I am a new motorhome owner. Is it safe to walk on the roof of my Nuevo. It needs a b***** good scrub. Using extending brushes isn't bringing it off. Also after cleaning what would you recommend treating it with? Cheers in anticipation
PS is this the right place to post this, there are so many titles in the forum I am not sure where to start!

Hi Stephen
Several ways to clean your roof, open up your Heki 3 skylight and use step ladders from the inside of the van, I use a long handled mop  with a good solution of Fenicks,
Step ladders on the outside, up against the van sides, protecting the vans surface.
Some members prefer to get on top of the roof, I'm told the strongest area is on top of the showeroom and wardrobe , I'm a large heavy dude and wouldn't go up on the roof.
Plenty of good recent advise on cleaners/polishes etc of the forum.
Boaby

I wouldnt hesitate (if I was fit enough) to venture on the roof of the monocoques provided it was in the marked/defined area.
There is no way I would consider going on the roof of any of the coachbuilts ( even if was half my current weight )
All roof cleaning is done from tall steps at the side of the van with long handled brush and from via the inside via the large Heki

Some links to related threads.

https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t16251-i-ve-cleaned-my-roof?highlight=roof

https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t6958-auto-sleeper-pollensa-walking-on-the-roof?highlight=roof

https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t6958-auto-sleeper-pollensa-walking-on-the-roof?highlight=roof

In my short time in motor homing I have seen much damage done to the roofs of said vehicles. 

Our van is a van conversion and has roof rails so I cut a section of strong timber that bridges the rails. 

If this option had not been available I would look at a platform of some kind unless I knew exactly what the structure was or is..  

Something I do have is a straight extension to the lance on the lower washer plus an underbody lance which is basically an extension and has a 90 degree angle on the end. 

This makes power washing very easy. So I foam. Let it dwell. Then power wash it off.

I weigh nearly 11stone and I have crawled on all 4s along the roof of both the Nuevo mk1 and 2 roofs to clean them - they seem extremely solid.
Wouldn't have thought AS would offer roof ladder optional extra if the roof wasn't strong enough to take the load of a person clambering up there!!

steve00136 wrote:I weigh nearly 11stone and I have crawled on all 4s along the roof of both the Nuevo mk1 and 2 roofs to clean them - they seem extremely solid.
Wouldn't have thought AS would offer roof ladder optional extra if the roof wasn't strong enough to take the load of a person clambering up there!!

 A ladder or rack fitted by AS at the factory should be fine, Stray off the given area and the consequences could be very serious.

On my Rienza there was a fixed ladder on the rear so access was easy. The roof took my 14 stone without complaining.

My hand book did state an upper weight limit, which I cannot now remember. It was lower than the weight that I subjected it to.

There was a proviso that you should not put weight on the Luton (overcab) section which was considerably thinner and more flexible than the main roof.

Davy

Thank you everyone, I will proceed with caution ;)

I have a (14st) friend who regularly stands on his coachbuilt MH roof to clean it, but recently he's had seals fail and leaks appear round all four of his skylights. Connected, flexing, who knows? I wouldn't do it.
Al.

Thank you, point taken :)

Our previous motorhome was a 2004 Pollensa with a stainless steel ladder at the rear, and a pair of stainless steel roof bars. Fantastic addition to a motorhome. The roof was fairly solid and I weighed (and still do!) under 11 stone. However whenever l went on the roof I always placed a towel to protect the GRP and on top of it I would position a non-bendable 2cm+ thick large piece of plywood, to spread my weight and I kept away from vulnerable spongy areas including the overhead cab and the part leading up to it. I just used my common sense. 
I certainly would not go on the roof of our present Broadway. It is not designed for walking on. I use, like others, a ladder at the side with pipe insulation foam attached, as protection, and access the more difficult areas that need cleaning through the roof windows.

A Happy New year to all, and a fun and safe motoring in 2016.

Pete

Ladder mitts are available from Universal ladders for £16 per set , these mitts fit securely over the end of the ladders, I don't want to ruffle any feathers by highlighting these mitts.
Boaby

On a previous van ( an Autosleeper Surrey ) it was back at the A/S factory for them to investigate a large number of "star" cracks on the roof, whilst sitting in the waiting room at the factory my van was parked in view from the window and at one point there were 2 quite large men on the roof walking about discussing the cracks, maybe that is why I had lots of leaks after from around the roof lights, I resealed them all myself and had no more leaks but when the factory repaired the star cracks within a year there were about 12 more appeared.

Further to my earlier post, I should point out that it can be slippy on the roof, especially once one adds the detergent!

Fortunately the Rienza (which had a remarkably stiff roof) had gunwales (ridges) on each side fore and aft. These were about three inches high and same width. Added to this there were three non load bearing roof rails. In other words there was some protection from slipping off the roof. I usually found that climbing the Rear mounted permanent ladder with wet hands and feet was more hazardous.

I felt more secure in my climbing harness hanging off a cliff. So I kept my movements slow and deliberate.

Davy

Hi Boaby, the ladder mitts you suggest are perfect for ladders leaning against windows and other similar situations. Unfortunately our motorhome is kept on a slopping drive with limited space, so I have to juggle with positions of the ladder against the motorhome. I find a foot length of thick pipe insulation at the end of the ladder tops gives me the flexibility to get the perfect safe position on the side of the van,by spreading the load, and without me taking a dive into the flower bed, going though the bay Window into our dining room or even landing on the car! A sight to be seen! A disadvantage of the pipe stuff is that it will wear/break with use, so they will need to be replaced from time to time, before the aluminium works its way through and marks the GRP. Been there, accompanied by a few swear words and a painful session with the T-Cut (the White milder Colour Fast version of course!)

Pete

Masai Warrior wrote:Hi Boaby, the ladder mitts you suggest are perfect for ladders leaning against windows and other similar situations. Unfortunately our motorhome is kept on a slopping drive with limited space, so I have to juggle with positions of the ladder against the motorhome. I find a foot length of thick pipe insulation at the end of the ladder tops gives me the flexibility to get the perfect safe position on the side of the van,by spreading the load, and without me taking a dive into the flower bed, going though the bay Window into our dining room or even landing on the car! A sight to be seen! A disadvantage of the pipe stuff is that it will wear/break with use, so they will need to be replaced from time to time, before the aluminium works its way through and marks the GRP. Been there, accompanied by a few swear words and a painful session with the T-Cut (the White milder Colour Fast version of course!)

Pete

Thank you all :)

Thanks for that Pete, I used to use thick foam type pipe insulation until I discovered the mitts, I find them ideal for leaning against the Luton overcab body on my Sigma and my last van a Nuevo ES .
With my weight the foam insulation would be flattened in within days.
Boaby