Rain noise...Alpenlites are so loud...

[cannesdo]

I've been in this rig for 10 years and people keep saying they don't feel like the rain is that loud in their rigs and I've started experiencing it inside other rigs an it's not bad at all. During moderate to heavy rain it's so loud it feels like hail and I can almost not hear the tv. During a heavy downpour I can't get the tv loud enough to hear it over it. I actually cover my ears when it's that heavy because it's like an attack. I experienced sheets of rain coming down in a friend's rig yesterday and couldn't believe how nice it sounded inside. Is there any kind of coating I can put on the roof to deaden it a bit?

One thing I've noticed is that my roof is very hard compared to others (rubber roof). Others have some softness to them when you walk on them. I have custom molded silicone earplugs and can't hear my fingers snap with them in but the rain is so loud that it will even wake me up with those in sometimes. I'm sitting still for a while now and on the Oregon coast so I'm trying to figure out if there's anything I can do to take the edge off. It's all over, not just slides or skylights/vents. Someone came over today when it was raining pretty gently and said, "Oh, that is loud."

[2oldman]

My favorite childhood memory is having a quiet bedroom.

[Bobbo]

I absolutely LOVE lying in bed listening to the rain on the RV rooftop! It reminds me of when I was about 5 years old, lying in my grandparents' bed with a corn husk mattress and feather quilt on a COLD winter night, warm and snug as a bug in a rug. The bed was directly under a tin roof with no ceiling in between and no insulation. When it rained/sleeted, it was LOUD. That is a favorite childhood memory.

[Dick_B]

Crazy cheap idea. When rain is anticipated throw a decent tarp over the roof and the noise should virtually go away.
But don't use the cheap blue stuff that has a crinkly texture. I like the Sunshield tarps with black on one side and white on the other. Do a Google search for `Sunshield'.

[doxiemom11]

We had to replace our exhaust fan covers. The new ones are not nearly as thick as the original ones and we notice a lot more noise thru them from rain, birds noises, everything. We now stuff sofa pillows in them when it rains and it's nice and quiet again. It makes a lot of difference.

[MrWizard]

cannesdo wrote:

MrWizard wrote:
This is not a joke

Home Depot , Henry's elastomeric white roof coating #587
$25 gal
Buy 10 gallons
Apply one gal dry for two days, apply the next gal
Use all ten gallons

If the air is dry and the day is warm, you might be able to do the first couple with out the extra dry time

Build up a nice thick layer over the roof
This should help the noise

With a thick layer this coating gets cushy feeling, and will deaden the sound
It's labor and time intensive, but is possibly the least expensive option, and a good one

SUHHHHHWEET! Thanks so much!

roll it easy or brush it, NO hard pressure, you want it fluffy and cushy not flatten like asphalt
and if deemed it necessary, you add extra coats/gallons

[ktmrfs]

If you think your trailer is loud, spend a night in light rain in my cargo trailer with a galvanized roof and minimal insulation. Light rain is noisy, heavy rain is almost deafening

[cannesdo]

MrWizard wrote:
This is not a joke

Home Depot , Henry's elastomeric white roof coating #587
$25 gal
Buy 10 gallons
Apply one gal dry for two days, apply the next gal
Use all ten gallons

If the air is dry and the day is warm, you might be able to do the first couple with out the extra dry time

Build up a nice thick layer over the roof
This should help the noise

With a thick layer this coating gets cushy feeling, and will deaden the sound
It's labor and time intensive, but is possibly the least expensive option, and a good one

SUHHHHHWEET! Thanks so much!

[cannesdo]

BarneyS wrote:
If you can afford it (probably around $5000) I would take a look at RV Armor. It is a sprayed on polyurea coating that is 3/16 inch(187 mils) thick and should provide excellent sound deadening qualities.

Here is another but this one comes to your location to do the work. The cost may be about the same and the application method is different. This one is rolled on and not sprayed.

I have also read about, but have not actually seen any, rigs that have had truck bedliner material sprayed onto their roofs. That may or may not be a cheaper solution than the one above.

Regardless of the product or method, I think the solution to your problem is going to be a sprayed, brushed, or painted on roof coating to help reduce the sound of the rain.

Hope this helps you a bit.
Barney

Thanks! That rings right with me. I'll bet I can find a soundproofing product that rolls on that I can do myself. Any improvement would be great. I'll do some research and report back about what I find out.

[cannesdo]

frankwp wrote:
We had a Flagstaff with EPS foam insulation in the roof & it was pretty noisy when it rained. Our current one has fiberglass insulation & it doesn't get noisy even in a heavy downpour. Both had similar membrane roof over plywood.

Ah, yes, that's what I have, the EPS. That explains it. I wonder if I could add a liner inside. I hate the swirly paper finish on the ceiling anyway. I'll probably get headphones for the tv during the storms. I love light rain but wind-driven rain isn't much fun. It's like being assaulted and some days it goes on for hours.

[cannesdo]

donn0128 wrote:
If your rubber roof is hard, that is not normal. I suspect your roof material is brittle and ready to fail. Have it inspected by someone knowledgable, and then be prepared to replace it.

It's in great shape. I've taken great care of it. It's been this way since I got it. The rubber itself is not rock hard but you can put two large people on it without any feeling of bowing or weakness in the roof. It's solid.

[imgoin4it]

It’s all in the construction of the roof. Know a couple who went from a Winnebago to a Monaco product. The Monaco is very quiet and the Winnebago is very loud. They missed hearing the rain. I went from a noisey Winnebago, 4 different ones over the years, to a quiet newmar product. I didn’t miss the sound at all. The rain hitting the Winnebago roof could be so loud it “drowned” out the TV.

[Rthomas61]

Rain is a GOOD thing. Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey, whiskey makes my baby...pass out

[Bigg_Al]

SidecarFlip wrote:
I like rain noise myself. Makes me sleepy.

I like Scotch and the way it makes me feel. Makes me not care about the Rain noise and it makes me sleepy after 3 or 4 of them. :B:Z

[2oldman]

SidecarFlip wrote:
I like rain noise myself. Makes me sleepy.

We're happy for you.