Henry's Tropicool, and how I learned to dislike it...

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

Just remember that it takes two to tango.

I dont know.. Tango sure did a pretty bang up job by himself

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

I dont know.. Tango sure did a pretty bang up job by himself

He sure did.

[Native]

Originally Posted by PitskyWitbulls

This is the link to the "test" you were referring to:


I think how smooth the coating is will depend on how you apply it. If you rent a sprayer it will be smoother. If you use a roller, it will be textured.

The meat of the experiment/test starts at post #38.

[ol trunt]

PitskyWitbulls , have you ever actually used TC? If so what did you think of it?
Jack

[JDOnTheGo]

To those of you making personal attacks...

Have you considered that you are addressing another human being?

Even more amazing, you are talking about PAINT! Is PAINT a topic that is really worth insulting another person??

Have you stopped to consider that perhaps the spirit in which something was offered may NOT be the same way that you received/perceived it?? Perhaps the person just had a REALLY bad day and said something a bit more terse than necessary - should they be crucified for it or maybe given a little slack??

I don't care if someone disagrees with you or seems to be insulting you - sometimes you just gotta step away - especially if you are incapable of replying in a reasonable and helpful manner. This is something I taught my children when they were ten years old. Why the need to retaliate?? Do you think your honor has been damaged and that stooping to the same level will restore it?

Please knock if off.

[TomA]

One last thing...

Its really no surprise that any really flat finish gets very dirty very quickly on a road vehicle. Car and bus bodies pick up a substantial negative charge from the friction of moving through the air, like rubbing a balloon on your hair times 1000. The tires largely isolate that built up negative charge from grounding out, too.

Negatively charged, the irregular and relatively huge surface area of the Tropicool coating is ideal for attracting and trapping fine particles. This would be particularly true on a broad surface in turbulent laminar airflow that isn't scrubbed clean like the windshield. A flat roof coating creates a perfect (dust) storm of conditions for particles to accumulate, just sitting there waiting for gravity to happily coat it with all manner of dust, industrial overspray, pollen and grime...

Just one more way that field conditions can overwhelm the theoretical advantage of a product that's superior in a static lab test...

[smithcredibus]

Good info to consider
I appreciate the views of all of you and did not adequately get steered away from Tropicool when I (my wife) did my roof.
I wish I’d done something else like the beautiful high-solid paint I’ve coated the rest of my bus with.
But I didn’t and I’m happy with the Tropicool thus far, but I will say that pressure washing it after the first 30 days of being parked, I am NOT impressed with the amount of dirt accumulation, especially considering that I haven’t even driven it.
Im hopeful that the coating continues reducing heat transmission but without washing every 30 days I’m not sure that will occur to the extent I initially hoped for.

If I had it to do over I would start with decent paint and if it didn’t adequately reduce interior heat, I would attempt the Tropicool.

TLDR: It’s complicated to use/have on my roof, perhaps too much trouble.
Additionally it was extremely dirty after 30 days parked under trees.
Pressure washing is simple but not so simple that I want to do it once a month +++. I am satisfied that it reduced surface and interior temp after one coat, and I’ve since applied a second coat.
The previous thread that compared several coatings led me towards elastomeric paint, and I believe it’s a good product. But I wish I’d used siliconized acrylic instead of 100% silicone.

[Native]

I know it has been posted on this site before (I seem to recall it was posted within this thread, but I am too lazy to look for it) ... people have wanted colors other than white on their roofs, such as a light tan. The reasons stated is to have *most* of the reflectivity properties of white but in a preferred color and to hide the dirt a little.


As for me personally, would I like to paint something other than white on my roof?


Yes, I have painted BLACK implement paint over certain areas of our bus roof to change the aesthetics while retaining the conformal coating over the entire roof surface.