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RV camper roof repair

76zimmer

76zimmer

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moved from my build thread here so as not to clog that up with this project:



seems as though all the rain we've had, some of it has opened a hole in my RV's roof....went to check the mouse traps this AM and found the couch cushion wet....and could see where water was dripping from the ceiling...what kind of a can of worms am I getting myself into now???

Anybody know anything about RV roof construction and repair???:doah:


#4165 kgblazerfive
They make some rubberized brush on stuff that I used on my conex roof.



76zimmer​


Ima have to get up there when I can see what's going on better....looks like a half assed repair on it right now....about a 2x2 section has no substrate under it???


#4167 brian wafer
i had a few travel trailers. i don,t think its possible too make them leak proof:doah:. my current one is a 2010 ,on my third repair ,missing roof sealent around windows and outside shower!!! really gets frustrating .​



76zimmer

I know a few that coat the roof every couple years....I have read the TPO has a 12 year warranty...I would like to keep this trailer for a few years so a half ass repair isn't what I want to do...We should have a stretch of 4 days with no rain later in the week, I will open it up then and see what I'm getting into!​



Are you under warranty Brian?​




max 02
Tarp!! :haha:​


Mr.Clean


Quote:



Originally Posted by 76zimmer ​

Anybody know anything about RV roof construction and repair???:doah:​





Deuling might. His cousin owns a rv repair business. I know deuling has gone along on some jobs with him.​


Mr.Clean

Deuling might. His cousin owns a rv repair business. I know deuling has gone along on some jobs with him.​



I'll PM the "DOOD" then!​







Deuling
My cousin won't put any paint on material down. He takes all the vents and windows etc off the roof, takes the old rubber off, and puts all new on. Took us like 10 hours one day. So I don't know if he has any info on the stuff you roll on or whatever.​

Very cheap thin plywood construction under. Get at it quick Dave. $hit will rot FAST. Let it dry out before you seal it up.




zimmer

good points Adam, while I would like to rip the whole top off this thing, I will wait and see how widespread the damage is....I don't need another snowball project on my hands...yet!​








No i wouldnt either, my cousins just like that, gotta do it right first.​



I'm sure a roll on job would work good. But I would open it up and let it dry out. Like cut some of the rubber off, if you can cover it with tarp. Because it will surely rot if you seal it up with moisture inside. The vents they put on the roofs are a joke once you have taken them off and see how they "work".​




woodchk502

At one time there was a place near me that did one piece rubber tops for travel trailers. I could drive by and try get some info if they are still n business.


Jim


76zimmer
I called a local RV place, they want 3500 to strip and repair/replace the whole roof....OK, thanks! I paid 2700 for the trailer 5 years ago.​








Quote:

Originally Posted by 76zimmer ​

I called a local RV place, they want 3500 to strip and repair/replace the whole roof....OK, thanks! I paid 2700 for the trailer 5 years ago.​



Sounds about right for what my cousin did.

Just get the goopy stuff dave. nobody will EVER see the top of your camper.​
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 76zimmer

Anybody know anything about RV roof construction and repair???:doah:


Sounds like you need a "Handyman In A Can"

http://www.getflexseal.com/



:haha:
 
Last edited:
brian wafer

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to reply on warrenty question. they gave me a tube of sealent for the roof,to patch where there was a miss:doah:! no service at all:confused: second trailer i buy there and last!!!
 
boy I'm tired of this crap already....

looks like the TV antenna started the leak, and someone patched some goo on it, and called it good....NOT.

then on the back I notice the painted on layer of roof sealer is peeling up and looking suspicious, so I get into that as well....boy a lot can be hiding under a little hole....reminds me of rust on chevy trucks, once you start to repair, it snowballs into a bunch of repair.
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I can't believe how crappy these things are built....every screw I took out of the corner moldings where the rear and sides come together was rusty...a cheap plastic insert to cover the screws isn't cutting it....I will put each screw back in with a dab of sealer on the hole, and new screws.
You can tell there is no "code" for building these things.

Its a Wilderness, built by Fleetwood.
 
Mom and dad had travel trailers when I was a kid and an RV now.

I learned unless it was an Airstream don't expect build quality.

Same with the RV's. For a 6 digit figure you'd think they'd have had less trouble with their current RV but no...like a poorly built house on wheels.
 
Unfortunately I'm sure most any trailer is built that ****ty.


Go find an old air stream FTW!!!:thumb:
 
It looks save able if that one 2x4 is still good. It not that would be a royal pain to fix.

You got much money into this thing ?
 
76zimmer said:
Click to expand...
From this picture, it looks like once you get the junk off the structure is solid. Is this material spongy or as solid as it looks? Does the whole roof have to be removed? What is the roof made of? How big is your trailer? Can you get a picture of the whole roof?

I always replace the screws on my RV with stainless steel ones.
 
I paid 2700 5 years ago....haven't had to put much into it, a few little things here and there inside...this is major for this thing.

I will marry a couple new 2x4's onto the existing one, even sandwich the old between the new ones if needed, that one on the back is pretty wasted....the roof substrate was mush, the ceiling plywood is wet, but not rotted much...it has a vinyl sheet stuck to it for the ceiling material, and it is still intact, so it will stay.
I've sprayed the cleaned up area with bleach and tomorrow will get the back cleaned up and sprayed/prepped like the front.

so first question, I need to patch in the membrane in these spots, should I butt the new up against the old, or overlap a few inches, then put some eternabond roofing tape over it...

DSC01766.jpg




Then recoat the whole roof with a good roofing coating?
 
magik235 said:
From this picture, it looks like once you get the junk off the structure is solid. Is this material spongy or as solid as it looks? Does the whole roof have to be removed? What is the roof made of? How big is your trailer? Can you get a picture of the whole roof?

I always replace the screws on my RV with stainless steel ones.
Click to expand...

thanks for jumpin in Magik....I've read your repairs to your motorhome, and hope to come out as well as you did.

these are the two areas (maybe 25% total roof area)
It is a 27'
The structure is good, I will use more marriage trusses to give more support to the new parts of the roof.
the existing roof is a pretty tough membrane type, stretches and is glued to the 5/16" sheathing pretty well where its dry...it is pretty hard to remove where it is glued on and dry still.

I can try to get a pic of the whole thing tomorrow. I will also get some pics of the corners....not real impressed with how they folded the siding over and stapled it then covered with a halfass wrap corner screwed on channel...
 
great tips Magik!

thanks, I will hit my local RV dealer tomorrow to see what he has, I would like to wrap this up while weather permits, but won't make much of a compromise just to get it done....I may need a break from it anyway!
 
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