Roof Popping Up/What to do? - Page 2

FDchief · 01-16-2012, 11:09 AM

I too conduct regular inspections of my roof to wall seal every 6 months. I usually find a spot or two to repair. I looked at the Eternabond option, but like the clean roof lines as it came from the factory.

The repairs are easy enough that "a caveman could do it"! Firstly using a utility knife, I cut out the non adhering sealant to the good area. Then I clean out the channel with mineral spirits or rubbing alcohol just to get the surface clean. I then use painters tape on the roof for a straight line and to keep the sealant off the rest of the roof. I then apply PL polyurethane made by Loctite available at most hardware stores. This stuff is thick and is not as easy as silicone to work with, but that's how I know it will do the job. Keep the mineral spirits or acetone available for needed cleanup. Just remember to use it sparingly as it will remove any wax on your roof.

bachler · 01-16-2012, 11:18 AM

The origenal post of the roof comming out of the channel;; The biggest problem, We at the shop have seen . The owner . Goes to a box store buys something made for a stick home and smears it on there motorhome;; That will do a good job of attracting dust. Then we have to scrape /brush/wash to get all that crap out of there. And do it right, I strongly Reccomend going To a mearine/boat place. It will cost a bit more . The job will be done right ;;;;

FDchief · 01-16-2012, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bachler

The origenal post of the roof comming out of the channel;; The biggest problem, We at the shop have seen . The owner . Goes to a box store buys something made for a stick home and smears it on there motorhome;; That will do a good job of attracting dust. Then we have to scrape /brush/wash to get all that crap out of there. And do it right, I strongly Reccomend going To a mearine/boat place. It will cost a bit more . The job will be done right ;;;;

Be careful using some of the sealants used in marine applications. I know of some who have used 3M 5200 which is a good sealant but is not UV resistant. Not a good idea to put on the top of your motor home. If you are worried about compatibility, call Winnebago and use what they sell.

bachler · 01-19-2012, 01:55 PM

We had them put 5200 on the roof of our Shasta. Back in the 1970s We owned till we bought a 1982 . No problem. With Those UV rays ;; I still use merine grade sealer;;

RVJeeper · 01-19-2012, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FDchief

Be careful using some of the sealants used in marine applications. I know of some who have used 3M 5200 which is a good sealant but is not UV resistant. Not a good idea to put on the top of your motor home. If you are worried about compatibility, call Winnebago and use what they sell.

I used 3M 5200 on my roof edge seals too. I looked all over the container and 3M's data sheet and didn't see anything that said it wasn't UV resistant. Hope it holds up!

Avatab · 01-20-2012, 11:18 AM

I haven't noticed an issue w/ the awning rail yet, but now that I know about the screw issue, I will keep an eye on it. My roof edge did pop-up above the awning rail but apparently was unrelated to that and was instead because of a shower dome leak under that section of roof.

Another question I have for you guys here: I keep seeing advice to check the roof channel sealant every 6 months, but the roof tucks down into that channel.... how do you see a seal that is in the bottom of a channel?

When I tucked the roof back in to drive to the repair shop, I also checked the rest of the roof and could not see any visible sign of sealant outside of the channel all along both sides of the roof. In fact the shop put a bead of sealant along the outside of the channel (as well as the inside they tell me) but they said the drivers side channel appeared to be fine to them and didn't need or get any new sealant... How can they, or I, tell from just looking?

RVJeeper · 01-20-2012, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avatab

Another question I have for you guys here: I keep seeing advice to check the roof channel sealant every 6 months, but the roof tucks down into that channel.... how do you see a seal that is in the bottom of a channel?

The bead of caulk doesn't go in the bottom of the channel; it goes on the topside of the roof material where it abuts the inside edge of the channel. The purpose of the caulk bead is to lock the roof material edge in the channel.

Once you know what to look for it's easy to see whether the caulk is still there and doing it's job. If you push in on the roof material down by the channel and it moves inside the channel the caulk is no longer effective.

Duner · 01-20-2012, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avatab

Another question I have for you guys here: I keep seeing advice to check the roof channel sealant every 6 months, but the roof tucks down into that channel.... how do you see a seal that is in the bottom of a channel?

When I tucked the roof back in to drive to the repair shop, I also checked the rest of the roof and could not see any visible sign of sealant outside of the channel all along both sides of the roof. In fact the shop put a bead of sealant along the outside of the channel (as well as the inside they tell me) but they said the drivers side channel appeared to be fine to them and didn't need or get any new sealant... How can they, or I, tell from just looking?

Here's a link to the Winnie Service Tips. The key is to push in on the fiberglass to see if seal is intact or broken......you can't just look and see a gap without pushing in.
http://www.winnebagoind.com/resource...%20Sealing.pdf

Good luck,
Bill

Avatab · 01-23-2012, 05:10 PM

Thanks Ron and Bill! I now understand what to look for. As soon as the snow melts I will check the other side of the roof.

If it is in need of sealant, is it something I can do w/o taking the roof out of the channel? Can I push down on the roof panel as I go and put polyurethane in the gap?

It appears as though thats what Majors RV did, as well as a visible-from-the-ground bead along the top of the channel where the roof enters.

RVJeeper · 01-23-2012, 05:40 PM

You don't need to take the roofing material out of the channel. However (and this was most of the work - at least for me) you do need to remove all of the old caulk and make sure the surfaces where the new caulk will go are clean. I was on my hands and knees on the roof for hours doing that part of the job!

badbird · 05-20-2012, 05:50 AM

We just got home from our stay in Arizona and on the return trip we went through some strong side winds around Mina Nevada. The roof came loose on our 2001 35 Adventurer along the full left hand side length.

Got it duct taped down to make it all the way home to Washington and Geico is setting up a time to review the damage. I will be getting it repaired at my dealer, but saw on this thread quite a bit of info on eternabond??

I never heard of the roof coming loose before, but when I stopped at a RV camp to temporarily tape it down the owner of the camp mentioned several folks loosing their roofs around the same area at Mina over the last couple of years.

I think I will see if my dealer will install the eternabond when they do the repairs. Thank goodness for insurance because I heard that the costs are high in getting the work performed.

Duner · 05-20-2012, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badbird

We just got home from our stay in Arizona and on the return trip we went through some strong side winds around Mina Nevada. The roof came loose on our 2001 35 Adventurer along the full left hand side length.

Got it duct taped down to make it all the way home to Washington and Geico is setting up a time to review the damage. I will be getting it repaired at my dealer, but saw on this thread quite a bit of info on eternabond??

I never heard of the roof coming loose before, but when I stopped at a RV camp to temporarily tape it down the owner of the camp mentioned several folks loosing their roofs around the same area at Mina over the last couple of years.

I think I will see if my dealer will install the eternabond when they do the repairs. Thank goodness for insurance because I heard that the costs are high in getting the work performed.

Welcome badbird to the iRV2 Forum! There's been many posts thru the years on the roof seal and what to use to seal it back up.

Yes, Winnie owners that don't know about checking the roof seal find out the hard way. You're just lucky you didn't loose a whole section of fiberglass.

DO NOT let the repair shop use silicone!!!! My brand new '04 had a crack in the crown and the dealer used silicone in a 4 ft section and I had sealing problems in that area for several years. It just doesn't hold a strong bond and then you can't get anything else to stick in that area until it's supper clean of silicone.

Good luck and come back and post often.

Bill

rvarner · 05-20-2012, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badbird

We just got home from our stay in Arizona and on the return trip we went through some strong side winds around Mina Nevada. The roof came loose on our 2001 35 Adventurer along the full left hand side length.

Got it duct taped down to make it all the way home to Washington and Geico is setting up a time to review the damage. I will be getting it repaired at my dealer, but saw on this thread quite a bit of info on eternabond??

I never heard of the roof coming loose before, but when I stopped at a RV camp to temporarily tape it down the owner of the camp mentioned several folks loosing their roofs around the same area at Mina over the last couple of years.

I think I will see if my dealer will install the eternabond when they do the repairs. Thank goodness for insurance because I heard that the costs are high in getting the work performed.

What you describe is not unusual and I would be surprised if Geico pays for this. Winnie asks that inspections be done annually. I replaced all the caulking a couple years ago with a product called "MANUS BOND". Stays plyable and is very strong. Some are using "Eternabond" but, unless you are really good at taping, it won't be too appealing to the eye

Good Luck
Richard

P.S. WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!

badbird · 05-22-2012, 02:03 AM

Have any of you tried to put the roof back in the channel without the help of a dealer repair shop? Thanks

Greger · 05-23-2012, 11:11 AM

The fiberglass is very brittle and one mistake will give you about a 6" crack right along the radius

bachler · 05-26-2012, 03:56 PM

We had ours come out on two motorhomes; The last one was is a 38" Advantage; I done the roof both sides. Wire brushed it then Re glued it with merine 5200 the whole job took me about 2.5 hours and 3 buds, (beer that is). It is a simple job. Some pump it up like a going to the moon... easy no problem,,

Greger · 05-26-2012, 04:11 PM

^^^^ re glued what??

bachler · 05-27-2012, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greger

^^^^ re glued what??

What are we talking about ?? (The tail light ) NO the roof !!!

Greger · 05-27-2012, 09:01 PM

Funny... Umm most call that reseal not glueing so when you say glued I picture a armature using pl premium or some type of "glue" to hold it down

bachler · 05-29-2012, 07:01 PM

I'm so sorry ;; I did not know there are Grammer police (big brother) were here too.... I will Be very carefull to spell everything out. so some folks don't get the rong Message... But I glued mine down with 5200. You sealed yours ; Lets keep in touch and see if my Gluded joint holds.