Rubber roof ripples

Advtwindad · 10-22-2020, 11:18 AM

Hey all,
I searched around and could not find a discussion on this roof topic: is the rubber roof on my 2100bh supposed to be stretched flat all over or is some slack (rippling) okay? The top of the roof has some areas that don’t seem to be glued firmly. The loose areas seem to be at the seams of the plywood roof underneath. Seems odd, but maybe intentional? For flex of roof while towing? Any help is appreciated!

**creativepart** · 10-22-2020, 11:31 AM

No this is not something to live with. If you are under warranty you should get it fixed. If not under warranty you should get it priced and see about getting the front fixed and glued down.

What you don't want is for air to get under the roof when you are driving.

A rubber roof is different than a fiberglass roof in that it's not likely to be pulled off in the wind. But it still should be investigated in the least and fixed if practical.

PS. I fixed your rotated photo. When taking a photo with your phone that you plan to upload don't take it with the phone vertical. Always turn the phone on it's side (horizontal) and always position the "home" button to the right or the volume controls down if you don't have a home button. Other than that you can rotate the image in a photo editor if you've already taken the photo vertically. That's what I did with your image.

Advtwindad · 10-22-2020, 04:05 PM

Thank you creativepart! I am still under warranty so I contacted the dealer. They are going to take a look and let me know what they think. While I’m there, I’m going to look at other roofs to see what they generally look like.

**creativepart** · 10-22-2020, 06:55 PM

Your rubber roof is glued down to a very very thin piece of plywood called Luan. If the front of the roof opens up obviously driving at 60+ mph will force air under the roof membrane and it can lift the rubber away from the Luan. That would make the kind of wrinkle you show in your photo.

The "wrinkle" isn't the most concerning part - it's any lifting at the front that could be the cause of that wrinkle. Not only air under the membrane can cause the lifting. The air rushing over the roof can create lift, as well.

Your dealer may not find it significant, but just be sure that the front of the roof membrane is firmly affixed and not lifting or allowing air under the roof.

I don't know what the roof warranty is on trailerables - but on motorhomes it is 10-years. So you might want to check how long your roof is warrantied for.

It's not all doom and gloom. I have a fiberglass roof and it has some large bubbles in it as well. But the front and back (and sides) are firmly secured and so the bubbles are not a major concern.

I don't think the wrinkle in your photo would automatically mean you have a problem. But your comment about the front lifting is what brought my response.