Minnie Winnie Roof Bubble Issue

[clotus]

Hey All,

I was up on my roof the other day and I noticed about a 2' round area that is bubbling up. The area gives when you press on it to the lower substrate and it all feels solid. There are also small about 1/2" cracks on the filon in the area of the bubble.

My first instinct is water intrusion, but I have never had any signs of a leak inside. There is a nearby vent that I installed years ago and keep up on resealing it and it looks good. The bubble starts about 6" away from the vent, but the filon is solid all around the vent.

Maybe the cracks came first then water leaking through there causing the delam. Or the cracks are stress cracks from the bubbling. Maybe the roof is failing there and there is no water leak? Maybe there was a water leak before I got the MH and its now failing?

Any thoughts on the cause and more importantly the fix? I can live with the bubbling, I just want to make sure it doesn't spread and get worse.

See photos below and thanks for the help!.....

 

[creativepart]

Winnebago customer care will tell you to simply ignore roof “bubbles.” I know I have two of them which I found 3-years ago and they’ve never caused any issues… yet.

Some folks have used a syringe to inject some adhesive into the bubbles, rolled them flat and covered the tiny hole with Eternabond tape.

You decide what seems best to you.

 

[creativepart]

I see your bubbles are near the edge of the roof, so in this case you need to inspect the roof/drip edge for proper sealing. If the sealant has failed there and air is getting in under your roof then you must do a complete drip edge roof seal job. Otherwise your roof can actually be torn off while driving!!!

 

[clotus]

I think I am going to try and re-glue the spot after checking to ensure there is not any moisture.

I reached out to Winnebago and asked what glue they use for their roofs. Winnebago said they use Loctite S 563R. A quick search revealed you can only get it in buckets. Winnebago said I could use any adhesive that is good with fiberglass and wood. I found a company that specialized in RV delamination that sells a kit called Composet SLV, but it is fairly expensive for what I think I need.


Any suggestions on a glue that I can inject into the bubble, weight it down, and will work for my needs?

 

[BCam]

I reached out to Winnebago and asked what glue they use for their roofs. Winnebago said they use Loctite S 563R. A quick search revealed you can only get it in buckets. Winnebago said I could use any adhesive that is good with fiberglass and wood. I found a company that specialized in RV delamination that sells a kit called Composet SLV, but it is fairly expensive for what I think I need.

Any suggestions on a glue that I can inject into the bubble, weight it down, and will work for my needs?

If Loctite S 563R is anything like the adhesive used by AZ Expert in his videos, it's a contact adhesive that must be applied to both surfaces before adhering. Even if you were able to get a small quantity, you wouldn't be able to use it without peeling back large sections of your roof fiberglass.

The Composet SLV may seem expensive, but $138 doesn't seem that expensive considering the catastrophic damage you risk might experience. There are numerous Youtube videos on DIY sidewall delamination in addition to those by Composet. Here's one that uses West System Epoxy, a quality epoxy that's commonly used in the boating world:

https://youtu.be/XVnzgn5ygaA?si=YQoF-NIx4PljsTRp

Unfortunately, the West System epoxy is in the same general price range, $80 for a kit containing 32 oz resin and 70 oz of hardener but this doesn't include the necessary mixing pumps. Adding the pumps, a West Systems 32 oz kit runs $128 but doesn't include the syringes and other parts of the Composet kit. All are Amazon prices.

Good epoxy is expensive and you can shop around but, personally, I'd get the Composet kit and move on. Unfortunately, $138 is cheap in the RV repair world.

 

[clotus]

I went ahead and ordered the Composet SLV RV Delamination Repair Kit from delamrepair.com, should do what I need. I am planning on filling the hole I will have to drill with some additional expoy/fiberglass mat then cover it with eternabond. Should at least repair the hole I make.

 

[BCam]

Good plan and good luck. Remember, it's your roof so it doesn't have to be pretty like a sidewall wood. I'd use more than one hole to ensure even dispersal.

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[clotus]

Good plan and good luck. Remember, it's your roof so it doesn't have to be pretty like a sidewall wood. I'd use more than one hole to ensure even dispersal.

Let us know how it turns out.

Good points! Thanks!