Community Forums

JWLSC · 10-26-2015, 04:37 PM

My satellite has been leaking for some time. I have soft spots by were the wires enter the roof and under the sat as it rocks. Want to remove the sat and fix. Is it to big a task for a handy man. I just recoated the roof this year and resealed. Any ideas on how to do this.

Gordon Dewald · 10-26-2015, 04:49 PM

When I redid the roof on the 5er I replaced the EPDM and sheeting.

I had a leak by the air conditioner. When I took the rubber off about half of the sheeting was bad or badly discolored by mold. I did not want any mold in the unit so I replaced all of the sheeting as well. I replaced the chip board with plywood and then put a new membrane on.

I did it pretty much by myself. Janet helped me lift the EPDM roll onto the roof.

I had a shed to work in and lots of time. I did not rush so it took me about a month with doing other tasks as well (grass mowing, gardening, etc).

One thing I found was the insulation could have been put on better. I filled all of the empty or thin spots and cleaned out all of the wood shavings and debris.

IMO this is not a job you want to cut corners on.

In your case you should be able to cut an area out of the membrane and check the sheeting. Replace as required. Go back as far as you need to and then get a piece of TPO or EPDM. There are lots of sealing tapes to join the old and new membrane. Lots of instructions on the web.

SoFloRV · 10-26-2015, 05:10 PM

Sounds like you have a water problem that needs immediate attention. It's already soft which equates to rotted wood which will soon be followed by mold and more rotted wood.

If you have a rubber roof no big deal if you are a DIY guy. First remove the dish and anything else where the roof is 'soft'. Cut a flap out of the rubber roof at least 12" outside the soft area. I would cut 3 sides of a square and leave the 4th side intact and you can just pull the rubber top back out of the way. This will give you a good look at the problem and room to cut out the rotted wood. Check the insulation while you're in there and replace if wet and/or moldy.

Try to center your cuts on a roof frame rail so you can screw the new wood into something solid. If not then put a 1"X3" backing board under the seam and screw both sides onto the board. This will give you something solid when you step on it the next time and will also support the cut edge of the new and old wood. From there I would use a good adhesive spray to stick the old rubber back in place. I've had good luck with 3M Super 77, Multipurpose Adhesive from Home Depot. From there it's just sealing the area you cut. There's a variety of products but one I like is Cofair Products UBW425 (that's 4" wide and 25' long) Ultra Bond Steel-Loc Quick Roof Adhesive. Goes for about $33 on Amazon. Re-primer and re-rubberize the area. Not as difficult as it seems, good luck..

JWLSC · 10-26-2015, 05:21 PM

Do you think it is worth a call to the insurance company. Im handy and should be able to do. Might need some guidance.

Willowleaf · 11-02-2015, 07:28 AM

I just completed an 18 month rebuild of a Class C which had neglected water damage. The problem was that the prior owner sealed the roof after he found the leaks and stopped the water coming in, but he failed to rip open the walls on the inside to dry out the water that was already in there so the dampness was trapped. When I pulled off the panelling inside I found entire sections of the wooden frame had rotted so badly they crumbled apart in my hands and some had even been completely eaten away by termites! I know it was termites because their were dead termites in the walls. The plywood under the overcab bunk had rotted away and was like handfuls of moldy wet mulch that I had to scoop out with a shovel -- almost nothing was supporting the bunk.

So besides resealing the roof you will have to rip either open the inside ceiling or take off the entire old roof to expose the wood frame and either dry it completely or replace andy molded or damaged wood.

I would be very surprised if an insurance company would cover repairs for this kind of damage because it is considered a bad maintenance issue, not an accident. An RV repair place would charge many thousands for this kind of rebuild, but you can do it yourself if you have experience with house remodeling.

Look at my photos posted of the rebuild I did myself of my RV to get an idea of what it may look like inside your walls and what is involved in rebuilding the structure. Go to my profle and click on "statistics" and search the threads I started to find it.

I highly recommend Eternabond tape for sealing around any seams or roof penetrations. The stuff is expensive and a little tricky to put on but it is indestructible and permanent.