Rib like bulges on sides of rubber roof.

[frederick w]

Hi

There are rib like bulges under rubber roof material
common to curved edge of roof

Bulges are 1/2 high in spots, one is 1 inch high. This
condition is about every 3 ft.

I'm affraid that the inch bulge might tair thru the rubber
roof.

The rubber is guaranteed for 12 yrs. but that may be just
the rubber itself.

2000 Fleetwood 30 ft. Flair. I guess its been this way since
I got it a year ago. Seems like heat makes it worse.

Thanks in advance for your imput.

["007"]

Here is a link to repairs for your roof.
You maybe able to cut out bulge and apply the tape to smooth out roof surface.
While you have cut open check for adhesive under roof material may need to apply some so roof doesn't continue to buckle.

[bearaboo]

You can attempt to repair them, but you might be better off just leaving them alone. I have the same situation and everybody I have talked to said the same thing, you might create more problems.

[Gary RVRoamer]

The rubber roof warranty applies to the material only and solely for manufacturing defects in the material - not faulty installation or anything else.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

The rubber roof warranty applies to the material only and solely for manufacturing defects in the material - not faulty installation or anything else.

Exactly, I'd leave them alone if not broken through the membrane and leaking.

[frederick w]

bearaboo
Did you ever get an estimate of what it would cost for repair?

I'm afraid to share this condition with my wife. She would say.
"See, I told you not to buy it!"

Thanks for the imput, guys.

[Midniteoyl]

Is it the underlying wood? In that case, you need to do something about it...

[Nick-B]

My In-Law's 5th wheel has the same thing. Obviously there is a loss of adhesion at the underlying seams of the roof structure and a result of poor manufacturing techniques. Not uncommon in the RV industry.

The job of the rubber roof is to keep the weather on the outside. While it might not look perfect, it is still doing it's job. I'd leave it alone too but watch those areas for any cracking or splits. If it ain't broke - don't fix it.

[frederick w]

I will be taking my MH into the RV shop this Wed.
for inspection and repair.

Will let you all know the cause, method of repair, and
cost.
And of course my DW said again. " I told you not to
buy that MH!".

[GOLDWINGER2]

Originally Posted by frederick w

I will be taking my MH into the RV shop this Wed.
for inspection and repair.

Will let you all know the cause, method of repair, and
cost.
And of course my DW said again. " I told you not to
buy that MH!".

What DW might mean is "you should not have bought a MH period". If it's not the roof it would have been something else to make her say that. Mine has ribs down the side about six feet apart, construction marks.
Causes me no problems, so a shop will not get my $$ for no reason. Does your roof leak? That's a problem.
J

[Cougarkid]

My opinion and explanation - sorry so long!

A "bubble" in the rubber roof indicates a spot that has come unglued, no matter where it is. Although water (rain or washing) will not penetrate the rubber roofing material, moisture will condensate under the bubbled area(s). The reason they get bigger when it gets warmer is the expansion of the moisture (water) inside the "bulge".

Most people will not consider this an issue, since the main concern is keeping rain water from getting into the rv. Although this is true, condensation under the "bubbled" rubber will become an issue down the road. The curved edge of the roof is usually sheet metal, but there is wood underneath and nearby.

The rubber is glued down to the roof sheathing (typically plywood or luan) not only to keep it in place, but also to keep moisture from condensing on the underside of the rubber. Moisture is our RV's enemy, especially on the roof and sides. Any bubbled spot has the potential to cause rot. Once the rot starts, it will continue to grow until the moisture is stopped and the rot is repaired. A small bubble will continue to grow until repaired.

I am not an RV mechanic or repairman by trade, but I have seen quite a few roofs with bubbles. My own 89 GBMC had roof issues. The edges of the rubber roof (actually called "Vinyl") were torn. There were several small (3" to 4") bubbles on the roof, also. I reguled the edges down and taped the entire lengths (30' each side) with EternaBond tape.

The repairs kept the rain water out and held up for about a year, then the leaks started again. I decided to replace the whole roof. When I peeled the rubber roofing off I found LOTS of rotten wood underneath. Spots in the middle of the roof, where there were bubbles, were rotted as badly as the edges.

The underside of the rubber at the bubbled spots were wet to the point of leaving puddles. There were no holes in the rubber roof at the bubbles. There were a few spots where there had been tear in the rubber and I had opened them up, glued the rubber down and sealed with caulk/tape. These spots were dry and still adheared - no rot present.

I ended up replacing all the wood on the roof - not enought good left to leave in place. I put down new paint-on EPDM roofing and sealed the edges. No leaks from rain, but I am having water wicking issues from a/c runoff (paint-on EPDM is not working out as planned). I have to re-rubber the roof on our "new" rv - plan to buy enough to cover both rv's.

-------------------

If it were me I would open up the bubbles, dry the areas out, glue them down tight and seal the cuts with caulk or roof tape. Fix it now while it is a small issue - don't wait for it to mushroom into a large problem.

Hind-sight is a great thing!

Hope this info helps.

[Skip426]

Originally Posted by bearaboo

You can attempt to repair them, but you might be better off just leaving them alone. I have the same situation and everybody I have talked to said the same thing, you might create more problems.

I'll agree 100% with bearboo, I had a similar issue on a new 5th wheel, under warrenty, and there was no repair done. 6 years later no leaks no further seperation; the bubbles are over the seams of the plywood roofing where the glue has nothing to bond to. Air flow over the roof and flexing of the plywood under snowload; or walking on the roof can make it worse, by streching the rubber more, but unless you snag the bubble with something it should not leak.

[frederick w]

I just picked up the MH from the RV shop. Curved section of roof leading down to drip rail has 30" length curved sections running length wise. They are butted together and then fastend down.

Evidently the fasteners pulled loose and the ends started bending up. Most of the buldges had some very sharp peaks in them About an inch high.

The rubber is glued on the flat part of the roof panel. On the sides where it rools over the edge to the drip channels it's not. They undid the drip channels (128 screws) and gently lifted 8 " of the fabric up to get at the curved sheet metal. They re-fastend the ends of the sheetmetal, added tape over the ends and re-installed everything.

The RV Tech said that in a short time I would of had about 12 punchers in my rubber. The cost was $ 814 including sealer, ect, and tax. I got one bid at a fancy place for $ 1600. Ouch! Hope this $ 814 fix is as good or better than their $ 1600 fix.

It could of been a new roof for $ 4500 down the road. My wife still isn't happy. Oh, well, I'm going upstairs to watch "Burn Notice."

Thanks for listening.

[Midniteoyl]

Very good..