Roof Repair

[Paulin]

Has anyone ever seen a fiberglass roof repair using fore and aft moldings like those shown in the attached photo?

The roof developed a number of deep dimples in the radii along the edges where the horizontal roof rounds down to meet the side walls. The manufacturer authorized the local dealer to install their "radius repair kit" which consists of new fiberglass radii which is applied over the dimpled ones and secured at the top with these moldings.

These molding run fore and aft for the entire length of the roof until they intersect with the front and rear caps. This creates a rectangle of moldings (and caulk) about 5/8" high which in effect creates a "pond". When the MH is sitting level, water ponds (pools) until it is high enough to overflow. If the MH is off level even just a little bit, water accumulates in the pond at the corners and remains until it evaporates.

My concern is that this pond of water will eventually cause leaks or otherwise damage the roof. Have you ever seen anything like this? What do you think?

Thanks in advance, Paul

[RV Wizard]

Winnebago has a repair kit very similar for their radius'. You do not specify if this kit has been installed on your coach or not. As long as the roof and seams are maintained the pooled water should not be an issue for damage. It may collect more dirt but should not enter the coach.
If the kit has not been installed, you might want to check into filling and repainting the dimples.

[Paulin]

Hi Mike,

Yea, the kit has been installed. I appreciate your reply.

Thanks,
Paul

[steelheadbluesman]

Hi Paul - I had the Winnebago "radius kit" installed on my first MH, a '93 Itasca, after the fiberglass cracked and dissolved in several spots, and I have to say, I thought it was a poor solution. Like yours, the kit provided full-length radii and moldings running fore and aft between the end caps. And, like yours, the moldings held lines of water next to and atop the caulking, not a good thing IMHO. One of the resulting problems was that the screws that anchored the moldings rusted underneath the caulking. But even worse in my mind, was the idea of having to continuously inspect and be concerned about potential leaks, and this really bothered me. Given your concerns (and I would have very similar worries), I would look into creating some kind of holes or divots or dents in the moldings to allow for drainage, and then maybe patch those spots with a single layer of EternaBond tape. I would also seriously consider pulling the moldings completely, and then gluing the radii followed with a good waterproof roof repair tape on all four seams. You can find out more about Eternabond by searching this forum or just Google it. The tape does not leak, has staying power, expands and contracts with weather, and is flexible so you could easily adapt it in different configurations to seal the drainage "dents" or seal all the seams. I used it to patch my '99 Pace roof, and it worked like a dream, no moldings, no screws, no caulk, no problems. I'm not sure I'm explaining this very well, but I would look into finding ways to drain that roof, as I think it is a problem waiting to happen. Just my thoughts, best of luck.