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RV roof/insurance question

Discussion in 'General' started by Hotfoot, Feb 20, 2019.

  1. Hotfoot

    Hotfoot Well-Known Member

    In my quest to keep my aged toyhauler going for another few years until someone makes another one with this type of layout... I have it in the shop for repair and they found a small tear in the roof, undoubtedly the result of scraping the roof under a tree branch.

    He suggested I talk to my insurance company about paying for the repair. Other than making sure I am clear that this happened while driving/towing it (and NOT as a result of something falling on it when parked at home), any other advice on dealing with insurance on this?

    RV guy suggests replacing the whole roof if insurance will cover it, and patching it if not but he does not sound confident a patch will last very long.
     
  2. ChemGuy

    ChemGuy Harden The F%@# Up!

    Is it a like a single 'tear' or many abraded tears or area? If a single tear for small area I would clean the area with solvent use some adhesive to hold the membrane edges down if needed, and apply a small amount of sealant to the torn area to help seal it and fill the gap. Then apply a piece of Eternabond RV roof tape. We sell something like this, but double sided, and it works REALLY good. this should make the roof last a while longer until you decide to replace the whole membrane. Its a good product to keep in the RY in case you notice a leak or tear while out. Just clean/dry and area and stick a piece on to prevent further damage.

    https://www.amazon.com/EternaBond-RSW-4-50-RoofSeal-Sealant-White-x/dp/B002RSIK4G

    AphraelTop Contributor: Camping
    5.0 out of 5 starsA Great Product That Solves Tough Leak Problems
    October 5, 2016
    Size: 4" x 50'Verified Purchase
    I found this tape is an excellent solution to repair holes or tears in the rubber membrane roof covering of our travel trailer. I have tried other caulking materials with only fair results. When we got a bad tear after driving the trailer under a low-hanging branch at the campground, I repaired the tear with this tape. Is was so impressed with it that I ordered more to replace the caulking seal on the ends of the roof where it meets the aluminum siding. I'd twice had leaks in this area. After re-sealing with this tape, all is nice and dry.

    This tape is about the most sticky stuff I've ever worked with, but the adhesion is not fully activated until pressure is applied. This makes it a little easily to work with than the world's most sticky material. You peel the clear film off the gray side of the tape to expose the adhesive putty. When applying, know first that any air bubbles that get trapped under the tape cannot be pushed out - that's how strong the adhesion.

    Before application, I scrubbed the area with acetone on a rag.

    When applying to anything but a tiny area, I found that it works very well to have another person align the long piece of tape while I would slowly peel away the clear film and simultaneously applied pressure in a way to assure all of the air is forced out from under the tape. When applied, the go over the tape with any kind of pressure. The pressure can be hand pressure, or a roller, but a small roller is very handy for large seams. If you repair area is larger than 3 inches wide, just overlap successive strips of tape with 1 inch of overlap. This tape sticks well to Dicor lap sealant caulk, but you can get a smoother result by removing most of the old caulking material. I removed a thick layer of old caulk with by careful application of a wire brush spinning in a 4-inch hand grinder. The wire brush didn't seem to damage the rubber membrane when used with care.

    This tape will not stick to silicone, so any seams or joints previously repaired with silicone caulk need to be cleaned carefully of the old silicone.

    I think this tape would be great for seams in many devices or constructions that you wanted to make water-proof.
     
  3. skidooboy

    skidooboy supermotojunkie

    patch it like above, it is an industry recommended repair. if you go with the insurance plan, they will start with that, before a full roof replacement anyway. if by some chance they do put a roof on it, there will be a pro-rated betterment applied, and you will be paying a portion of the roof replacement, depending on the year of last roof, or year of rv mfgr.

    also, hit object while driving, will probably be considered an at fault collision loss, and your larger deductible would apply, and rates, and or discounts will be affected.

    your results may vary. Ski
     
  4. beechkingd

    beechkingd Well-Known Member

    From my experience that tape does not stick well on a old chalky roof. I cleaned mine really well (scrubbed with scotch brite and thinner) all the times i tried to apply it and it always came off a few months longer. A large amount of the sealer did a much better job on my old roof.
     
  5. TurboBlew

    TurboBlew Registers Abusers

    its an EPMD, roof right?

    Shops charge ALOT of labor to do those and it is gravy kind of work if you have a scaffolding to do it.
    Probably be best to replace all the accessories at the same time.
     
    XFBO likes this.
  6. zertrider

    zertrider Waiting for snow. Or sun.

    Plan on a complete replacement costing +$6000. Which may be more than the trailer is worth to the insurance company
     
  7. TurboBlew

    TurboBlew Registers Abusers

    Thats what I dont get. The materials "may" cost $1,000 including the termination bars. You can buy the trailer roof roll stuff even cheaper.
     
  8. beechkingd

    beechkingd Well-Known Member

    It looks like a ton of labor to me. Two people and four or five days labor adds up pretty quick.
     
  9. ducnut

    ducnut Well-Known Member

    What kind of roof is this thing?

    I have rolls of flashing used to patch EPDM roofs. Just use some kind of cleaner that’ll soften and clean the surface, stick the patch, and it’s done. I could send you primer, if what I have is any good. Otherwise, swing by a commercial roofing company and have them patch it for $20.
     
    TurboBlew likes this.
  10. Hotfoot

    Hotfoot Well-Known Member

    Holy cow, what a lot of great information. The tear is one rip from a single branch, not a bunch of scrapes; it is about 6" long and is right at the edge where the roof curves down to meet the side wall. The trailer has the rubber roof membrane, of the type that gets the chalky oxidized stuff on it, I think it is an EPMD roof. RV repair guy says that the chalky stuff is what makes it hard to seal the tear really well, anything you stick to it just comes off and takes the top layer of oxidized roof with it. But he says he can seal it well enough that it will last for a while.

    I talked to the insurance company, that won't do a full roof replacement so it isn't worth going through them for the repair.

    The trailer is not really worth enough to invest $5-6K in a new roof and that is what was quoted (whole trailer is probably worth $10-12k), we are just trying to keep it going because it is a 23' bumper pull with a front bath and no bedroom, the layout has tons of cargo space and is perfect for us. I can't find anything newer than 2008 that has a similar layout, everything has a bedroom now so you have to go way bigger overall to get the cargo space we have in our current trailer.

    Thanks for all the advice, especially on the Eternbond RV roof tape, definitely will get some of that to have around as needed!
     
  11. ducnut

    ducnut Well-Known Member

    That chalk is just dead or oxidized material. Get yourself some 80-grit sandpaper and sand the area the tape is going to cover. You may want to apply masking tape just outside what the sealing tape will cover, so you’re only sanding within that area and won’t have a botched looking repair. Then, carefully clean (don’t soak) that area with something potent and non-oily like acetone or brake cleaner on a clean rag. Peel the masking tape away and let the area thoroughly dry. Then, apply the sealing tape. If that tape doesn’t do the trick, you can use 3M 5200 marine sealant, as it stays flexible, is white, and can be bought in small tubes.

    You should probably do all this in the sun and warmth, so things have a chance to work.
     
  12. zertrider

    zertrider Waiting for snow. Or sun.

    Well, we have done a few, and generally for 2 guys it take the best part of 3.5-4 days to do the job on 35' motorhomes. So lets say 60hrs to keep it on the lighter side, @$100/hr shop rate. Adds up.
     
    ducnut likes this.
  13. TurboBlew

    TurboBlew Registers Abusers

    the local guys around here can do them in 3 days tops. Thats if they are replacing a good amount of luan. They stay pretty busy.
     
  14. zertrider

    zertrider Waiting for snow. Or sun.

    3 days with 1 guy? And we only do motorhomes, which are generally a little bit more PITA, as they have more vents, different front and rear caps to deal with, and only do about 2 a year.
     
  15. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    $120/hr labor charge on something that time consuming adds up quick.
     
  16. TurboBlew

    TurboBlew Registers Abusers

    no its a couple of guys. The do em all... 5th wheels, bumper pulls, and class As
     
  17. TurboBlew

    TurboBlew Registers Abusers

    no doubt and even taking out the labor cost its salty. Glad mine has a metal roof!
     
  18. ChemGuy

    ChemGuy Harden The F%@# Up!

    What this guys said.
    If you remove that chalky UV degraded layer off you can get to some fresh EPDM and bond to that. I would go a few inches on either side of the tear.
     
  19. Kurlon

    Kurlon Well-Known Member

    Painting my roof is looking more and more attractive...
     

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