Questions about the top of my camper

Hey guys, new to all this RV stuff. Just bought a 2014 Grey Wolf 31 ft. Inside looks awesome. Finally able to look on roof and it has some ripples along seam lines of underlying plywood and from what I hear that is normal but it does have bigger ripples/bunching of rubber roof underneath AC unit. No signs of leaking inside that I have noticed but didn't know if this is normal. When I contacted service department at Camping World they said this is normal but the RV Care app they have the guy wasn't for sure if it was normal so was wanting to get your guys opinions???

Hi and welcome to the forum  

First campingworld can be very expensive and they are not the only game in town so just shop around online or locally before deciding on who works on your unit.  Did you buy this from a dealer and if so did you show them the roof?  Most will sell as is but they will also fix some things if you ask them to get the sale. 

I don't see a big issue here in the pics, as long as there are no leaks.  The main thing you need to be sure of is that water runs AWAY from the AC and does not puddle up around it.  If it does then the puddle could freeze and cause damage.  RV roofs are made to drain water off the roof. 

If it does puddle up (you can test with a water hose) then you may end up having to do one of two things. 

1. Cut the bubble fold it over itself with the higher flap over the lower flap (like a shingle) and seal it up with roof seal for RV's the sealant has to be self leveling, there are alot of products on the market and there are some posts on this forum as to which is best.   

2.  Use some roof sealant to build up layers to force the water away from the AC.  This is my preference as you dont want to be cutting the rubber roof unless you absolutely have to ever. 

Also remember with RVing, there are exceptions but mostly the rule is "if it works dont fix it"  because a small job can turn into a huge job pretty quickly. 

   

Makes sense. I bought at camping world but definitely need to look around my area for repair shops if needed in the future. Suggestions make sense, will have to look into it further. We just got a 1/2 inch sleet so the whole roof is frozen right now on the camper. Thoughts on if this will do any damage? Starting to thaw today, no leaks so far

OK keep us posted   I have only been doing this for 2 years but many on here are lifers with alot more experience.  They should be chiming in soon as possible to give their thoughts on the issue as well. 

Also remember that leaks in an RV are not always immediately seen, there are so many ways the water can travel once it gets inside.  But water to an RV is like cancer and you want to catch it quickly.    If you ever see anything that looks like black mold, put on a medical mask and be very careful not to breathe it, it can make you very sick or worse.    Now if the black mode is on wood, i always just spay it with a mix of bleach and water (does not have to be very strong) and let it sit, once it dries you will see the mold has been killed, then you can scrap up what you can and toss it away. 


One more thought here, if you are driving in the rain sometime the water could be pushed up under the AC while on the road, something to think about.

Here is the stuff that I got when I first got my RV.  I just use it for roof Edgeing, and edgeing around roof skylights and such.  It is NOT meant for the entire roof is what I was told, as there is a special RV product for that purpose.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Henry-Company-White-Roof-Sealant-1-Gallon-Waterproofer-Elastomeric-Roof-Sealant/50255605

It is the consistancy of very firm peanut butter so you will need a good strong brush to apply it.  It will take a day or so in the heat to cure, but when it does it is hard but not too hard, its not brittle at all and it seals things up tight.    And if there ever is a leak where you have used this stuff for some reason (damage or something else) then all you do is push around on it with your finger and if there is water under it, your finger will get wet, youll see the water push out of it.  The one time that happened to me I did not put it on thick enough over a screw head and it leaked but after letting it dry and adding alittle more it has not leaked in 2 years and we get lots of rain here.

ngranneman said:

Hey guys, new to all this RV stuff. Just bought a 2014 Grey Wolf 31 ft. Inside looks awesome. Finally able to look on roof and it has some ripples along seam lines of underlying plywood and from what I hear that is normal but it does have bigger ripples/bunching of rubber roof underneath AC unit. No signs of leaking inside that I have noticed but didn't know if this is normal. When I contacted service department at Camping World they said this is normal but the RV Care app they have the guy wasn't for sure if it was normal so was wanting to get your guys opinions???

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No it is not normal. Sounds like then rubber is pulling away from the plywood laminate.  Poor adhesion.  The only solution IMHO would be to remove all the accessories on the roof, peel back the rubber and reseal it to the substrate.
I would never slice the rubber and glue it back down like a shingle. I thing it's only going to continue to pull away  and slicing it up will only create more issues later on down the road.
The roof is only 4 years old so the material is still good for many more years.
Others may feel differently.

Rene T said:

No it is not normal. Sounds like then rubber is pulling away from the plywood laminate.  Poor adhesion.  The only solution IMHO would be to remove all the accessories on the roof, peel back the rubber and reseal it to the substrate.
I would never slice the rubber and glue it back down like a shingle. I thing it's only going to continue to pull away  and slicing it up will only create more issues later on down the road.
The roof is only 4 years old so the material is still good for many more years.
Others may feel differently.

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I 100% agree, I was going through options only that were possible and I would never cut the roof.  My feeling is that if you are going to remove all of the accessories on the roof to fix it you might as well paint on a another coat of roofing because you are already 80% there.  They sell special roofing just for RV in 5 gal buckets that you premix and it gives you about 4 hours to use it.  There is prep work before and after you remove all accessories if that is the plan for you.

djw2112 said:

I 100% agree, I was going through options only that were possible and I would never cut the roof.  My feeling is that if you are going to remove all of the accessories on the roof to fix it you might as well paint on a another coat of roofing because you are already 80% there.  They sell special roofing just for RV in 5 gal buckets that you premix and it gives you about 4 hours to use it.  There is prep work before and after you remove all accessories if that is the plan for you.

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The last thing or next to the last thing I would do is to just brush on a coat of roofing. The main problem to me sounds like maybe the adhesive was not properly applied and the rubber is coming unglued from the plywood. It may continue unless you remove the rubber roof and reapply the adhesive

It seems confined to just between the pressure points of the AC unit on the roof and doesn't seem like it will move beyond that. What are peoples thoughts of just leaving it along since it doesn't appear to be causing any issues at this time?

Or would you be able to use a syringe and just put a couple of holes into the roof to inject sealer stuff. With no signs of leakage and it all being underneath the AC, I just know that sometimes doing something can cause bigger issues than what you start out with.

ngranneman said:

It seems confined to just between the pressure points of the AC unit on the roof and doesn't seem like it will move beyond that. What are peoples thoughts of just leaving it along since it doesn't appear to be causing any issues at this time?

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If it was mine, I would do just that.  Leave it alone, and keep an eye on it.  Seems like it was just pulled back when they installed the A/C unit. My 2012 Puma has a couple little ripples in it, haven't changed in the few years I've owned it.