EPDM ROOF has bubbles ,is it done for...??

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Hi, new to the forum and been reading alot of posts but figured I post my particular situation.. I have Coachman 32FT TT and It has a Epdm rubber roof (original no leaks). I figured I'd recoat it before winter so I bought 5 gallons of Pro Guard Liquid EPDM Rubber Coating and was going to recoat it untill I got up there and saw Bubbles as big as 7 inches in length and my edges of the roof are bubbled up. Almost like the rubber expanded and had left over material and didn't settle back down. I'm new to this RV / camper thing the TT is a 1995 Thats why I wanted to recover the roof. Is there a way of repairing the bubbles and have it lay flat again?? I seen where someone said to inject the bubble with glue or sealant?? How is this done??And with what sealant? My wife will kill me if I tell her the roof is bad after just buying this two weeks ago and spending 300.00 on coating!!! ANY HELP! Please! Replacing the roof is not an option at this point $$$$$$ 32ft, EPDM  ... Yea right ! Have big syringe and willing to inject??? :)

 
A previous post HERE, describes the process of fixing a bubble.  The biggest bubble I have fixed approached 2 foot square.  Patching a hole is similar to fixing a hole in a bicycle tire tube.  If you are wondering what is under the rubber, look at our reroof project; link below.  Typically the rubber is glued to the wood underneath the rubber and not the radiused corner trim.

We started to have the rubber come unglued at about 10 years of age.  It was due to minimal factory applied glue just letting go and small amounts of moisture getting under the rubber where the chalking failed.  As a precaution, you should also rechalk all areas of the roof to keep the water out.  Then recheck the chalking yearly looking to fix potential areas.  Some perform this check every six months.  From what I have read, the rubber roof is advertised to last more than 20 years but in reality they last 10-15 years.  We were lucky, we stretched ours to 20 years.  Dealers quoted us $150-$200 per foot of roof to fix and recover.  Our cost was more like $75/foot and alot of time & sweat.
 
You may or may not need to re-coat the roof - that depends on the physical condition of the material itself. Chances are a 13 year old EPDM roof needs it, but it is not assured.

Bubbles, though, need to be fixed because sooner a later the material will tear and leak. Bob Flight's description of the repair process is a good one.

Now you know why we say to inspect any used RV thoroughly. Especially an older one.
 
Hey Thanks for the replies . I guess I 'll be opening a few of these bubbles and fixing them to buy some time..for the old roof. I have tubes of lap sealent from Dicor. Any one know where I can get just patch material? I better invest in  a good Tarp to cover this thing for this winter here in OHIO. Man this really stinks, I bought it from a Coachman dealer ASIS online .I had no clue about the roof ,other than that the TT is Like new! . As always, live and learn the hard way. :(
 
When buying AS IS, always insist on the right to inspect it before turning over the full payment. Even if bought via online auction. Bubbles in the roof is certainly not "like new" and would have qualified as substantial misrepresentation if you had spotted it before the transaction was completed. Tough to do much now.

You probably won't need any patch material. Just slit the bubble and glue it down. Then use the lap sealant to cover the edges of the slit. Eternabond tape is also a great way to cover a slit or hole.

http://www.bestmaterials.com/detail.aspx?ID=11341
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/product/eternabond/1627
 
The DICOR patch kit should be available at any RV dealer.  If not, TWEETYS is the place we got our supplies from.  They carry the patch kit, Eternabond equivalent, and a whole bunch of other neat toys.  They also sell the rubber contact glue by the gallon.  If you can't find it online there, call them. 

Bare in mind that this rubber sheeting is not used only for RVs.  It is also a covering used on commercial buildings.  Black is the common color for that application, but the popularity of white is increasing.  For the really severe problem, there are methods to repair a large section by overlaying a new piece.  That is likely beyond your needs.

I would suggest that after the rubber is reglued, a rubber patch be placed over the hole and selal the edges of the patch.  I may be overly conservative, but it always worked for me.
 
Thanks for the info guys!! the links are great! Just so I get this right, should I use something like the M-1 sealant/adhesive under the bubble to adhere/ Glue it back down to the wood OR SONOLASTIC 150 sealant....Or something else?? This EPDM based material is confusing me about what will bond to it! ???
 
Both M1 and Sonolast are spec'ed to bond well to EPDM, so they should work. However, they are non-sagging, which means you need to spread them manually. I wonder if a self-leveling formula such as Alpha Lap Sealant might be easier to use (it flows out more smoothly than the non-sag formulas).  Dicor (the primary supplier of EPDM roofing for RVs) also makes a special adhesive for EPDM - see it here:
http://www.rvupgradestore.com/browseproducts/Dicor-EPDM-Rubber-Roof-System-Water-Based-Adhesive--1-Gallon.html
 
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