Roof joints and other issues

[mrschwarz]

I was browsing the Winnebago site a few days ago and I read a bulletin that I should be inspecting the roof seams and joints twice a year. I have never done it before and didn't know I was supposed to be doing it.

We had a bit of weather this past week and a couple of branches fell off a neighboring tree onto the roof. I was out of town so my wife and daughter had to go up on the roof to clear a couple of medium sized branches from it. I got home on Friday night. On Saturday, I went up on the roof to make sure there was no damage from the branches.While I was up there I took a look at the roof seams. What I found surprised me. It looks the seam between the front cap and roof could stand to be resealed. Also, there are gutters that run the length of the coach on each side. There is a caulk joint that runs along the top of the gutter. On the driver side of the coach, I have a living room slider. Above the slider, the caulk line is cracked and needs to be resealed.

Also, there is a small section on each side of the roof that is painted the same color as the sides. The rest of the roof is white. On the painted sections, there are small hairline cracks in the paint. Is this something to worry about?

I am looking for some recommendations for sealing the seam along the gutters and the roof caps. I can seal them using Winnebago's recommendations, but I am wondering if there is a way that will make them last more than a couple of years.

How do I do this?

 

[LK23]

Yes, the roof seams needs to be re-sealed when the caulking cracks.  I found that I had to re-seal every two years and seal smaller cracks on an annual basis on my 2005 Itasca Horizon.  You need to use the Winnie approved sealant - do not use silicone!!  The Winnie approved sealant is thermoplastic and somewhat expensive at $17 a tube from Winnie dealers the last I checked.  I have extra tubes of this sealant that I do not need.  Send me a PM if you are interested.

 

[SargeW]

Resealing the roof cap is an important one. Here is a link with pics where I resealed mine on my previous 06' Meridian. http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=28920.msg276332#msg276332  Pretty easy and not to expensive. Do it yourself, you know it is done right! 

 

[John Canfield]

Here's two good older threads on sealing the various joints:  first one, second one

 

[Duner]

Michael,

I was wondering if your "small hairline cracks" look like the ones in the photo I've attached here.  It may be more than just the paint.

My cracks were in the paint and into the fiberglass....but not deep enough to cause a leak or structural problem.  90% of the cracking was in the painted area the full length of both sides on the edge radius.  The remaining 10% spread around the full roof which is white. 

A long-time RV paint and body shop manager inspected my roof for an unrelated issue, advised me that the fiberglass material was defective and the 10 yr warranty should cover the repair (sanding and re-fiberglassing) and repaint cost. 

After a long pursuit, that included our lawyer, and small claims subpena, the fiberglass manufacturer finally sent me a check for over $5K for repairs.

My coach is older than yours so your cracking problem may not be as advanced as mine.

Good luck,
Bill

 

[mrschwarz]

Michael,

I was wondering if your "small hairline cracks" look like the ones in the photo I've attached here.  It may be more than just the paint.

My cracks were in the paint and into the fiberglass....but not deep enough to cause a leak or structural problem.  90% of the cracking was in the painted area the full length of both sides on the edge radius.  The remaining 10% spread around the full roof which is white. 

A long-time RV paint and body shop manager inspected my roof for an unrelated issue, advised me that the fiberglass material was defective and the 10 yr warranty should cover the repair (sanding and re-fiberglassing) and repaint cost. 

After a long pursuit, that included our lawyer, and small claims subpena, the fiberglass manufacturer finally sent me a check for over $5K for repairs.

My coach is older than yours so your cracking problem may not be as advanced as mine.

Good luck,
Bill

That's pretty much what they look like. I am sending it in for service. I'll have the technician look at it.