repairing small soft spot on roof

[jederry58]

I found a soft spot on our 5th wheel roof last fall while cleaning the RV.  There was a small 1 inch tear that must have allowed water to leak in.  The soft spot is about 6 inches square and right in the middle of the roof.  It appears to be dry under the roof liner and I don't have any signs of water inside.  I fixed the tear with Dicor and now am wondering how to fix it this permanently.

I have done some searching on the web and have found articles where entire roofs are replaced or small spots in the corners but not much about a small spot directly in the middle.

Should I make an H pattern cut and try to replace the underlying wood or should I just let it go now that the hole has been fixed?  I really don't want to remove the entire roof for just a small spot.

Has anyone else had this type of experience?

Thanks.

 

[SpencerPJ]

That's a tough one.  We all know it's best to fix correctly.  But a small square like that, not an easy fix without major expense.  What kind of 5th wheel.  Newer or older? If you attack the hole, cut it out, repair it, and mind you, best to repair to structural support, so you might end up with a much larger repair, all vulnerable to a new leak.  If it was me, and I was absolutely sure it wasn't leaking any longer, I would find some strong acrylic 1/4" or something like that, cut it 12" square, Dicor it down, then Dicor around it, and never step on the area.  Heck, a small piece of white aluminum sheet might work as well.

Next option:  Do you need a skylight? 

 

[Rene T]

I would just leave it if it's only 6" square. Just mark the spot so you know where it is and walk around it. I would also put a piece of Eternabond tape over the cut. 

To properly fix a hole like that, you'd have to peel back a fairly good size piece of the roofing material.  Now if the soft spot fall right over a roof rafter, then you'll have to go further in both directions (front to back) in order to reach the next rafter. Then you'd have to cut the rubber further back. Then when you lay the rubber back down, you'll have a huge area to seal.
 
Like I said, leave it alone.

Oh, and welcome to the forum. Please let us know how you make out if you do decide to fix it. Pictures would be good too.

 

[jederry58]

Thanks for your responses.  I want to dig into it and fix it right, but I think I could be creating a bigger headache.  I currently only have Dicor but am going to put on the Eternabond tape.  I actually thought about putting a piece of aluminum down like SpencerPJ suggested.

I attached a picture of the initial cut before I fixed it.
 
I?ve been looking at this forum for several years as a guest and have used suggestions to fix my cargo doors.  Worked great.

Thanks again.

 

[Gizmo100]

welcome to the forum  jederry58

As you have already found the RV forum has some pretty smart folks hanging around.

Next option:  Do you need a skylight? 

And some have a great sense of humour ;D ;D

 

[Rene T]

I actually thought about putting a piece of aluminum down like SpencerPJ suggested.

Using a piece of aluminum, I think you'd have to screw it down then you're putting more holes in a perfectly good rubber roof.

 

[Back2PA]

It seems like I read a comment from someone that there was a fix that was used in boats, something along the lines of drilling a bunch of small shallow holes and putting a thin epoxy like material in that seeped into the wood then hardened. That's all I remember but perhaps someone at a marina might have some ideas.

 

[grashley]

Welcome to the Forum!

What you have done is probably enough.  A piece of aluminum or acrylic, glued down around the edges with Dicor or similar, then Eternabond the entire edge.  Reinforced, no new holes and triple sealed (initial fix, edge seal, eternabond).  DONE!