Replacing a small section or roof ?

[jbenrochon]

Hello,
I did a search on the topic but couldn't find any answers, so apologies in advance if this question has ben often asked.
I have a 2008 North Country travel trailer. I noticed a corner of the floor was kind of soft. There are no windows near that section of the floor so I went on the roof to inspect.

Once on the roof I noticed that a corner had infiltration of water. Without looking underneath the rubber roof I know that the wood is rotten because there is a small section that doesn't offer any resistance when I touch it. I could apply some Lap Sealant but I would really like to "lift" part of the rubber roof to replace the rotten wood.

I know that in order to lift the rubber roof I would have to unscrew the metallic strips that hold the rubber roof. My fear is that I will either damage or will not be able to reuse the existing rubber membrane because it might not be as pliable and might get torn when I try to re-screw the metallic strips. The rubber might not be able to be stretched when I try to put it back to it's original state.

Is this something that has been done before ? It's very tempting to fix since it right there in the corner and the rotten wood area is less than a square foot.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm new to RV'ing and am much eager to learn. Most of the youtube videos i've seen deal with tears in the roof that are fixed with Eternabond, or I see videos of entire roofs being replaced but I haven't seen a video showing someone lifintg part of the rubber roof to replace small section of wood underneath and re-use that same rubber roof.

Thanks in advance.

 

[IBTripping]

Let me be the first to welcome you to the Forum. Can't help you on the roof, but I'm sure some experts will soon respond.

 

[TheBar]

Last year I cut open my roof to repair some delaminated plywood and reused the existing rubber roof. Click here to read my posts about it. Eternabond is your friend. Use it under the metal trim to seal if needed.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You can try to open it up carefully so as to re-use the EPDM membrane, but I would plan on applying a new section of membrane. It's readily available for purchase (e.g. Amazon or Ebay) and easy to replace a new section. Just seal the new seam with lap sealant or roofing tape (Eternabond, Diseal, etc).

 

[Kirk]

Nobody has mentioned it but the roof membrane whether EDPM or TPO is glued to the substrate. It has probably come loose from the rotted part but be very careful as you lift it. If the area of the problem is small then I would by all means do as Gary has suggested and replace the part that you lift. There are many different repair and replacement kits on Amazon of various sizes or from most RV supply stores.

 

[TheBar]

You might try a heat gun if the glue makes it difficult to lift the rubber roof. If it is a hot sunny day in August you probably don't need a heat gun

 

[jbenrochon]

Wow such great feedback and tips. Sorry if it took a while to reply, visiting family. Yes the glue is no longer attached. I don't know if my membrane is EPDM or TPO. I'll know when I'll look underneath the membrane ( black= EPDM, white = TPO).
I'm planning on doing the fix next w-e if life can give me a break (noticed a pool liner tear before I left to see family). Will take pictures of the work I did on roof for this community. One last question. Are the wood used for the roof usually the same thickness, I'm guessing 3/8. My TT is far from retail store so I have to make sure to not forget anything!

 

[TheBar]

Roofs are typically two 1/8" or 3/16" sheets of plywood with structural foam (not Styrofoam) glued between them. Thin plywood is hard to find unless you run across the old thin 1970's wood paneling which would need sanding to scuff or remove the finish. If you have to go thicker make sure it doesn't leave a sharp edge to cut the rubber. If you followed my link above I had to solve that problem with epoxy wood filler.

 

[Kirk]

Are the wood used for the roof usually the same thickness, I'm guessing 3/8. My TT is far from retail store so I have to make sure to not forget anything!

If I understand, the wood underlay would most likely be the same material and thickness over the entire roof. The thickness varies from one manufacturer to another. The only RV underlay that I have been involved in replacing was either 1/4 or 3/16" but it has been too long and I am not sure now.

 

[jbenrochon]

Hi everyone,

I have fixed the roof and the floor that was soft. My roof membrane is EPDM. I took a couple of videos but then I had some visit so I don't have any videos of finished product. I'll get some next tim

For the roof I unscrewed the metallic strips(end of roof, corner and side where gutters are). Both end of roof and corner where easy to remove and I thought I would be able to remove the membrane without cutting it. However, the metallic strip that is connected to the gutter seemed to be connected together so it seemed like a big job and didn't have the time. I decided to cut the roof membrane with a knife and use 4inch eternabond tape to cover. I used Eternaclean beforehand.

The roof sheating was 3/8 thick presswood, it had fiberglass insulation underneath which I replaced. so basically cut out wood root. Applied borax paste (borax mixed with small hot tap water), mold spray and once dried I used anti mold paint to areas that where still hard but showed water stains. Templated existing roof joists to create nailing/backing and screwed my 3/8 plywood. Marked where electricla wires were so I don't screw them !

For the soft floor in the bathroom, I used my olfa knife to cur along the sides of wall and bathtub, cut out rotten wood. bascailly redid the same steps as above(borax, mold spray, anti mold paint)

Overall happy with my fix, wish I could have spared cutting my roof put confident Eternabond tape will hold. I also applied lap sealant on the edges of the eternabond tape.

Thanks to everyone for the info you gave me confidence to complete this job.

Note: Just noticed that all I have are videos and can't seem to be able to upload them.

 

[Kirk]

Thanks for the report and congratulations to a successful completion of the jobs.