Roof Sealant Scraped by Tree

cofred · 03-14-2023, 05:59 PM

2016 AXIS: We arrived at our campsite yesterday afternoon. We are near a palm tree but it was not touching the coach. In the middle of the night, the wind picked up dramatically caused the tips of the tree to slightly scape the roof. I remedied the situation but am left with a palm sized area where the coating has been abraded away. How urgent is it to fix this? Rain is forecast for the drive home. TIA!!

**16ACE27** · 03-14-2023, 06:19 PM

Not sure exactly what I am looking at or the picture orientation, but:

If the scraped are is the roof - that is not sealant unless a previous owner coated the entire roof - In which case it should be too difficult to buy a small can of roof sealant for your type of roof and coat the scraped areas.

If not sure, just do a temporary cover with some white duct tape until you get home and can investigate further.

cofred · 03-15-2023, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

Not sure exactly what I am looking at or the picture orientation, but:

If the scraped are is the roof - that is not sealant unless a previous owner coated the entire roof - In which case it should be too difficult to buy a small can of roof sealant for your type of roof and coat the scraped areas.

If not sure, just do a temporary cover with some white duct tape until you get home and can investigate further.

Yes, I am pretty sure it is sealant that has been scraped away. I spoke to a mobile RV repair guy here and he suggested covering it with Eternabond tape and calling it good. Thanks!!

**16ACE27** · 03-15-2023, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cofred

Yes, I am pretty sure it is sealant that has been scraped away. I spoke to a mobile RV repair guy here and he suggested covering it with Eternabond tape and calling it good. Thanks!!

Eternabond tape is a good leak prevention cure and will work well until you try to sell the RV and a prospective buyer asks "Why do you have this chunk of tape on the roof?"

Chateau_Nomad · 03-15-2023, 07:37 PM

Better to explain why the tape is there than having a prospective buyer open a cabinet and discover water damage from unrepaired roof damage.

Agvegas · 03-16-2023, 02:22 AM

I just traded my 2014 Freelander 19CB Class C for my 2023 Vegas 24.1. I had covered every seam with Eternabond including around every roof penetration except the AC. During the 9 years we had it we never worried about water leaks. I explained what I did and why and my Thor dealer never batted an eye. The trade value was exactly the amount I had expected, too. So, don’t let using Eternabond scare you.

dkoldman · 03-16-2023, 03:21 AM

If I am following right, are we saying palm leaves damaged the roof? I would sell that coach now? I am parked under a Cedar Elm and every thunderstorm or severe weather some of the smaller branches and leaves rub over the roof. 4 years and nothing. I don't cut the tree back further because I like the shade.

NMRVer · 03-17-2023, 01:28 AM

Eternabond tape (the wider the better), like stated previously, is a great solution. Just ensure to use a roller to get good adherence. Some people believe it's a good permanent solution, not quite sure I'm one of that crowd. But firmly believe it works. Just my.02

Chateau_Nomad · 03-17-2023, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkoldman

If I am following right, are we saying palm leaves damaged the roof? I would sell that coach now? I am parked under a Cedar Elm and every thunderstorm or severe weather some of the smaller branches and leaves rub over the roof. 4 years and nothing. I don't cut the tree back further because I like the shade.

Thor TPO roof vs WBGO fiberglass. Wax on... wax off.

dkoldman · 03-17-2023, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad

Thor TPO roof vs WBGO fiberglass. Wax on... wax off.

We are in pouring rain on a trip now. The rain on waxed fiberglass roof makes for good sound and ambiance. I need to figure out way to harvest the water off my roof and dump the 70 gallon fresh water tank in favor of 20 gallon fresh water tank

So far the only thing I have put on my roof is Manus Bond and it is all preventative because no leaks. But the Texas heat does take it toll so I look for the thinnest of cracks on the adhesive area and simply apply the Manus Bond to seal it before it breaks through. At some point I will let Mobile Tech come by strip it all off and redo, but right I see no reason to do that. He could make it worse.

When we return and as soon as all of the pollen is out of the air, I will start my 1st wax job of the year. I will start with the roof and it will take me about 2 weeks, we need new 2023 Thread on Wash & Wax

**16ACE27** · 03-17-2023, 12:44 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN284xrfahk&t=15s

dkoldman · 03-17-2023, 02:28 PM

I didn't get with clarity what he is saying the problem was before the repair?

I do know lots of WBGO owners worry about the roof coming out of the radius edges, but WBGO is clear that quarterly inspections should detect and be resealed with the Manus bond. I look for every time I wash the roof. I do recall once the mobile tech saw something but he uses some special heavy duty silicone and it was on cap not radius (about 1 inch long).

Any ways, that RV Roof was 2003. Not sure when the video was made but maybe it is 20 years old? The roofs come with 10 year warranty, but NOT for leaks. I am sure most any issue could be attributed to not maintaining properly so warranty is kind of hollow.

But your point is duly noted, as I have a gentleman's egg on my face because it is likely the #1 thing that could be major issue for me or any RV owner. I just think that when you spend as many hours on the roof washing and cleaning ( waxing if fiberglass) you will see these types of things well in advance. After all isn't the real reason to get an RV is all the work involved with maintenance and cleaning

MLP · 03-17-2023, 04:49 PM

One of our local RV group friends was coming home and was hearing a bang that got louder as the day wine on. 65 mph slowly pulled the roof up. A fellow club member finally got close enough to call them and let them know. Lots of Gorilla tape later, he was able to get it home. The fiberglass was not cracked, so it was glued back down. Screws were added to the sides and side of the caps. The entire roof sides, and cap sides were resealed along the edges. A front and rear seal was added to the caps. everywhere else old sealant was removed and then resealed. The roof looks good, he is thankful that the roof was not cracked or delaminated. The side front cap was the problem. It starting bending out and allowed the roof to catch the wind and pull it up. The cap only had an eight of an inch of the roof under the front cap edge.

mgunnin · 03-22-2023, 06:54 PM

There is a way to eliminate roof worries for the life of the RV.
There is a product that can be applied that prevent damage and leaks. It is a sprayed-on product done by professionals. The warranty is based on the Vin # not the owner, so the unit can be sold many times, but the warranty follows the RV.
The cost is based on the length of the area that the product is applied to not the length of the RV.
Example Vegas 27.7 (28') The area of TPO is 20' x $190.00 = $3,800.00.
See: rvroof.com

**16ACE27** · 03-22-2023, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgunnin

There is a way to eliminate roof worries for the life of the RV.
There is a product that can be applied that prevent damage and leaks. It is a sprayed-on product done by professionals. The warranty is based on the Vin # not the owner, so the unit can be sold many times, but the warranty follows the RV.
The cost is based on the length of the area that the product is applied to not the length of the RV.
Example Vegas 27.7 (28') The area of TPO is 20' x $190.00 = $3,800.00.
See: rvroof.com

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f8...eak-16465.html

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