Roof Delamination - repair shop recomendations ?

[Nomore9-5]

Our 2012 378 is showing early signs of roof delamination. Is there anyone ( could be anyone not necessarily just Georgetown owners ) who had their rv roof done and can reccomend a shop that did the work.
We live in central ontario . Not sure there's much help here so it may be it will have to be done by someone in the US .

[bubbles]

Your roof is fiberglass. Could you please post pictures of what you are calling delamination.

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by bubbles

Your roof is fiberglass. Could you please post pictures of what you are calling delamination.

Will do . Weather is not too good here today so I can't get out to get image now. ( never posted image before would you advise how you did yours)

The reason I'm referring to it as delamination is from spending time on u tube etc. What I'm seeing on my mh sure looks like the early signs of what I'm seeing on some of the websites I've visited.

Just getting prepared for what I feel is inevitable - to know where I can take it , how long it will be to have it done and how much ( generally) it's going to cost when the time comes

Thanks for responding - will post pic shortly

[rsdata]

Weather is not too good here today so I can't get out to get image now. ( never posted image before would you advise how you did yours)

easiest way to post a picture if you have a computer is to email your pic to yourself, then save it to your computer. From there use the paper clip icon to upload it to your post as an attachment.

[bubbles]

I was just wondering if what you see looks like this. It seems to be a natural occurrence on GT378's of our vintage. Mines been like this since 2014 with no issues. If it's something different then I should perhaps be looking for it to occur.

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by bubbles

Your roof is fiberglass. Could you please post pictures of what you are calling delamination.

Bubbles hope this works - First time contestant sending an image.Sorry pic is not very defined.I coated the roof last fall.The dark spot in the center is a puddle held back from draining to the mh side by the raised delamination. You can just make out a small amount of water trailing arround the edge of it and reacching the side

[bubbles]

Haven't heard of having to coat a fiberglass roof. What does that mean. The fiberglass is a single sheet for the roof and don't know of any coating that needs to be applied. If your roof is actually not fiberglass then this may be a different story.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

Bubbles hope this works - First time contestant sending an image. Sorry pic is not very defined. I coated the roof last fall. The dark spot in the center is a puddle held back from draining to the mh side by the raised delamination. You can just make out a small amount of water trailing around the edge of it and reaching the side

What is the big black balloon off to the right?

If you press gently on the raised area, does it move down?

Ray

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by bubbles

Haven't heard of having to coat a fiberglass roof. What does that mean. The fiberglass is a single sheet for the roof and don't know of any coating that needs to be applied. If your roof is actually not fiberglass then this may be a different story.

A fellow RV owner I've known for some time gave me the idea. He keeps his unit in Florida so it's exposed to fairly stong sunshine year round Every time every year he applies roof coating for UV protection . It also helps with mold and mildew and apparently helps seal minor cracks . I tried some Dicor fiberglass Roof coating for the first time mostly for UV protection because there's no shade where we store it .
According to the Georgetown sales literature I have a fiberglass roof

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by NXR

What is the big black balloon off to the right?

If you press gently on the raised area, does it move down?

Ray

The guy beside be covered his 5 th wheel with a blue tarp . I guess he didn't get it tied down enough to prevent wind getting under it.

If I gently press on it yes it does move down . That's lead me to thinking whatever they used to bond the fiberglass roof skin to the decking has failed. I watched a u tube of a Georgetown repair and the shop fixing it couldn't get over the lack of adhesive FR applied for the build . You'd think adhesive isn't that expensive that they needed to skimp .

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

The guy beside be covered his 5 th wheel with a blue tarp . I guess he didn't get it tied down enough to prevent wind getting under it.

If I gently press on it yes it does move down . That's lead me to thinking whatever they used to bond the fiberglass roof skin to the decking has failed. I watched a u tube of a Georgetown repair and the shop fixing it couldn't get over the lack of adhesive FR applied for the build . You'd think adhesive isn't that expensive that they needed to skimp .

I'm not sure if the factory installed fiberglass roof on our GT's is actually bonded to the luan substrate and only held in place with the strips along both sides of the roof.

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by bubbles

I'm not sure if the factory installed fiberglass roof on our GT's is actually bonded to the luan substrate and only held in place with the strips along both sides of the roof.

I think it must be bonded. I only have that issue in a particular area ( so far ?) . The rest of the roof is firm ( feels like skin and decking have solid contact )

[camaraderie]

No-more... the main reason I bought a G'town was the fiberglass roof vs all the thin plastic and rubber roofs that need maintenance and repairs/replacement over time. I don't think you have anything to worry about in terms of big jobs as the glass looks un-damaged and you don't report any water ingress. To be sure it is VERY thin fiberglass but fiberglass is forever and needs no special care. Given your location...the big risks overhead is where there are holes in the roof for vents and antennas & AC;s etc. If water gets in due to poor caulking maintenance (Dicor)...then it can travel between the wood and the glass and rot the wood or freeze and expand resulting in some de-lamination.
I can't tell too much from your picture but a closer inspection when dry should tell the story. If I suspected water based de-lamination... I'd carefully cut out a small hole in the roof glass with a hole saw... then check the roof below for both wetness and rot. If none present... put some epoxy in the gap, put the hole glass back and seal it back up with a coat of epoxy on top. If rot is found...it's a bigger job but still doable for way less than new roofing. OH...and ya gotta find where the water is getting in. and correct that. ANY holes in the roof you make like a new maxx fan...should have their exposed wood and fiberglass vertical edges coated with epoxy to prevent water intrusion...before doing the rest of the install.
Good luck!

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

No-more... the main reason I bought a G'town was the fiberglass roof vs all the thin plastic and rubber roofs that need maintenance and repairs/replacement over time. I don't think you have anything to worry about in terms of big jobs as the glass looks un-damaged and you don't report any water ingress. To be sure it is VERY thin fiberglass but fiberglass is forever and needs no special care. Given your location...the big risks overhead is where there are holes in the roof for vents and antennas & AC;s etc. If water gets in due to poor caulking maintenance (Dicor)...then it can travel between the wood and the glass and rot the wood or freeze and expand resulting in some de-lamination.
I can't tell too much from your picture but a closer inspection when dry should tell the story. If I suspected water based de-lamination... I'd carefully cut out a small hole in the roof glass with a hole saw... then check the roof below for both wetness and rot. If none present... put some epoxy in the gap, put the hole glass back and seal it back up with a coat of epoxy on top. If rot is found...it's a bigger job but still doable for way less than new roofing. OH...and ya gotta find where the water is getting in. and correct that. ANY holes in the roof you make like a new maxx fan...should have their exposed wood and fiberglass vertical edges coated with epoxy to prevent water intrusion...before doing the rest of the install.
Good luck!

I'll certainly consider doing some " test " holes as you suggest . I strongly suspect if there's been any water ingress its likely along the metal strip running down the mh . When it rains the strip acts as a dam and water is prevented from rolling off the side into the rain gutter. Instead it sits there , finds it's way or evaporates ( terrible design by FR)
Just wondering if after testing that area if it looked reasonably good under the fiberglass I let the area dry out , inject some roof adhesive under the fiberglass , roll it and weight down the skin with cinder block or pin it with roofing screws. Caulking where needed

It's insane that we as owners need to correct the shoddy work / poor design that FR does. I have not reinstalled anything in any of the roof opening . If these weren't properly waterproofed it's on them.

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

I'll certainly consider doing some " test " holes as you suggest . I strongly suspect if there's been any water ingress its likely along the metal strip running down the mh . When it rains the strip acts as a dam and water is prevented from rolling off the side into the rain gutter. Instead it sits there , finds it's way or evaporates ( terrible design by FR)
Just wondering if after testing that area if it looked reasonably good under the fiberglass I let the area dry out , inject some roof adhesive under the fiberglass , roll it and weight down the skin with cinder block or pin it with roofing screws. Caulking where needed

It's insane that we as owners need to correct the shoddy work / poor design that FR does. I have not reinstalled anything in any of the roof opening . If these weren't properly waterproofed it's on them.

Should have read " water sits there, finds it's way in or evaporates" etc

[NXR]

I'd consider buying a good moisture meter and running it around the roof outside and also the ceiling inside before I poked any holes in a roof. I think the big box stores also carry them.

A moisture meter without the prongs, of course. Some use radio energy.

Ray

[camaraderie]

1. First of all...I did not say drill test holes. I said drill a hole...that hole should be in the middle of the roof where you say there is delamination. Further...you have a decade old roof...and it sits in the sun and is subject to blistering heat and wicked cold and all kinds of shock and vibration in use. It has nothing to do with the factory at this point IMO. The idea is to see if there IS moisture under your bubble. If there is...it is unlikely to be from the edges and more likely to be from a nearby hole in the roof as I noted. Even more likely is that there is NO moisture or rot and you can pop in some epoxy to fill the void and seal it back up and be done.
2. A moisture meter should only be used in the hands of a trained fiberglass professional.


Boat of all sorts have fiberglass on wood or foam and spend a lot of time in the water. Delamination is rarely due to poor construction and usually happens due to water findint a way to the wood cause someone didn't caulk a screw or renew the caulk every few years as otherwise fiberglass is forever and the reason you see so many 50 year old boats.

[Frankiejay]

Use Dicor fiberglass roof coating, It worked really well on our 2011 Georgetown 378. Do it with their solvent. (Sold separately.) Follow exact cleaning and preparation directions. Do about 6 or 8 Square feet at a time, starting from the front. Follow up a few hours later with a second coat. Then procede to the next section. I used a cheap 4 in paint brush to apply the coating. Be very cautious about splashing coating down the sides of the RV. Dicor has excellent clean up directions on the can. Two gallons should be enough for a 38 ft RV applying two coats. Prep work per Dicor's instructions is very vital. Safe & Happy travels.

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

1. First of all...I did not say drill test holes. I said drill a hole...that hole should be in the middle of the roof where you say there is delamination. Further...you have a decade old roof...and it sits in the sun and is subject to blistering heat and wicked cold and all kinds of shock and vibration in use. It has nothing to do with the factory at this point IMO. The idea is to see if there IS moisture under your bubble. If there is...it is unlikely to be from the edges and more likely to be from a nearby hole in the roof as I noted. Even more likely is that there is NO moisture or rot and you can pop in some epoxy to fill the void and seal it back up and be done.
2. A moisture meter should only be used in the hands of a trained fiberglass professional.


Boat of all sorts have fiberglass on wood or foam and spend a lot of time in the water. Delamination is rarely due to poor construction and usually happens due to water findint a way to the wood cause someone didn't caulk a screw or renew the caulk every few years as otherwise fiberglass is forever and the reason you see so many 50 year old boats.

Thanks for clarifying - my mistake. Feel somewhat encouraged that there's a chance this might be resolved without involving a repair shop and the cost for doing that. We'll wait for a stretch of warm/ dry weather , give this a try and see what happens. One question - is there a specific type of epoxy you'd use for this?

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

Thanks for clarifying - my mistake. Feel somewhat encouraged that there's a chance this might be resolved without involving a repair shop and the cost for doing that. We'll wait for a stretch of warm/ dry weather , give this a try and see what happens. One question - is there a specific type of epoxy you'd use for this?

Well any of the main brands of epoxy will due but my choice would be West System marine epoxy and fillers...you can get it on line or at most marine store with a decent selection. Look at the West System G/flex formulation if you have slightly wet (not rotted) wood in the void, Jamestown Distributors can hold your hand on the work and exactly what will fit your needs. Once the repair is complete you fair it over and paint with an epoxy based paint that closely matches the roof. If you want to re-paint the whole roof...which I don't think is needed except cosmetically...the Dicor Roof Sealant Paint is good...but it is a huge job and the painting is only about 10% of the effort!
If the job is really small...even a spray epoxy finish paint would be cheap and fine. (Amazon VHT SP651)
Good luck.