Roof cleaning and bubbles

Old car · 10-24-2011, 08:45 PM

I hope this works. Trying to attach a photo of the roof on our 6 month old Windjammer. I am getting ready to clean the roof membrane and found this bubble near the front of the trailer roof. I've seen other threads here talking about bubbles in the roof cover and not to worry about it. Most of them are older threads so I wanted to make sure I got some feedback. Roof feels solid under this area and no evidence of leaks. Of course it hasn't rained here in about 2 months either.

papap · 10-24-2011, 09:08 PM

Dam that looks bad. Maybe ok but sure does not look ok. I'm glad my rv came with fiberglass roof.

TURBS · 10-24-2011, 09:16 PM

Im with papap .
the roofing company I work for installs tpo and any bubble bigger than a quarter gets fixed when installing a new roof .
That looks like the tpo has started separating from the roof in my opinion .

18CrewDually · 10-25-2011, 12:11 AM

For a 6 month old camper, I'd be scheduling an appoinment for that to be covered under warranty before it develops into a mess.

Rebel702 · 10-25-2011, 01:11 AM

Doug Fought - Warranty Manager
574-642-5165
dfought@forestriverinc.com

Old Car,
The contact above was posted in another thread regarding wall cracks in Windjammer 3065. Suggest you email your pics to him and maybe give him a call. Best of luck.

Jim

SaskCampers · 10-25-2011, 06:24 AM

I posted pics of our V-Lite roof on here ayear ago, not quite as bad as yours but was told by FR and the dealer it is normal. FYI the TPO membrane floats on the roof and is not glued down so it can move as it heats and cools.

BigRed · 10-25-2011, 07:53 AM

Contact Doug (above)...........after having the factory tour. The membrane is glued to the roof! I was under the impression it floated, it does NOT ! Doug told me that if the roof is bubbling larger than a quarter(as -f1100turbo noted!)...give them an e-mail with pictures because something is wrong !! This inspection should be done twice a year at least -checking caulking on roof seals and membrane separating from the roof (bubbles) !

SaskCampers · 10-25-2011, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRed

Contact Doug (above)...........after having the factory tour. The membrane is glued to the roof! I was under the impression it floated, it does NOT ! Doug told me that if the roof is bubbling larger than a quarter(as -f1100turbo noted!)...give them an e-mail with pictures because something is wrong !! This inspection should be done twice a year at least -checking caulking on roof seals and membrane separating from the roof (bubbles) !

Interesting as I sent FR pics of mine.

TURBS · 10-25-2011, 12:28 PM

tpo type membrane is fully adhered period .

only epdm "black" rubber can float BUT then it has ballast to hold it down .

Old car · 10-25-2011, 06:43 PM

I sent Doug an email this morning with six pictures. He replied within a couple of hours and said there was a problem and that it would be a warranty fix. Told me to contact the dealer (I did--with pics) and I take it into them on Nov. 5th. We'll see how the actual repair goes but so far I am very impressed with Forest River Warranty Dept. and my dealers response. Thanks Doug and Preston (Liberty RV)

Rebel702 · 10-25-2011, 07:59 PM

Randy, good to hear you have things in motion. Just curious when was the last time you were on the roof? Wondered if this has been that way from the factory or if the summer heat and use created the issue. Heard from DJRV that my 3002W is on the line and has been issued a VIN. Delivery sometime between the 10th to the 18th. PDI will definately include a tour of the roof!

Jim

Old car · 10-25-2011, 08:17 PM

I am up on the roof every time we camp to sweep off the slides before we pull them back in. I do a quick look around but not a detailed inspection. This ripple is right up on the v-nose where it actually slopes downward a little bit. It is near both the air conditioner and the refrigerator vent on the roof. I pushed around on it some and there doesn't seem to be water underneath the roof membrane and there is no staining inside on the ceiling. Everything feels solid as far as structure. It is still sealed tight along the edges at the side walls so I don't think there has been any leaking. Guess I'll know more a few days after Nov.5 when the dealer looks into it.

Old car · 10-26-2011, 07:56 PM

The final decision has not and cannot be made until the dealer has my trailer back and can do a full evaluation on the roof issue. They sent me an email today saying that they hope they can pull of a side molding and pull the material tight. They would then glue it down, trim properly and put the molding back on. If they can't do it that way, they will install a whole new roof membrane. Hope it doesn't come to that but as long as it gets fixed properly.

Old car · 11-06-2011, 08:17 AM

TT was dropped off at the dealers yesterday. He doesn't seem to think it's a big deal and an easy fix. Our camping season is over but I am anxious to get it back to see how it turns out and to get everything completed before we start in on the holiday season.

Old car · 11-10-2011, 08:04 PM

Dealer call today and the trailer is ready for pickup. Will get it Saturday morning. Anxious to see what it looks like. I'll post a pic of the repair.

mike2tall · 11-11-2011, 07:20 PM

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Randy, above is a couple photos from the front left side of my Windjammer. I took the tt to Liberty RV this last Monday (7th). Preston and I believe Norman looked at it and said that this very common on the V Nose style of trailer. It is loose about 2 - 3 inches from the side. No bubbles any where else.

So I brought it home and parked it for the winter. Plan on checking it close next spring to see if it gets any worse.

capucine · 11-11-2011, 07:30 PM

Is your roof was like this when you took possession of your new trailer or it happened? after

Old car · 11-11-2011, 11:01 PM

Capucine, to be honest, didn't really look at the roof on mine (I started this topic and the first post are my pictures) when we took possession. I get on the roof at the end of each trip to sweep of the slide tops before we take them in. Never noticed the problem until our last trip. Mine is being fixed under warranty and I actually pick it up tomorrow (11/12) from our dealer.

Mike, your bubble doesn't look quite as big as ours but I'm surprised Preston didn't go ahead and fix it. From what he told me on the phone the other day, it was an easy fix. I'll know more tomorrow when I pick ours back up. I'll be keeping an eye on it through the winter as I know you will be too. Are you going to cover your trailer? We are waiting on our cover to be delivered. I've seen mixed reviews on covers but we are going to go ahead and do it.

mike2tall · 11-12-2011, 08:04 AM

No, I'm not going to cover it. They actually looked at your tt and compared the two.

Mine was not like this from the beginning, but it has been like this since my trip to NC.

Old car · 11-13-2011, 10:43 PM

Got our TT back from Liberty RV yesterday morning. Roof looks great. Preston and his crew did a very nice job on fixing the bubble we had (see Post #1). It was a sad day though because I then winterized the unit and parked it up on the ramps I built out behind the barn. I built some ramps to get the tires off the soft ground and should keep them out of most snow. Trailer is now about 8 inches off the ground and the tires are covered. Waiting on the full cover to arrive from CalMark.

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