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bubble on rooftop

Started by leftys4js, Oct 29, 2006, 09:22 PM

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leftys4js

Hello again
As ive mentioned in the past few posts..ive just recently bought my
1st pup.71 palimino....
when i went to look at it the 1st time he mentioned a bubble on top
which i seen needed fixed he stated it was just the foam inside had swelled and the dealer said it just needed cut out some there..said it was a brand new roof inside and out.inside looked very nice..new ceiling panels and all.but said it didnt leak..it was coated in black outside..he gave me a can of white sealer he said needed put on after teh bubble was cut out and resealed..anxiou to get 1 outing in it and beat the north dakota winter we went out this weekend,very cold and frosty outside in the morning,notice some water looking spots inside on the roof,and its starting to bow inside,after closing it up i looked it over some noticed no sealers on the edges and a few cracks in the black coating..i know not 1 thing about a popup by the way.Now for the question....can i "just cut this bubbled foam out and reseal it edges and all with the white sealer will this cure any leaking problems??or was it just a shotty repair job and i didnt know the difference.any help or suggestions will be appreciated greatly.

wavery

Quote from: leftys4jsHello again
As ive mentioned in the past few posts..ive just recently bought my
1st pup.71 palimino....
when i went to look at it the 1st time he mentioned a bubble on top
which i seen needed fixed he stated it was just the foam inside had swelled and the dealer said it just needed cut out some there..said it was a brand new roof inside and out.inside looked very nice..new ceiling panels and all.but said it didnt leak..it was coated in black outside..he gave me a can of white sealer he said needed put on after teh bubble was cut out and resealed..anxiou to get 1 outing in it and beat the north dakota winter we went out this weekend,very cold and frosty outside in the morning,notice some water looking spots inside on the roof,and its starting to bow inside,after closing it up i looked it over some noticed no sealers on the edges and a few cracks in the black coating..i know not 1 thing about a popup by the way.Now for the question....can i "just cut this bubbled foam out and reseal it edges and all with the white sealer will this cure any leaking problems??or was it just a shotty repair job and i didnt know the difference.any help or suggestions will be appreciated greatly.

As for the water drops that you saw; they may well just be condensation. Did you have a lot of condensation (water drops) on the tent panels, over the bunks?

If I were you, I would take the trailer to a dealer that services Palomino PUs. The cracks may concern me more than the bubble in the roof. It would be good if you could find out what the black stuff is, that the guy put on the roof. It would also be good to find out what the roof is made out of. I'll tell you one thing for sure....I would not want my roof to be black. It may cause your PU to be unbareably hot in the summer if you camp somewhere where there is no shade.

How big is this bubble?


If the bubble really bothers you, you might want to consider cutting it out and putting a patch over the hole. Let's say that it is 4". You may be able to cut out that 4" hole and glue on a 6" circle of aluminum and glue it over the hole with some 5200 - 3M Marine Adhesive/Sealant : http://www3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/auto_marine_aero/marine/node_GSWWSBSW85be/root_GST1T4S9TCgv/vroot_GS4JK4Y166ge/gvel_QH8HT14PGTgl/theme_us_marine_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html
Put a bead of 3M 5200 all the way around the 6" patch. Press the patch down firmly and clean off the access sealer with mineral spirits. Put a heavy weight on the patch (being careful not to get the adhesive on the weight) and leave it for 5-7 days.

The other thing that you might want to consider is, installing a roof vent right where the bubble is. You can get roof vents of all different size and shapes. The solar powered ones are really good. Don't use the 3M 5200, if you install a vent. You won't be able to get it off without damaging the roof, in the event that you need to replace the vent.

http://www.campingworld.com/search/index.cfm?action=search&tcode=11&keywords=vent&x=10&y=5

leftys4js

the bubble is about 10-12" circle.the black stuff on there is liquid rubber.
that is what has a few small cracks..when i touch the roof it feels almost like a stretched rubber tarp..
and yes there was lots of condensation on the bunk ends in the mornings.
i to was just thinking about cutting the bubble out and installing a roof vent..(is it a hard task)..probably be easier then installing a new roof again.
so maybe if i just tarp the roof for the winter and next spring seal the edges(which are not sealed now)..and apply the white roof coating and a roof vent i might be ok then..
thanks for your time and answers

wavery

Quote from: leftys4jsthe bubble is about 10-12" circle.the black stuff on there is liquid rubber.
that is what has a few small cracks..when i touch the roof it feels almost like a stretched rubber tarp..
and yes there was lots of condensation on the bunk ends in the mornings.
i to was just thinking about cutting the bubble out and installing a roof vent..(is it a hard task)..probably be easier then installing a new roof again.
so maybe if i just tarp the roof for the winter and next spring seal the edges(which are not sealed now)..and apply the white roof coating and a roof vent i might be ok then..
thanks for your time and answers

HMMMM!! The guy may have taken the PU to a place that sprays, Spray-On Bed-liners in pick-up trucks:
http://trucks.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=trucks&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brimaservices.com%2Farmorthane.html
http://www.line-x.com/
http://www.speedliner.com/

If that's the case, the stuff my have not made a good adhesion to the material on the roof. That may be the reason for the bubble (just a guess).

It shouldn't be hard to cut the hole for a 14" square roof vent:
http://www.campingworld.com/browse/skus/index.cfm?skunum=12190&src=SRQB
They usually come with a template for cutting the hole. You will need to measure very carefully, to be sure that you don't cut into a brace on the inside of the roof.

When you cut the hole, you should be able to tell if that material achieved a good adhesion. If it didn't, installing that vent may help to keep it from peeling off further. In that case, you may want to consider going around the edges with that 3M 5200 to seal the edges of the top, to keep air from getting under it. Painting it white may also help to keep it from separating (less expansion and contraction from heating & cooling).

You will need to get a positive ID on that stuff before you try to paint it. You will need to buy the proper type of paint to adhere to that surface or you may just be adding problems to problems. Try to nail down the guy that you bought it from, if you can.