Help!!!

[Daddys Dream]

I bought a 96 Palomino Filly pop up last year. It had two patches on the roof. I thought it had been patched properly.   :eyecrazy:

I was wrong. I just put it up to clean it for next week and I found that it has a bad spot in the roof about the size of my fist above where the door folds up. He had filled it with dry wall compound. Note: When dry wall compound gets wet, it falls out.

Question: What can I fill this hole with that will be water proof?

Should I fill it with dry wall compound and then paint the roof with that rubber paint to prevent it from getting wet and falling out again?

Car bondo? and then car paint?

Is there anything better?

I need help fast. My daughter and three of her friends have planned a trip next week durring spring break and I'd hate to let them down. :confused:


Bill

[flyfisherman]

Bill - that sounds like a a real big hole in the roof, especially to be filling. Do you mean that's the actual size of the hole or where an indentation with maybe a smaller hole at the bottom?

Had to patch my Starcraft aluminum roof caused by the awning getting away from me by a strong gust of wind and the awning bar punching a hole in it. The actual hole was more like in the shape of a slice of about two/three inches, and the roof was also indented. I called Starcraft's technical folks who advised that a smaller hole could be filled and sanded off, using the right kind of filler, and then painted over. In my case they recommended a patch using the same aluminum skin material that already covered the camper.

If your interested in how it was done, let me know, but do give a little more detail of the nature and location of this hole(s) in your Palomino roof.


Fly

[Daddys Dream]

I can't tell much about the hole from the top looking down. It is still full of dry wall, but the patch it's self is about as big as a soft ball.

From the bottom looking up, it's about 10" x 12". Maybe a 1/2" deep at the worst.  The hole in the middle that went all the way through is about big enough to put two fingers through.

The second hole is a small dent with a crack about an inch long with no visable damage at all on the inside.

I picked up some fiberglass filler this evening with a steal mesh that I think I will try.

I'll know more tomorrow when I start cutting out the bad.

[flyfisherman]

Is that aluminum for the roof?

[Daddys Dream]

I had thought it was aluminum. But after putting a sanding disc to it just now, it looks like it is wood laminated by a plastic sheet.

Will fiberglass bondo stick to plastic?


Bill

[wavery]

I had thought it was aluminum. But after putting a sanding disc to it just now, it looks like it is wood laminated by a plastic sheet.

Will fiberglass bondo stick to plastic?


Bill

It depends on what kind a plastic. Bondo is plastic.

It will  not bond to polyethylene plastic however.

[Daddys Dream]

What I got is Bondo-Glass.... (Fiberglass)

I'm thinking I need plastic paint too.

[mike4947]

PLEASE DO NOT USE BONDO.

Automotive fiberglass repair puttys uses polyester resin which is NOT waterproof. While it is more expensive, epoxy resin should be used as it will adhere to more substates and is waterproof.
MarineTex is an epoxy filled repair putty. It sands easily and if applied right can be grained to match the surface of the roof.
 
BUT, before you do anything make sure the area is dried out. Nothing is worse for any PU repair than having mositure inside a structure.
FOr tears or areas without the need to fill gaps/holes Eternabond tape is a wonderful repair product.

[wavery]

PLEASE DO NOT USE BONDO.

Automotive fiberglass repair puttys uses polyester resin which is NOT waterproof. While it is more expensive, epoxy resin should be used as it will adhere to more substates and is waterproof.
MarineTex is an epoxy filled repair putty. It sands easily and if applied right can be grained to match the surface of the roof.
 
BUT, before you do anything make sure the area is dried out. Nothing is worse for any PU repair than having mositure inside a structure.
FOr tears or areas without the need to fill gaps/holes Eternabond tape is a wonderful repair product.

I agree that MarineTex has better moisture resistant properties than Bondo. However, he is not preforming a repair on the under-water portion of a boat.

Bondo has been the standard for automotive and marine repair for many decades. Polyester resins are used for the construction of all surfboards and 95% of all other water craft. Fiberglass automobiles are all made of polyester resins. Fiberglass is plastic. In fact it is referred to as FRP (fiber reinforced plastic)

You will want to paint it with any auto or marine paint that is used on fiberglass (which is most of them). I would use a polyurethane paint.

It is correct that the area must be absolutely dry. ANY moisture will interfere with the curing of any resin. It would be best to clean the area with acetone before applying any fillers.

If you really want to do a good job, use the Bondo (or MarineTex) as a filler then get a piece of 1/2 oz fiberglass cloth (not mat). Cut the cloth so that it over-laps the repaired area by about 1 1/2". Put the cloth on a piece of glass, wood, fiberboard or some flat cookie sheet. Mix a small amount of polyester resin and catalyst (as per instructions on can). Dab the mixed polyester resin onto the fiberglass cloth (just enough to wet it). Let it set for a minute. Put a thin coat of resin on the area to be patched, then carefully peel up the patch and place it over the repair. Take a dry brush and dab the patch down to remove all of the air bubbles. Let that baby set for 24 hours and you have a patch that will not leak or come off or crack. You can sand it to feather the edges so that it doesn't look so much like a patch. You won't be able to match the texture of the roof, however.

Whatever system you use, be sure to use a primer before painting.

You can purchase the polyester resin and fiberglass cloth from many hardware or marine stores. Sometimes, you can find a fiberglass repair kit. It will have everything that you need, including a small amount of polyester resin and catalyst.

One quick note:
You can apply epoxy resins over polyester but you cannot apply polyester over epoxy. It will not stick. If you use MarineTex as your filler, you must use epoxy resin instead of polyester resin for the fiberglass patch. All other instructions are the same for epoxy. Epoxy cost is higher.

[Daddys Dream]

I not good enough to match the texture.

The Bondo-glass is a polyester resin. As far as what the trailer top is made of, how do I know the differance?  Epoxy or Polyester?

It was sunny, (not hot just sunny) all day yesterday and isn't going to rain until Wednesday, (if I can trust the weather man). I'll let it sun until Tuesday afternoon and then fix the outside and paint it. The outside fills real dry now and my line of thinking is that will keep anymore water from getting in. I'll fill the inside next week and paint it while we're camping. I'm thinking that should give it plenty of time to dry.

[wavery]

I not good enough to match the texture.

The Bondo-glass is a polyester resin. As far as what the trailer top is made of, how do I know the differance?  Epoxy or Polyester?

It was sunny, (not hot just sunny) all day yesterday and isn't going to rain until Wednesday, (if I can trust the weather man). I'll let it sun until Tuesday afternoon and then fix the outside and paint it. The outside fills real dry now and my line of thinking is that will keep anymore water from getting in. I'll fill the inside next week and paint it while we're camping. I'm thinking that should give it plenty of time to dry.

As long as the material that you are working with is not polyethylene, the Bondo should achieve good adhesion. Epoxy will work as well but not necessary. I can almost guarantee you that the top on your PU is not made of epoxy. It is toooooo expensive to use for production.

You might try putting some airplane glue on one spot of the bare plastic. If it sticks, it is not polyethylene and the Bondo should do a good job. If the airplane glue doesn't stick, chances are, it is polyethylene and nothing will stick to it. It would not surprise me if it is polyethylene. It is used extensively in the auto/RV business because it is cheap and easy to mold. In that case, a polyethylene patch must be welded with a special plastic welder. Most automobile body shops have them and it is not a big job. It should take them about 15 minutes.

I would still recommend drying the area with a hair dryer (don't get it hot enough to melt the plastic) and give it a clean-up with acetone. This will greatly increase your adhesion posibilties. (Test the acetone on a small spot first, to make sure that the acetone don't melt the plastic.) If acetone is a problem, try alchohol. They both have excellent moisture removing properties because of there fast evaporation. If the alchohol is too strong, try paint thinner.

I would also highly recommend the fiberglass cloth to finish off the repair and you will never have to worry about the Bondo separating and causing a small leak. The fiberglass can be put right on top of the fresh Bondo. Just smooth the Bondo out with a putty knife, then put the fiberglass cloth right on top of it. They will cure together and make a perfect adhesion. Use the acetone for clean-up. You will be amazed at how easy (but messy) it is. Surfers repair their surfboards like that every day. Most people that own fiberglass (FRP) boats learn to do fiberglass repairs out of self-defense. Once you've done it, you will be a pro.  

As for painting inside while you are camping..............peeeeeeeeyoooooh!!! :p