Yet Another Question About Roof Repair :-)

[kcamacho]

Hey guys. I just aquired a 1975 Jayco of some sort for next to nothing so i assumed the worst. I took it because the canvas was recently replaced and in great shape but the main support cable had snapped causing the roof to come crashing down. Now the roof has a large sag at the back of the PUP right in the middle which will cause water to pool for sure and the ceiling inside is sagging also. I figured i could just seal it up and use it for a couple of seasons then upgrade. After poking around on here i see i may have bitten off more than i can chew. I am just looking for a cheap and quick fix to what is going to be a complete roof rebuild to someone else in a couple of years. Any Ideas?
Thanks.

[wavery]

Hey guys. I just aquired a 1975 Jayco of some sort for next to nothing so i assumed the worst. I took it because the canvas was recently replaced and in great shape but the main support cable had snapped causing the roof to come crashing down. Now the roof has a large sag at the back of the PUP right in the middle which will cause water to pool for sure and the ceiling inside is sagging also. I figured i could just seal it up and use it for a couple of seasons then upgrade. After poking around on here i see i may have bitten off more than i can chew. I am just looking for a cheap and quick fix to what is going to be a complete roof rebuild to someone else in a couple of years. Any Ideas?
Thanks.

1st off...............
WELCOME TO PUT!!!!

Is there any water intrussion or wood-rot?

Pics.......we want pics.......

[kcamacho]

Thanks for the speedy Reply. I can't say for sure if there is wood rot. I don't see any visable water intrusion. It was stored in a garage before i bought it and now i have a tarp covering it and some Good ol' duct tape covering the back where i can see a gap. I will try to get pics up ASAP but seeing as it is freezing up here in Toronto i may have to wait but i need to at least use some silicone until i can pop her up and get a better look.

1st off...............
WELCOME TO PUT!!!!

Is there any water intrussion or wood-rot?

Pics.......we want pics.......

[wavery]

Thanks for the speedy Reply. I can't say for sure if there is wood rot. I don't see any visable water intrusion. It was stored in a garage before i bought it and now i have a tarp covering it and some Good ol' duct tape covering the back where i can see a gap. I will try to get pics up ASAP but seeing as it is freezing up here in Toronto i may have to wait but i need to at least use some silicone until i can pop her up and get a better look.

If there is no water intrusion, the repair may be a lot easier. It may just be a matter of reinforcing and caulking the roof without any major demolition job. Once you have water intrusion, everything changes and IMHO, the roof may take more time to repair than the camper would be worth after you are finished.

You may want to stick with the cover to keep water out until you decide on your avenue of attack on that roof. Silicone is seldom a good alternative for repairing the type of damage that you are describing. In fact, the silicone could end up complicating the job.

[kcamacho]

Well it looks like the temperature is going to go above freezing with no snow this weekend so i am hoping to finish up the cable repair at get her up. when i do i will try to pull down the corner of the ceiling panel and see what it looks like up there. I will just have to keep an eye on the cover an make sure i don't let any water pool in the sag.
Thanks again.

If there is no water intrusion, the repair may be a lot easier. It may just be a matter of reinforcing and caulking the roof without any major demolition job. Once you have water intrusion, everything changes and IMHO, the roof may take more time to repair than the camper would be worth after you are finished.

You may want to stick with the cover to keep water out until you decide on your avenue of attack on that roof. Silicone is seldom a good alternative for repairing the type of damage that you are describing. In fact, the silicone could end up complicating the job.

[kcamacho]

Hey guys i have some photo's of my PUP ready here.
http://community.webshots.com/album/570252287UtOAof
On the last pic i added some info about the saggy ceiling. I will post pic of the roof as soon as i can.  

Can't complain for $200 canadian with registration.

[wavery]

Hey guys i have some photo's of my PUP ready here.
http://community.webshots.com/album/570252287UtOAof
On the last pic i added some info about the saggy ceiling. I will post pic of the roof as soon as i can.  

Can't complain for $200 canadian with registration.

If I were you, I would try to find some roof braces that they use for bracing roofs with AC. Th braces will be arched and when they are installed, should take the sag out of the roof.

Having said this, if the roof has water intrusion, it may not help. I would also wait until a very warm day to install the braces. I would even put a heater on the inside of the PU and get it as hot as possible (safely) to make the roof more susceptible to flexing for installation of the braces. If you try to do it while the roof is cold, you may break something.

[4Campers]

Waverly you said it best. A couple of roof braces for an A/C support would be the best in this case, short of a total rebuild.
My A/C supports look like this-

[kcamacho]

Can i use a couple of 2x4's wrapped in white vinyl? Also how do i locate the studs in the ceiling to mount the supports? Will a standard studd finder work with the ceiling?
Thanks guys this forum is amazing.

Waverly you said it best. A couple of roof braces for an A/C support would be the best in this case, short of a total rebuild.
My A/C supports look like this-

[4Campers]

Can i use a couple of 2x4's wrapped in white vinyl? Also how do i locate the studs in the ceiling to mount the supports? Will a standard studd finder work with the ceiling?
Thanks guys this forum is amazing.

The issue I forsee with using 2 X 4's is that they will warp before long, and your roof with it. The support has to match the roof angle, or you'll develop flat spots in the roof which means water will be pooling. You might try a laminated plywood, preferably a marine grade. Mark out a template with paper so you get the curve of the roof, cut out several from 5/8 or 3/4 inch wood. Glue three or four together in layers to make it strong enough. Even a coat white paint would blend them in well enough.
As far as the stud finder, there is a lot of metal/wires/clips/etc. in most roofs, so depending on the model you own that is a big maybe.

[kcamacho]

Well boys thanks for all the tips but after a record rainfall the other day and my lack of attention I left the unit level instead of leaving it cranked up to drain off the back. I looked out my front window and the roof was completely cover in water like a kiddie pool. I popped it up to see water dripping in all along the seam. So the rain cleared and tear down began. I removed the aluminum sheeting and that pain in the a@$ glued styrofoam. The stringer running down the center of the trailer was soft and mushy. I see now that when the previos owner snapped the main cable the roof crashed down and the stringer snapped off the cross support at the back. Anyway I replaced the stringer with a 2x2 and added 2x2 supports accross the front and back. I also ran a couple cross supports from the spine to the 1x2's that go around the perimeter. I ran our of 2x2's but I think I am going to add another cross support to the spine for added strength. Now on the roof the trim that runs down the center would not come off due to 30 years of sealant was really on there. I screwed and drilled through the trim into the stringer. I am going to clean as much of the old covering as possible  and lay caulking in all visible gaps. The I plan to lay a strip of the moisture guard   used in waterproofing basements. Finally I will pl premium a strip of aluminum flashing over the entire center trim then give it all a elastometric coating  I belive I can waterproof it pretty well.
I will post pics shortly but I was exhausted after the teardown and just wanted to tear it down and wrap it with a tarp. Any ideas or concerns about my first roof repair.
Thanks for all the help boys.  
Let me know any t    

The issue I forsee with using 2 X 4's is that they will warp before long, and your roof with it. The support has to match the roof angle, or you'll develop flat spots in the roof which means water will be pooling. You might try a laminated plywood, preferably a marine grade. Mark out a template with paper so you get the curve of the roof, cut out several from 5/8 or 3/4 inch wood. Glue three or four together in layers to make it strong enough. Even a coat white paint would blend them in well enough.
As far as the stud finder, there is a lot of metal/wires/clips/etc. in most roofs, so depending on the model you own that is a big maybe.

[austinado16]

Check out "eternabond tape" instead of your flashing idea.  

What I did on my roof, was to remove that center trim that covered the seam of the aluminum roof panels.  Then after replacing a section of my center 2x2, I stapled the roof aluminum skin back down to the 2x2, and then put down a bead of self leveling roof caulk.  Over that I put the eternabond tape.  Then I put down the center trim, into a bead of caulk, and used self leveling caulk along both sides of the center trim.  Following that, I repainted the whole roof with a self etching primer and then a glossy oil based top coat.  It looks very original and from about 5' away, you can't really tell any work's been done.

[4Campers]

I recommend Eterna-Bond too. It's pricey, but the best thing going for sealing a roof water tight. Used it on my pup about four years ago and it's holding well except for the rip I put on the back while trying to saw a pipe using the camper roof as my workbench. (me dummy) Used it for a patch on the side also where my son got too aggressive scraping off the rotted wood where the original leak occured. I would guess that you could still cover the Eterna-Bond with an elastomer top coat.