Roof Gasket Problem Leave it, Repair it or Replace it

**Hobe320** · 06-13-2021, 05:51 AM

Living in Florida the sun is hot....no news. I was washing the love bugs off the nose of our brand new Reflection and noticed what I call the 'gasket' along the seam between the roof and the nose (see pic). If you zoom in on the 'lifts' in the gasket you can see what I'm talking about. So my question is that 'buckling' normal? Should it be repaired ie. caulked some more? Should it be replaced? Or should I just leave it alone. Just had my knee replaced so going up on the roof to survey the entire roof isn't an option at the moment. In case re-caulking is recommended what type of caulk should I use. Is this a warranty fix? Thanks for any and all suggestions.

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**DECelt** · 06-13-2021, 06:07 AM

Originally Posted by Hobe320

Living in Florida the sun is hot....no news. I was washing the love bugs off the nose of our brand new Reflection and noticed what I call the 'gasket' along the seam between the roof and the nose (see pic). If you zoom in on the 'lifts' in the gasket you can see what I'm talking about. So my question is that 'buckling' normal? Should it be repaired ie. caulked some more? Should it be replaced? Or should I just leave it alone. Just had my knee replaced so going up on the roof to survey the entire roof isn't an option at the moment. In case re-caulking is recommended what type of caulk should I use. Is this a warranty fix? Thanks for any and all suggestions.

If it was me, I would eternabond (or alphabond) the entire front and back seams and be done with caulking. At some point, that is going to leak.

**geotex1** · 06-13-2021, 06:42 AM

That IS a taped transition. What I cannot tell from the picture is if that's the tape wrinkled or some lap sealant that lifted. Picture is blurry when you try to zoom in. That detail is constructed with the membrane running the roof and then left to flap down the front. The front cap is set and fastened down to pinch the membrane down. Tape is then used to span membrane, cap edge and cover the screw holes. Lap sealant is then flowed across the leading and trailing edges of the tape.

**DECelt** · 06-13-2021, 07:06 AM

Originally Posted by geotex1

That IS a taped transition. What I cannot tell from the picture is if that's the tape wrinkled or some lap sealant that lifted. Picture is blurry when you try to zoom in. That detail is constructed with the membrane running the roof and then left to flap down the front. The front cap is set and fastened down to pinch the membrane down. Tape is then used to span membrane, cap edge and cover the screw holes. Lap sealant is then flowed across the leading and trailing edges of the tape.

Oh ok... I couldn't get that detail on my phone. I wonder if the heat on the dark cap caused an adhesion issue? Or maybe it wasn't cleaned properly prior to application. Either way...

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**[email protected]** · 06-13-2021, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by Hobe320

Living in Florida the sun is hot....no news. I was washing the love bugs off the nose of our brand new Reflection and noticed what I call the 'gasket' along the seam between the roof and the nose (see pic). If you zoom in on the 'lifts' in the gasket you can see what I'm talking about. So my question is that 'buckling' normal? Should it be repaired ie. caulked some more? Should it be replaced? Or should I just leave it alone. Just had my knee replaced so going up on the roof to survey the entire roof isn't an option at the moment. In case re-caulking is recommended what type of caulk should I use. Is this a warranty fix? Thanks for any and all suggestions.

The same thing happened on our 2021 solitude. And it will leak water eventually. I talked to grand design and it is covered under the roof warranty, So mine is sitting in the shop for the last 4 months waiting to get work done.When I talked to grand design I asked about putting tape on it and they recommended to let the dealer do a complete inspection and repair job. By me applying tape it might have voided the warranty unless it was an emergency fix.

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**Hobe320** · 06-13-2021, 08:07 AM

Thank you all for your suggestions...... the "voiding" the warranty really struck a nerve.....so I guess it's back to the dealer. Thank you one and all for the feedback....Dave

**geotex1** · 06-13-2021, 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by [email protected]

The same thing happened on our 2021 solitude. And it will leak water eventually. I talked to grand design and it is covered under the roof warranty, So mine is sitting in the shop for the last 4 months waiting to get work done.When I talked to grand design I asked about putting tape on it and they recommended to let the dealer do a complete inspection and repair job. By me applying tape it might have voided the warranty unless it was an emergency fix.

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Brutal. Mine also came undone, but severely. I enacted an emergency repair and hauled 300+ miles for the dealer to make a comically bad repair they claimed "better than any new trailers coming in." Not so much. It didn't even hold 100 miles on the return trip home. I enacted the same emergency repair, and it held through driving rain and my trip out to the FSC, where re-roofing was the only solution because of the damage to the membrane.

**Dconstantine** · 08-06-2021, 10:03 AM

I just went through this myself. The air was getting up under the membrane from the cap and ballooning till it tore out from under the 14” x 14” vent flange. Reset the vent using Dicor. Cleaned the entire front seal up. Added 1/4 aluminum strip to take up the gap between the cap and the roof then properly screwed the cap and aluminum down to the OSB roof utilizing sealer between item. Note: You need to through drill the cap and aluminum and then screw down to the roof. Failing to do so will cause the screw to lift the cap away from the roof causing the problem to reappear.

**Hobe320** · 08-06-2021, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by Dconstantine

I just went through this myself. The air was getting up under the membrane from the cap and ballooning till it tore out from under the 14” x 14” vent flange. Reset the vent using Dicor. Cleaned the entire front seal up. Added 1/4 aluminum strip to take up the gap between the cap and the roof then properly screwed the cap and aluminum down to the OSB roof utilizing sealer between item. Note: You need to through drill the cap and aluminum and then screw down to the roof. Failing to do so will cause the screw to lift the cap away from the roof causing the problem to reappear.

Thank you !!!! Still going to insist the dealership honor the warranty....atleast the first go round......

Dave