Roof came loose for a second time!

**WhyPaulo** · 11-13-2016, 05:37 PM

So before we headed out to Quebec City, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Maine, we were delayed for two weeks waiting for the dealer to replace our roof which was starting to wrinkle up and come loose. We had a great trip, ate lots of seafood, and saw the highest tide change in the world at the Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fund, impressive. The day we were there, it was about 39 feet but it can go just over 50 feet when the right things happen, full moon, etc.

So on the last day of the three week trip, about 2 hours from home, a truck pulled up next to us and was pointing at the roof of the 5th wheel. We pulled over to check it out and the rubber roof had peeled back a bit and was starting to shred. We took a detour straight to the dealer and I had to pull over at one point to climb up and cut off the rubber roof that had started to flap down the side of the rig. It broke two roof vents and destroyed the TV antenna as well. For the second roof replacement they also replaced the plywood at the front section of the roof so they could get a better seal this time. We just picked it up and it looks good now, but I'm a little nervous about how long this one will last. I'm glad I didn't have to pay either of those bills, they were much larger than I would have guessed. GD covered the first one and the dealer covered the second one.

By the way, if you don't go up and inspect your roof and caulk around the openings every few months, I would highly recommend it. The caulk needs to be replaced more frequently than what you might think, especially in hot sunny climates. Any cracks in the caulk mean the caulk needs to be removed and replaced. Look for long wrinkles at the front portion of he roof too, which could mean your roof is coming loose. Small bubbles are OK I have been told, but not long wrinkles that stick up about an inch or so. I've attached a few pics so you can see what I'm referring to.

We launch in search of warmer weather right after Thanksgiving. We're ready to roam until the snow is gone, then we'll come back to Michigan. :-)

Click image for larger version.

Name: IMG_9453.jpg
Views: 182
Size: 96.4 KB
ID: 5986

Click image for larger version.

Name: IMG_8723.jpg
Views: 181
Size: 87.7 KB
ID: 5987

Click image for larger version.

Name: IMG_8722.jpg
Views: 166
Size: 84.8 KB
ID: 5988

**TucsonJim** · 11-13-2016, 07:10 PM

Wow - Hopefully it's fixed for good this time. Last year, we saw a fiver on the opposite side of the internet and his roof looked like a huge parachute while driving down the highway. I'll be sure to get up and check mine.

Jim

**oldguy** · 11-14-2016, 05:49 AM

The roof membrane on my brother-in-laws 303RLS came unglued too. The whole front ballooned up as he drove down the road. It became so bad that it pulled the membrane out from around the roof vent. Grand Design authorized the repairs and his entire roof was replaced. It's in storage for the winter, so we will have to wait until spring to see how it holds up.

John

**Paul & Deb** · 11-14-2016, 12:16 PM

Man I hate to say this but in all our travels I have only once seen a trailer going down the road with this scenario.

We were traveling east last year and low and behold, coming west towards us I could see a 5th wheel and, from a distance, it looked very weird. I thought there was something huge up on the roof or something. Finally as it got closer I realized the whole roof on the front 1/3rd or so was all puffed up like a giant balloon. Guess what brand trailer it was? Yup, a GD Reflection. We were on I-10 and I was never able to alert or speak to the owner so I hope he/she figured it out and got it fixed before it created more damage.

**grampscamper** · 11-14-2016, 02:09 PM

The same thing happened to us a few years ago. The front few feet of our trailer de laminated. When we stopped for supper I could hear the roof flapping in the wind. It was a Forest River Rockwood 5th wheel. So it does happen to other makes. It went back to the factory for repairs. This happened the second year of ownership. Forest River covered everything.
Hopefully it won't happen to either of us again.

**pg_rider** · 11-15-2016, 09:32 AM

Any tips on removing the Dicor sealant? I had a hell of a time removing a small amount when I had to replace my skylight. Can't imagine removing a whole seam of it. You can' just lay down a new bead on top of the old stuff to cover the cracks?

**Dave and Monica** · 11-15-2016, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by pg_rider

You can' just lay down a new bead on top of the old stuff to cover the cracks?

That's the accepted practice. You can also look into applying Eternabond tape on top of the lap sealant as a more permanent fix.

Dave

**WhyPaulo** · 11-15-2016, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by pg_rider

Any tips on removing the Dicor sealant? I had a hell of a time removing a small amount when I had to replace my skylight. Can't imagine removing a whole seam of it. You can' just lay down a new bead on top of the old stuff to cover the cracks?

I would ask others to respond to you question about replacing Dicor sealant. I have heard you can put new Dicor over old, but the loose should be removed first and it should be cleaned with alcohol on a rag I believe, not sure if alcohol was the correct cleaner or not. All of my Dicor caulk was starting to show cracks after only 2 years, but I got all new Dicor sealant on every opening as part of the entire roof replacement. I have not had the opportunity to do this work myself yet. I know TucsonJim and some others have experience replacing/reparing Dicor seals. I remember Jim saying he was pretty aggressive about removing the old cracked caulk, so he could definitely tell you what he's done in the past.

**J&G garage** · 11-15-2016, 12:38 PM

I discovered the Dicor sealant cracked at the tv antenna when we were in MT. I had a tube with me so I cleaned the sealant that was there with acetone or lacquer thinner (I don't remember which) and then applied new sealant. So far so good. I think removing the old is the way to go but applying over the old sealant seems to work. I believe it's vital to clean the old sealant as well as possible first. YMMV.

**tucker** · 11-16-2016, 03:34 PM

I have had my roof worked on three times. First time dealer tried to just lift the front and glue it
back down but tore the membrane and tried to patch the tear. Some of the wood pulled up when
lifting the membrane. When laying it back down made it look like a washboard. Next time a new
a whole new roof was put on and before I could even pick it up a lot of wrinkle all ready started
to return. This is on a brand new 27 RL. Trying to work with Grand Design to make this right.