Keeping the Rain Out
Recreational vehicle repairs can be very costly and time consuming. Replacing a roof can be more expensive than what you would pay for a nice used travel trailer. After doing several of these roofs for my previous employer, I found that there are many ways for people to cut corners when doing this repair. If you use the following directions, you could save four to five thousand dollars and the interior of your vehicle also.
For a project this size, set aside between twenty and forty hours, depending on size of R.V and the number of roof attachments you have. You will need to do is figure out what materials you will need. This is very easy, for the roof membrane only comes in an eight foot width, just order the material so that you have at least two feet extra at both ends. Check on the condition of the screws, do they need to be replaced, how does the trim look? Will you need to order some new trim? These are all things to take into consideration before starting on the job. Always replace the gasket on the air conditioner, for it has been compressed to the roof since the original installation. There are three different adhesives you will need and the quantity depends on the size of roof, one to two gallons of rubber roof adhesive, six to ten tubes of Dicor(for rubber roofs)one to two tubes of silicone sealant and two to three rolls of putty tape. You will want to have all of these items when you start work on your home away from home.
The first thing to do is start by removing the air conditioner panel inside the cabin of the R.V. and the bolts holding the air conditioner down. After removing the bolts, unplug the power supply. While inside of the vehicle remove the antennae handle and fittings. You put these together as you take them off, for it can be awful tricky to put back together. When you have removed all of the interior screws, you will then need to go up top and pull all of the screws holding items down. This sounds easy until you see how many screws there are and that they are totally covered with Dicor and putty tape. You have to be careful when removing the vents, for they will bend and break. Using two putty knifes here will help. Once you have all of the screws pulled loose you will want someone to give you a hand removing the air conditioner, and for taking it off the roof. This equipment weighs around one hundred pounds and a person needs to be careful when moving it. One person easily handles the vents and antennae although two people would make it easier. The last large item to come off the rig is the awning. This is not an easy task, get help. Taking an awning off takes two people and putting it on takes three.
If a person has a rolling scaffold, instead of a ladder it would make the next part easier to do. You need to remove all of the screws from the roof edge trim. There will be anywhere from one to two hundred of these long screws. Attempt to keep the trim in the same shape as it comes off, for easier re-install. If you use tape to hold trim in place until all screws are out it will keep trim in proper shape.
Now you need to peel the old rubber membrane off the roof, be very careful for this gets extremely sticky and dirty. You should start by removing all of the staples found on the roof edge and inside the vent openings, and after you have this done begin at one end and roll the old material up into itself. You can discard this garbage at the local landfill. You should inspect the surface boards for any sign of rot. If no rotten wood is visible, skip the next step and move on. If you are able to see any rot pull the quarter inch thick panel of wood (luan) off and inspect for further damage. If no rot is found underneath the panel of you may replace with a new sheet, using ¼” staples. If there is damage found, repair or replace as necessary. After all panels are back in place, use duct tape to cover the seams between the roof panels.
Before the membrane is brought up the roof has to be cleaned very well. Using sharpened putty knives and a brush you have to scrape and sweep the entire surface. If there are any slivers sticking up, cut them off as short as possible. You don’t want to poke a hole in the new rubber, for that would be a costly mistake. Using a paint roller and pan, spread the rubber roof adhesive evenly across the roof, making sure to get every square inch. You should have help to get the first five feet of the rubber membrane started, so that it is nice and even. One you have gotten the membrane lined up, you need to get on top of the R.V. You should remove your shoes so that you do not leave footprints, and start rolling it out and pressing the membrane into place. If you use a two by four covered with carpet you can use it to force the membrane flat onto the roof, this works almost like a giant squeegee. Once you have the membrane flattened to the roof, using the 1/4in stapler, you start stapling the membrane onto the edge of the roof that is to be covered by the trim. You have to be extremely careful with your staple placement. Nothing looks worse than exposed staples on the side of an R.V.
At this time, you need to enter your R.V and cut the rubber membrane that is covering the vent and air conditioner holes. You will make two cuts from corner to corner, and staple these flaps down and cut the excess away. You should be very proud of yourself for getting this far.
The time has come to re-install all of the attachments you removed to start the job. You need to make sure you clean all sealants off the bases of all vents and the antennae. You have to press new putty tape onto each one and pass it up onto the roof. You will be using the same tools to reinstall all roof attachments in their proper locations. The air conditioner does not require putty tape. You need to install the new gasket before setting the air conditioner into place. Once the air conditioner is in place, you need to go inside the rig, and tighten the bolts down to 14ft/lbs with a torque wrench. This part is important do not over tighten, for this would cause leaks just as being too loose would cause it to leak also.
You should gather up a couple of friends for the final part of your repair, installing your awning. You will need one person on the roof to guide the spline, into the channel on the wall of the R.V and two people to pull awning into place. You need to slide the awning back to the original location before installing the lag screws. You should fill the old screw holes with silicone and then install screws. You need to test the tension of the awning by opening and closing, adjust tension as necessary. You adjust the awning by tightening the torsion assembly located on the arms of the awning with a 3/8ths wrench and large screwdriver. It may take a few tries before getting this properly adjusted.
When you are finished with this project, you should feel very proud of yourself, for you have saved thousands of dollars. Once someone has done a job of this magnitude on their recreational vehicle, it makes all other jobs look easy. Now you will have saved enough to take several worry free camping trips, and enjoy the many wonderful parks and campgrounds that the State of Washington has to offer.
Recreational vehicle repairs can be very costly and time consuming. Replacing a roof can be more expensive than what you would pay for a nice used travel trailer. After doing several of these roofs for my previous employer, I found that there are many ways for people to cut corners when doing this repair. If you use the following directions, you could save four to five thousand dollars and the interior of your vehicle also.
For a project this size, set aside between twenty and forty hours, depending on size of R.V and the number of roof attachments you have. You will need to do is figure out what materials you will need. This is very easy, for the roof membrane only comes in an eight foot width, just order the material so that you have at least two feet extra at both ends. Check on the condition of the screws, do they need to be replaced, how does the trim look? Will you need to order some new trim? These are all things to take into consideration before starting on the job. Always replace the gasket on the air conditioner, for it has been compressed to the roof since the original installation. There are three different adhesives you will need and the quantity depends on the size of roof, one to two gallons of rubber roof adhesive, six to ten tubes of Dicor(for rubber roofs)one to two tubes of silicone sealant and two to three rolls of putty tape. You will want to have all of these items when you start work on your home away from home.
The first thing to do is start by removing the air conditioner panel inside the cabin of the R.V. and the bolts holding the air conditioner down. After removing the bolts, unplug the power supply. While inside of the vehicle remove the antennae handle and fittings. You put these together as you take them off, for it can be awful tricky to put back together. When you have removed all of the interior screws, you will then need to go up top and pull all of the screws holding items down. This sounds easy until you see how many screws there are and that they are totally covered with Dicor and putty tape. You have to be careful when removing the vents, for they will bend and break. Using two putty knifes here will help. Once you have all of the screws pulled loose you will want someone to give you a hand removing the air conditioner, and for taking it off the roof. This equipment weighs around one hundred pounds and a person needs to be careful when moving it. One person easily handles the vents and antennae although two people would make it easier. The last large item to come off the rig is the awning. This is not an easy task, get help. Taking an awning off takes two people and putting it on takes three.
If a person has a rolling scaffold, instead of a ladder it would make the next part easier to do. You need to remove all of the screws from the roof edge trim. There will be anywhere from one to two hundred of these long screws. Attempt to keep the trim in the same shape as it comes off, for easier re-install. If you use tape to hold trim in place until all screws are out it will keep trim in proper shape.
Now you need to peel the old rubber membrane off the roof, be very careful for this gets extremely sticky and dirty. You should start by removing all of the staples found on the roof edge and inside the vent openings, and after you have this done begin at one end and roll the old material up into itself. You can discard this garbage at the local landfill. You should inspect the surface boards for any sign of rot. If no rotten wood is visible, skip the next step and move on. If you are able to see any rot pull the quarter inch thick panel of wood (luan) off and inspect for further damage. If no rot is found underneath the panel of you may replace with a new sheet, using ¼” staples. If there is damage found, repair or replace as necessary. After all panels are back in place, use duct tape to cover the seams between the roof panels.
Before the membrane is brought up the roof has to be cleaned very well. Using sharpened putty knives and a brush you have to scrape and sweep the entire surface. If there are any slivers sticking up, cut them off as short as possible. You don’t want to poke a hole in the new rubber, for that would be a costly mistake. Using a paint roller and pan, spread the rubber roof adhesive evenly across the roof, making sure to get every square inch. You should have help to get the first five feet of the rubber membrane started, so that it is nice and even. One you have gotten the membrane lined up, you need to get on top of the R.V. You should remove your shoes so that you do not leave footprints, and start rolling it out and pressing the membrane into place. If you use a two by four covered with carpet you can use it to force the membrane flat onto the roof, this works almost like a giant squeegee. Once you have the membrane flattened to the roof, using the 1/4in stapler, you start stapling the membrane onto the edge of the roof that is to be covered by the trim. You have to be extremely careful with your staple placement. Nothing looks worse than exposed staples on the side of an R.V.
At this time, you need to enter your R.V and cut the rubber membrane that is covering the vent and air conditioner holes. You will make two cuts from corner to corner, and staple these flaps down and cut the excess away. You should be very proud of yourself for getting this far.
The time has come to re-install all of the attachments you removed to start the job. You need to make sure you clean all sealants off the bases of all vents and the antennae. You have to press new putty tape onto each one and pass it up onto the roof. You will be using the same tools to reinstall all roof attachments in their proper locations. The air conditioner does not require putty tape. You need to install the new gasket before setting the air conditioner into place. Once the air conditioner is in place, you need to go inside the rig, and tighten the bolts down to 14ft/lbs with a torque wrench. This part is important do not over tighten, for this would cause leaks just as being too loose would cause it to leak also.
You should gather up a couple of friends for the final part of your repair, installing your awning. You will need one person on the roof to guide the spline, into the channel on the wall of the R.V and two people to pull awning into place. You need to slide the awning back to the original location before installing the lag screws. You should fill the old screw holes with silicone and then install screws. You need to test the tension of the awning by opening and closing, adjust tension as necessary. You adjust the awning by tightening the torsion assembly located on the arms of the awning with a 3/8ths wrench and large screwdriver. It may take a few tries before getting this properly adjusted.
When you are finished with this project, you should feel very proud of yourself, for you have saved thousands of dollars. Once someone has done a job of this magnitude on their recreational vehicle, it makes all other jobs look easy. Now you will have saved enough to take several worry free camping trips, and enjoy the many wonderful parks and campgrounds that the State of Washington has to offer.
Glen, I think you did a very good job on your how to paper. I could repair an RV following the directions you have laid out. I enjoyed reading your other papers especilly the fishing trip, I have had adventures like that. It was good to meet you and be in class with you. Good luck in your chosen field and with all the medical treatment needed to help repair your ails.
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