Hole in rubber roof on 3400RL

[Dean A Van Peursem]

Stopped at Camping World in Tacoma, WA on the way home. The stores parking lot was so full it was hard to even navigate the parking lot streets. Motor Home with towed vehicle double parked in parking lot street, had to make wide sharp turn to get around it. The swinging tail end of 3400RL brushed against a tree limb and tore a hole in the rubber roof right at the back right corner right on the rounded edge of the roof as it goes from horzontal to vertical. No internal damage to the internal sheet metal but tore several small rips in the rubber roof and one about 2" long. Damage is over about a 1 foot length.

Have covered the area with two layers of white duct tape which appears that it will provide a good water seal temporarily. In fact hardly noticeable from a distance. But will get it fixed at a dealer as soon as possible.

Now here is how some of you experienced RV'ers could possibly be of help. What successful techniques have you seen used to repair something like this? I'm mostly concerned about getting a perfect seal but obviously would like the repair to be as invisible as possible as well. I intend to contact a few repair facilities to ask how they would plan to repair something like this. What works, what doesn't? Thanks for your help in advance.

PS: What is really frustrating about this is I was so carefull in two heavily treed campgrounds this past week to avoid this very issue. To have this happen in the Tacoma, WA Camping World parking lot is just disgusting. I was very angry with myself for quite some time. But with the temporary fix in place and not very noticeable, I have calmed down a bit. Never, never relax about tree limbs.

[Montana Sky]

Dean,
Sorry to hear of your set back. Getting into "that" Camping World can be very tricky w/o a coach in tow, while I know it is easy for me to say, remember it could have been much worse. I hope you are able to find a dealership that is albe to handle your repairs and have you back on the road soon.

[harleyrider]

The product that I would get to fit your rubber roof is called "eternabond tape"Its the perfect product for this type of repair.Its white in color and once its on its on.No more worrys about a possible leak from that area.In fact when it comes time to recaulk my seams I will be using "eternabond"instead of caulk.Its a one time fix.

[OntMont]

I would give Dicor Customer Service a call. They are quite helpful, and can probably suggest a repair technique. They may even have repair kits available. Their number should be in the Owner's Manual. Following their repair procedures should preserve your warranty on the rest of the roof.

Good luck!

[Dean A Van Peursem]

Thanks for the inputs and suggestions. I sent an email to Dicor customer service and would like to share their reponse with you who may have a similar interest:

Dicor response:

"It isn’t as bad as you are beating yourself up over. It actually is designed for the “do-it-yourself” people.



There are a couple of repair kits that will work just fine. One kit is a 9” x 10” square of peel and stick repair membrane (we recommend you overlap the patched area a minimum of 1-2” on all sides). It comes with complete instructions on repairing the roof, a tube of lap sealant for going around the edge and a feathering tool to make a smooth finish. This is our kit 402-PR.



Another is a roll of 6” wide or 12” wide x 25’ peel and stick membrane. This is used primarily if you want to go down the edge of your unit the whole 25’ The lap sealant would have to be purchased separately. Part numbers for these materials are:



6” is 533RM-6

12” is 533RM-12

501LSW or 502LSW lap sealant part number



We don’t install or repair and all of our products are sold through distributors. Please contact Arrow Dist. At 800/522-7291 for a list of dealers in your area that either stock the products or can order them for you. If you are not interested in doing the job yourself, I would suggest contacting the manufacturer for a list of approved repair facilities.



Your warranty covers the rubber sheeting only against premature deterioration to the point of failure due to weathering. In other words, if the rubber sheeting rots due to weathering, we cover it. Otherwise that’s the only thing covered by the Dicor rubber warranty. So, whether it’s patched or not is not a warranty issue concerning which way it is fixed."


End of Dicor response.

Maybe this isn't such a big deal after all.

[VanMan]

Do a search here for "eternabond" as suggested by harleyrider. This is the product a lot of RVers use. My Montana's been patched a couple of times with it and it is permanent!! It's now a staple in my repair tool box at home and in the RV. There's a place on the internet where it can be purchased cheaper than retail stores. I think this is it - if not, someone will correct me.
http://www.bestmaterials.com/detail.aspx?ID=11341