Huge bubble on roof

[Cindy F.]

While driving on I-95, our 2018 Dutchmen Aspen Trail's roof was billowing near the front of the trailer.  I looked like a huge pillow on top of the roof.  Has this happened to anyone?  What is the cause and what needs to be done to fix it?

[Ray,IN]

Dicor has a remedy, which may be read at: https://dicorproducts.com/faq/#petroleum-distillates

If you desire a specific answer to your issue, there is a place to ask it on the Dicor website, it's called "ask Rudy"..

The most common cause is someone using a product containing petroleum distillates on the EPDM material. That webpage tells you  how to identify this.

That may not be the cause though, another cause is the  EPDM material being laid before the glue is ready.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Ray,IN

[Darryl&Rita]

The glue bonding the roof membrane to the underlay has let go. You have two choices; inject glue through the roof membrane, then re-seal it, or live with the balloon.

[Kirk W]

10 hours ago, Darryl&Rita said:

The glue bonding the roof membrane to the underlay has let go. You have two choices; inject glue through the roof membrane, then re-seal it, or live with the balloon.

You can probably get access to the space under the material from the front of the trailer and use something to spreat the glue back well under the material or you could cut the material and then repair the cut once it is glued back in place. You need to make sure that you use the proper glue to put it back and the same with the repari of any cut you make. I would not use live with that problem as it will likely get worse and in time tear away while traveling at highway speeds. 

The problem could be caused either by products that have been used on the roof or it may have gotten moisture between the membrane and the underlay. I would want to investigate the cuase of this problem as part of the repair. 

[SnowGypsy]

I would be concerned that air is getting in there to puff it up like that.  If air gets in, water can get it also.  I would call Dutchmen customer service, especially if I purchased this new or even otherwise to see what they suggested I do.  This is a giant bubble, not the standard bubbles, and I would make sure that was understood.  This is not "normal".   I once read a post where a family was cruising down the highway on vacation and suddenly saw their roof peeling off, so I wouldn't ignore it.  We had an entry level TT from the worst of manufacturers and never had a problem like this with the rubber roof  in the 5 years we owned it, so I would be very firm with the manufacturer about my displeasure with the situation.  If the manufacturer chooses to ignore it, Dicor may be able to advise, but I would still make the manufacturer aware that their 2018 product in less than 2 years was requiring repairs most likely due to the way the roof was installed unless it has in some way been abused.  

 

[chirakawa]

I would definitely get a new roof.  There's a good chance that water had seeped under the rubber/vinyl and dissolved the water based glue.  If so, you may find water damage when you peel off the roof material.

In any case, if you didn't have water under there before, you will have in the future if you don't repair/replace the roof.  I wouldn't "live with" it.

[Cindy F.]

17 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

Dicor has a remedy, which may be read at: https://dicorproducts.com/faq/#petroleum-distillates

If you desire a specific answer to your issue, there is a place to ask it on the Dicor website, it's called "ask Rudy"..

The most common cause is someone using a product containing petroleum distillates on the EPDM material. That webpage tells you  how to identify this.

That may not be the cause though, another cause is the  EPDM material being laid before the glue is ready.

I sent an email to Rudy last night.  Hope to hear from him soon.

[Cindy F.]

17 hours ago, Darryl&Rita said:

The glue bonding the roof membrane to the underlay has let go. You have two choices; inject glue through the roof membrane, then re-seal it, or live with the balloon.

I am not sure if we have a rubber roof (Dicor) or an Alpha Superflex  TPO roof as both are listed in the Dutchmen owner’s manual.

[Cindy F.]

7 hours ago, Kirk W said:

You can probably get access to the space under the material from the front of the trailer and use something to spreat the glue back well under the material or you could cut the material and then repair the cut once it is glued back in place. You need to make sure that you use the proper glue to put it back and the same with the repari of any cut you make. I would not use live with that problem as it will likely get worse and in time tear away while traveling at highway speeds. 

The problem could be caused either by products that have been used on the roof or it may have gotten moisture between the membrane and the underlay. I would want to investigate the cuase of this problem as part of the repair. 

It did rain a couple of days while we were traveling and there was a leak right over the bed.  Fortunately, we had good weather the rest of the trip.  We tarped it due to Hurricane Dorian and still is tarped.  I think there was inferior glue placed from the onset.  Did I mention it had to be completely rewired  in 2018?  In the shop for 3 months!  

[Cindy F.]

5 hours ago, SnowGypsy said:

I would be concerned that air is getting in there to puff it up like that.  If air gets in, water can get it also.  I would call Dutchmen customer service, especially if I purchased this new or even otherwise to see what they suggested I do.  This is a giant bubble, not the standard bubbles, and I would make sure that was understood.  This is not "normal".   I once read a post where a family was cruising down the highway on vacation and suddenly saw their roof peeling off, so I wouldn't ignore it.  We had an entry level TT from the worst of manufacturers and never had a problem like this with the rubber roof  in the 5 years we owned it, so I would be very firm with the manufacturer about my displeasure with the situation.  If the manufacturer chooses to ignore it, Dicor may be able to advise, but I would still make the manufacturer aware that their 2018 product in less than 2 years was requiring repairs most likely due to the way the roof was installed unless it has in some way been abused.  

 

I called Dutchmen a few days ago and was pointed to the dealer (La Mesa R.V. in Sanford).  They said it wasn’t under warranty anymore and to bring it in for a diagnostic for $150.  I left a message with Dutchmen customer service today and hope to hear from them the next business day.  The roof has not been abused.  It sits in an opened area and doesn’t have any trees over it.

[Cindy F.]

4 hours ago, chirakawa said:

I would definitely get a new roof.  There's a good chance that water had seeped under the rubber/vinyl and dissolved the water based glue.  If so, you may find water damage when you peel off the roof material.

In any case, if you didn't have water under there before, you will have in the future if you don't repair/replace the roof.  I wouldn't "live with" it.

Something will have to be done because we can’t use it as is.  It is just a matter of who is responsible and who is going to fix it!!

[Ray,IN]

FWIW, The Dutchmen factory service center in N. Indiana does excellent work. We took our Grand Junction 5er there for repair to a slide mechanism. They found a bent arm, and replaced the entire assembly at no charge to us. The service center manager said it was a factory defect. Our 5er was 3 yrs old at the time.

They have electric only parking spots available outside the factory. We stayed overnight in our 5er,  and early next morning they took it inside for  repairs/replacements.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Ray,IN

[Cindy F.]

21 minutes ago, Ray,IN said:

FWIW, The Dutchmen factory service center in N. Indiana does excellent work. We took our Grand Junction 5er there for repair to a slide mechanism. They found a bent arm, and replaced the entire assembly at no charge to us. The service center manager said it was a factory defect. Our 5er was 3 yrs old at the time.

They have electric only parking spots available outside the factory. We stayed overnight in our 5er,  and early next morning they took it inside for  repairs/replacements.

Unfortunately, I don't think we could take it safely to Indiana from Florida. The photos show our temporary fixes.  My husband put a strap on the roof to start with until we got to the campground. Then he removed the old caulk and the original bar in the front.  Next, he put the rubber roof under the lip, put the original bar back on, put a 2" steel bar next to it, and used Dicor caulk to spread all over that area. That held it for a day, but even with the strap the bubble appeared again.  Lastly,  he made a "constraption" out of plastic lattice work, a treated wood brace and 2 straps that went around the entire trailer.  This held the bubble down as we traveled back to Florida. 

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[2gypsies]

Wow!  What a mess to deal with! So sorry.  

As we drove on highways we have seen others do this and commented that the whole roof could be torn off while driving.  Most people probably don't even know that theirs does that.  Good thing you caught it but sounds like a difficult fix by yourselves.  Hopefully, you can find someone to fix it.

[Cindy F.]

I’m not sure the photos will open.

Edited September 22, 2019 by Cindy F.

[Cindy F.]

8 minutes ago, 2gypsies said:

Wow!  What a mess to deal with! So sorry.  

As we drove on highways we have seen others do this and commented that the whole roof could be torn off while driving.  Most people probably don't even know that theirs does that.  Good thing you caught it but sounds like a difficult fix by yourselves.  Hopefully, you can find someone to fix it.

I am hoping there will be a resolution on Dutchmen’s part.

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, Cindy F. said:

I’m not sure the photos will open.

They do not. You must have them somewhere on the internet for us to see them.

[Cindy F.]

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

They do not. You must have them somewhere on the internet for us to see them.

 

Edited September 22, 2019 by Cindy F.

[Cindy F.]

This was the temporary fix.  The Constraption!  I wasn't successful in posting the other photos.  Possibly too big.  Might try later.

[Lance A Lott]

Try this for pictures.  http://photoposting.is-great.net/?i=1

[Kirk W]

9 hours ago, Cindy F. said:

This was the temporary fix. 

Looks like a good approach. Hope it all works out. I don't know if it has changed but the glue that they use was water soluable in the early days so a roof leak may have played a part in this. 

[Darryl&Rita]

Around 8-10 years ago, a major manufacturer had a QA/QC issue with supplied materials that resulted in lots and lots of bubble roofs. It turned out the glue had been frozen in shipment, at some point. The dealerships were flooded with warranty work To the point, the triage involved leaking vs. not leaking. Leakers got in sooner. All the units were handled, eventually. I mistakenly thought the OP was on a vacation trip, that's why I said live with it. With the addition of leaks, it needs to be fixed sooner. For those wondering, this is an example of aerodynamics. Low pressure air is sucking up the roof membrane, not high pressure air getting underneath and forcing it up.

[chirakawa]

3 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

For those wondering, this is an example of aerodynamics. Low pressure air is sucking up the roof membrane, not high pressure air getting underneath and forcing it up.

In order for low pressure to be "sucking" up the roofing, there has to be high pressure underneath the membrane.  If it was properly adhered to the roof, it wouldn't happen.  Otherwise, all roofs would go down the highway in a bubble.  So, yes, there is air getting under the membrane.....................which means a leak.

On an airplane wing, pressure is removed from the top of the wing and higher pressure pushes up on the bottom of the wing, called lift.  So, it is high pressure forcing it up. 

[Darryl&Rita]

I'm done.

[Kirk W]

6 hours ago, Darryl&Rita said:

I'm done.

😊😁   Agreed.