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Old 05-22-2023, 11:15 AM   #1
jaarnold100
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Default Roof repair - "ponding"

Reaching out as I have an issue with my 2003 TM roof. There is a very small leak - small enough that during a prolonged, heavy rain, there is no visible running water type leak - it's a leak that gradually works it's way into the wood frame around the vents. Over a couple of hours, a drip will appear at that point.

When inspecting that area on top of the trailer, I see a couple of potential issues. (See pics)
1) There is an obvious low spot on the outer shell near the vents. It's about 1/2" low and creates "ponding" near the vent seal.
2) It also appears the lap sealant is pretty old and is showing some cracking.
3) Also dimpling that looks like it's from hail damage.

Any ideas on how to correct the ponding issue? Use a bondo and re-float the area to bring to level and then overcoat with lap sealant? Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks!
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Old 05-22-2023, 11:23 AM   #2
Shane826
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Low spot is definitely a problem. Keep an eye on it that it doesn’t spread. Bondo, or some other kind of water proof filler, isn’t a bad idea but I would even raise it to a slight crown so water runs away from it. I would maybe try Eternabond tape over the leaky area and then fill on top of that.
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Old 05-22-2023, 11:29 AM   #3
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Yes, agree, concerned about the low spot. It appears that the original crown in the roof has sagged a bit. Not sure if there is a real fix to that other than removing the skin and adding a structural brace (maybe metal tubing) to re-create the crown (much bigger job).

Any thoughts on the crown lowering a bit - realizing it's a 20+ y.o. TM?
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Old 05-22-2023, 12:10 PM   #4
Shane826
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My 3326 got all new shells due to the roofs sagging. There really isn’t a fix for it. It’s usually caused by excess weight on the roof (snow, chunky repair people) or water getting in the roof and eating the glue that binds the foam to the aluminum. The shape of the roof is what keeps the shape of the roof.
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Old 05-24-2023, 08:10 PM   #5
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This thread brings up a question. I just bought a 1997 TM 3023, and was looking at the roof specifically when we bought it. The front shell definitely has a nice dome to it. The seller showed where they put a pool noodle in between the overlap between the 2 shells from the inside.
I was looking at it a little closer today after work in the driveway. I stood on top of the sidewall of my truck bed (parked next to the camper) and I could just see over the top of the TM.
The front half definitely has a nice dome, the back half is flat or even slightly concave, not as bad as shown in the OPs thread.
The seller told me they always pitched it about 1/4 of a bubble high in the front for runoff. There's no evidence of water damage that I can see. I've looked at several campers In the past few weeks that had plenty of examples of water damage to compare to.
They also told me that they had the roof "done" 2-3 years ago at a stealership in Milwaukee. It's definitely not slathered with roof coating, though I can see that some of the putty around various things that penetrate the roof is looking "hard" and should probably be dug out and redone eventually.
Is the contour of the rear shell supposed to match the contour of the front half?
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Old 05-24-2023, 08:54 PM   #6
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Yep they should match. That’s what allows the bag seals to keep water out where the roofs meet. I think your seller was less than honest, if you can believe it.
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Old 05-25-2023, 05:17 AM   #7
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Yeah I can, that's the way of the world these days . Apparently it appears there's nothing that can be done to fix the rear shell and get that crown back, from what I'm reading. .
While I was looking at it before I bought it, I noticed a little daylight, when standing ahead of the roof overlap looking toward the back, quite a while into the time I spent at this guy's place and I asked about it, and that's when the guy dug out the pool noodle. .
Which, going by the extremes this guy went to showing me that everything does in fact work on this camper, and makeing sure I saw every knob, valve, and Nick, and if I lagged slightly in staying "right with him" because I thought of something that I wanted to see in a different order than his, he was calling me to make sure I was right with him to see what he wanted to show me "right then" if I didn't move right in tandem with him, he seemed to go to more extreme to make sure he pointed out everything than anybody whose house I've ever been to when Considering buying whatever I was wanting at any given time...
Usually it's "here it is, you want it or not?" But not this guy.
40 yr lifetime military vet, had to retire on a medical, showed me his scars and told me about the brain hemorrhage that forced him to that retirement. Very process based, everything "in order" and kept repeating the order in which he set up and took down, repeated "street side first" many times in uncoupling and recoiling latches, etc. I dunno if that's his order or if there's any truth to it from TM....
And the thick binder with the owners manual, stack of receipts from day1 when the original owner bought it, I certainly wouldn't have expected it.. but in the 2020sdows this surprise me? No... And me being fairly new to this particular brand of camper? No, not surprised. I didn't crazy -lowball him but I did think the number I first offered would be. A"no way" but when he said "make it 100 more and we're good" when I offered $800 less than his asking price, as the first number...
He definitely didn't seem like the "slick Willie" type.

There isn't any signs of water damage, we probably willl only use it in the best weather 5-6 weekends a year, and with the quirks I put up with in my 19 year older apache, (that weren't as they originally were either) hopefully it won't be an issue with being able to use this the best it can be...
Probably why he repeated the thing about the front being "about a 1/4 bubble high" from level a few times throughout that day so it wouldn't leak at that seam....
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Old 05-25-2023, 05:52 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge trucker View Post
Very process based, everything "in order" and kept repeating the order in which he set up and took down, repeated "street side first" many times in uncoupling and recoiling latches, etc. I dunno if that's his order or if there's any truth to it from TM....
Don't be concerned with this. Because of the TM's mechanical complexity, there are many things that must be done in a specific order to set it up or lower it. Most new owners go through a period of doing things in the wrong order, then backing up, correcting, and proceeding. Many actually make an ordered list. After a while, it all becomes second nature, but in the meantime, I always tell folks that the cardinal rule of TMs is "Never force anything that doesn't want to go".

Quote:
And the thick binder with the owners manual
The TM factory actually includes a thick binder of materials and manuals with every TM they make. I always considered it a great thing to have.

As for the roof curve? You'll have to decide about that yourself.

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Old 05-25-2023, 09:46 AM   #9
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Pool noodles don't have a lot of give or allow compression, stuffing one in the gap might be helping the gap grow some. Making sure the bag seals are good or enlarging those some would probably be a better solution. The foam in the seals have give so it's not pushing down on the lower shell.
Yes, setting up and taking down is an art for some of us owners, but once you have the steps down. It's pretty easy.
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Old 05-25-2023, 02:54 PM   #10
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Is there an equivalent low spot on the inside roof?

If not, the Sytrofoam inside the roof may be compressed where the dip is. If this is the case, it may be possible to drill a series of holes in the roof along the length of the dip, pull the dip out using some kind of puller, then fill the void with spray foam. After this, I'd seal the holes in some way. Perhaps fill with some sort of sealant (I like ProflexRV), then insert a screw into each hole; EternaBond perhaps?)

I would do all this after removing the vents and AC units. When replacing the vents and AC, I'd redo all the sealant between the roof and riser, and the riser and vent. Be sure to sandwich the sealant between each. (I've had terrible luck just sealing on top of things.
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