Joe1963
New Member
We are new to owning and maintaining a camper. Our new to us 2001 2619 TrailManor leaked like a sieve from the vents in the last rainstorm. When I pulled the inside vent covers off, all of the wood around both vents was rotted, and mostly just a sloppy wet mess. So, it has been leaking for a very long time. The LAP sealant on the roof was also a big gloppy mess, so we scraped it all off with plastic scrapers after letting it sit in the sun for a few hours. That's when we discovered the front vent was only held on by the LAP sealant. The back vent was held on by very rusty screws. We removed both vents and will replace them with new ones. We also scraped off the sealant around the center seam cover, which basically just fell off afterwards.
I have a few questions for anyone that has replaced the vents and/or the center seam cover.



I have a few questions for anyone that has replaced the vents and/or the center seam cover.
- Why are there wood risers for the vents? Both of ours were cracked and partially rotted, which may explain much of the leaking. Isn't it better to have the vents sitting directly on the roof? Either way, I plan to use butyl tape to seal the vents. Do I need to use LAP sealant or tape as well to cover the screws and edges?
- I'm planning on using polywood (composite) to replace the rotted wood in the ceiling. I'm not really concerned about an extra pound or two of weight. I'd rather not have rotting wood if we develop another leak. Does anyone know of reason not to use polywood?
- The polystyrene in the ceiling that was by the rotted wood is covered in either mold or remnants of the rotted wood. I've read that CLR or bleached based cleaners are the best way to clean that up. Has anyone used these or something else?
- The center seam does not appear to have been glued or sealed at the factory. Is it OK to run a bead of caulk in between the pieces to seal it? Also, I'd rather not spend the time to clean up the old center strip. Has anyone found a suitable replacement for it? It seems to be a firm, but flexible rubber strip.
- After spending that much time on the roof, it's apparent it needs to be painted. Sections of it have been scraped down to bare metal, and there are scratches and dents all over it. Can we put a liquid rubber coating on it, or is paint a better option? Any recommendations? Should I tape (EternaBond or equivalent) around the vents and over the center seam before coating/painting the roof?


