Roof Problems

[taphillips]

We have a 2013 Montana 5Th wheel, Model3625RE purchased as a new holdover in August 2014, Dropped it off to the Dealer Camping World In October 2014 for some Warrantee Work. Picked it up in late October 2014 (As the Warrantee parts were not due in until early Dec.) to Wash Wax And Treat the EDPM roof. Upon inspect the roof has Many Raised up portions between the rafters. The roof has actually bowed up. and staples are poking up at the edge seams in many places, not yet poking thru. Returned it back to the dealer and contacted keystone Warrantee their resolution is to put some wooden blocking on the outside between each rafter and screw the roof to it then put the EDPM back in place . We or the dealer cannot find any caulking problems any where on the roof. or any evidence of a leak inside or outside.
Now to my questions
1: Has anyone out there experiences a similar problem
2:Does this seem like a permanent repair
3: should the manufacturer step up and replace the entire roof

[RedRover]

I have never seen anything like that. I suspect that the "treatment" of the EDPM roof was done with some petroleum product that caused swelling. I would ask for a new roof and get Keystone involved if necessary.

[WaltBennett]

There have been several posts by people with this problem on the Montana Owner's Club forum, but that doesn't mean it's all that common a problem. You should go there to see what resolution they've had about it. http://montanaadministrator.forumco.com/default.asp

[mazboy123]

we had a similiar experience, our staples were pushing upward on both sides of the roof and we took it back to montana in goshen to their repair center and they screwed it and removed the staples.

[therink]

I would not accept anything less than removal and replacement of entire membrane and re anchoring all loose sheathing.
That looks terrible. I've never seen that before. I hope all works out for you.

[DebbieM]

We are also having this problem right now. Our 2013 3582 is in the shop now. Membrane has bubbles, staples are popping up. RV Shop was very alarmed and said there were no leaks anywhere. They suggested new sheathing and membrane. Keystone rejected it. They said that's normal and if we just ran the A/C for 7 hours it would go away. Can you believe that? The RV shop thought that was the stupidest thing they've heard. We call Keystone tomorrow to talk about this. At the least I hope they'll remove staples and screw things down. We have copies of pictures from RV repair and we will get a copy of our service repair report for any future problems. The roof was fine until just a couple of weeks ago. I check it myself each month. We have been full time since June of last year and have circled the US from CA, north, to the east coast, along the south and we are now in TX. We have been through all weather conditions without any problem until now.

[bobbecky]

That idea of running the A/C may not be as stupid as it sounds. You have been and may still be in an area that is quite humid and if your roof vents, those little mushroom looking things on your roof, are not handling the extra moisture very well, just maybe the A/C thing might work. What may be going on is, the excess moisture may be coming through the roof decking wood and causing the adhesive to break away in spots, causing the membrane to bubble up, kind of like paint on a house that bubbles because moisture goes through the wall and causes it to peel off the exterior wall.

[Festus2]

According to Dicor's website, they say the following about air bubbles:
1) Bubbles are "typically normal" and often appear soon after the roof has been applied.

2) They may not have been "broomed out" properly during application.

3) Bubbles may also be caused by weather conditions - temperature and humidity - and may come and go as the these conditions change.

4) If there is a significant difference in temperature between the interior and exterior of the RV, that may lead to bubbling.

5) During transit, the flexing and twisting that occurs at the seams may cause either separation or bubbling.

My take on their position on bubbling is that a small amount of "small bubbles" on a roof is not a major concern. It is not atypical but certainly would need careful watching to see if the bubbles increase in size and quantity and to see what affect your local weather conditions seem to have on them.

[mark1228]

According to Dicor's website, they say the following about air bubbles:
1) Bubbles are "typically normal" and often appear soon after the roof has been applied.

2) They may not have been "broomed out" properly during application.

3) Bubbles may also be caused by weather conditions - temperature and humidity and may come and go as the these conditions change.

4) If there is a significant difference in temperature between the interior and exterior of the RV, that may lead to bubbling.

5) During transit, the flexing and twisting that occurs at the seams may cause either separation or bubbling.

My take on their position on bubbling is that a small amount of "small bubbles" on a roof is not a major concern. It is not atypical but certainly would need careful watching to see if the bubbles increase in size and quantity and to see what affect your local weather conditions seem to have on them.

I have talked with Dicor and been told this exact same thing. In addition, if you apply Dicor's self leveling roof sealant, that can cause bubbling for some time. They won't say how long because of all the different conditions but the Dicor rep told me that 6-9 months would not be uncommon.

[66 Vettster]

I have been having the same problem. Aluminum sheathing coming loose because of the staples they are using are raising up. I also would like them to replace my membrane and screw the aluminum sheathing down. Mine is in the shop now and my selling dealer is just waiting on approval to repair this mess. This is not bubbles in the roof, it is much more serious. My Montana is still under basic warranty and I can't believe they are taking so long to give the approval to repair a major problem. It appears to be a problem on 2013 and 2014. I was told by Keystone Rep they do not use staples on the 2015. That should tell them something. I am hoping for a positive repair.

Jim Bonhote
2014 Montana 3582RL
2006 Ford F350 Lariat 4X4 Crew Cab.