Roof Membrane Ballooning and Tearing

[MN Roger]

I purchased a Keystone 2012, Fusion and have experienced what appears to be ballooning of the roof membrane in front of the front air conditioner, just behind the nosecone, at high speeds. This has caused the membrane to rub the corners of the air conditioner, causing tears on either side. The RV's currently not under warranty, and I have no expectations of recourse from Keystone. I presumed the rubber roof was glued to the particle board during construction. Has anyone else experienced this? Other than a total membrane replacement, how can I permanently repair this? Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I found these photos from an earlier thread, These best illustrate the problem.

[Jdg1172]

I had to replace the roof on my last rv. You'll have to pull the trim off around the perimeter ( rain gutters ) and all fixtures on the roof. Vents, antenna, ac. Most of that is probably in the front half so might as well replace it all so there's no seem. Remove what you can of the old rubber then cover the roof with Luan for a nice clean surface. It's a full weekend job if your capable of it. Also need an extra set of hands.

[MN Roger]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Sounds like a huge undertaking. Didn't you have to remove the air conditioner units, vents, etc. to fit the Liam tight to any openings? How did you secure the Liam to the roof? Also, did you re-cover the roof with a new membrane? If so, what did you glue the membrane with?

[chuckster57]

Yes you have to remove everything. You lay the new membrane in one piece and then just cut cross cross from the inside for the vents. Plumbing vents are a bit trickier. There is an adhesive made specifically for the membrane, comes in gallons and you put it on like paint with a roller and pan. We use a push broom to smooth out the roof as we go.

[MN Roger]

Thanks again. Couple more questions: isn't the membrane originally glued from the factory? And, what would keep the high speed vortex from lifting (ballooning) the membrane in the future, running into the same problem? Thanks

[chuckster57]

Yes it should be glued at the factory. Remember these are made on an assembly line, lots of units every day, hour, etc.... humans doing the work, makes for a list of possible causes.

If you do the replacement roof, take your time and use the proper amount of glue, your new roof will most likely outlast the trailer.

[MN Roger]

Can't thank you enough for taking the time. I can only attribute the defect to human error. If there are any voids where glue's not applied, the high-speed vortex will create a vacuum, causing those voids to expand, loosening and lifting what little glue was applied, and ballooning occurs. Admittedly, your solution is the optimum and correct one. Unfortunately, I'm not as handy or talented as yourself. I was hoping for an alternative.

[chuckster57]

Alternative: get some membrane glue, cut a straight line in the middle of the bubbles. Apply glue and press membrane back down. Use eternabond tape on the cut.

This should work as long as the substrate and membrane are clean.

[MN Roger]

Thank you for all your sound advice. Seems this has been an ongoing problem since, at least 2000. In my opinion, recalls should've been issued. To all those affected: In the future, we can all voice our concerns with our wallets.

[carwheel_09]

I had the same problem. I removed the front cap molding and loosed the side molding about 10' from the cap and re glued the membrane. They didn't use enough roof glue. It's stuck down now. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170601/ebf1c3212c11e556790dd5c330eaa785.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170601/aede855b26f0beda54aeec3cac43404b.jpg

Notice how little of the OSB came off when the roof was pulled back.


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[chuckster57]

Sounds like it's worth a try!

[MN Roger]

Did you have the tears on either side of the AC as well?

[dcg9381]

I had this same problem with a 2015 (under warranty). Keystone sometimes wants to "patch" it, sometimes they will authorize a dealer repair that doesn't involve dealing with the underlying OSB and just replace the membrane. I know of two cases on Carbons - mine and one in CA where the dealer repairs were "unsatisfactory" due to the OSB pulling up with the membrane.

You can try to re-glue and to patch around the AC. You could also do a partial roof membrane replacement, which would create an overlapping seam that needs to be sealed.

On a 37' RV, a proper roof membrane replacement - retail runs around $8000. Proper replacement means re-decking with OSB (I'd prefer ply, if I was going to do it) or decking with 1/8 material that creates a "clean surface" for the glue....

No reason for that to come up, IMHO...


Like others, when mine ballooned, it cut itself on the AC frame.

[carwheel_09]

Roger I didn't have any tears on mine. I'd have pulled it back to the AC but the area behind the attic vent was not loose.


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