Roof damage

[Johnnyfry]

I pulled into a site today and, unfortunately, brushed a tree limb which was hanging low.

I tore the port side edge of the rubber roof, damaged a gray tank vent and cracked the fridge vent.

My worry, naturally, is the waterproof integrity of the roof since the plastic vents are pretty easily replaced. What do I look for to patch the roof? I see various tapes and adhesives in the RV catalog, what is best to use?

Thanks for any suggestions.

John

[therink]

Hi
Sorry to hear about your oops. It might help to post photos if you can. Ad far as short term, poly sheeting and duct tape may hold you over while camping,
but likely won't hold for the ride home.
Steve

[SLIMSHADIE]

How long is the tear or hole. Eternabond is some great stuff. It comes in in all kinds of sizes!

[Paddler]

I've heard nothing but great reviews for Eternabond. Alot of folks are using it on the front and rear cap seams so they don't have to do the annual roof caulking.

[therink]

I'd love to hear about Eternabond as well. I have become somewhat of a caulk gun nazi and would like to know if the stuff is all it is cracked up to be. Steve

[hankpage]

Any RV dealer should have self adhesive EPDM patches that work really well. Seal the edges with Dicor self leveling sealant for a permanent repair. Inspect the sealant regularly when you check roof vents and you should be good to go. If the fridge and vent cap are just cracked the Dicor will fix them also. This is the sealant that is on your roof and vents now.

[KanTC]

We've used Eternabond & had excellent results.

A few years ago in central Texas, we had a "close encounter" with a previously trimmed tree limb!!
Older COE c/g with narrow roads, and DH moved over to let another 5th wheel pass.....

No significant damage, but the limb had 'skipped' along a 2 ft section & put 7 small scuff/scrape marks
on the roof surface. Took the advice of others, used the Eternabond, and inspected the roof faithfully.
No further problems... the stuff actually worked as advertised. 2 yrs later when we sold that 5th wheel
(our 1st Keystone), DH & the buyer checked the patches and they still looked great!

We keep Eternabond in the RV tool kit now... just in case!

http://www.eternabond.com See RV Repair

We ordered from 'Best Materials', it was less $ at that time.

Hope this helps!
Terri, the Chevy co-pilot

[scotty]

I was wondering, how does that hold up to the different seasons? Up here in Mass, winters get cold with snow. I know that plastics after being cold then hot and again cold then hot they become brittle. This product looks great and was just viewing some video's of it. How does it look after a couple years?

[KanTC]

Hi Scotty,

In layman's terms the Eternabond looks & feels like some type of very dense, flexible, rubber compound and when applied correctly the bond should give a water-tight seal.

Apparently it holds up well long-term in all weather conditions... it's often recommended by RV owners who give it very good reviews. I don't recall hearing (or reading) any stipulations or concerns when used in certain parts of the country.

That said, I only have first-hand knowledge of our experience. We typically travel/camp year-around & our trailers are (on occasion) exposed to all types of weather, but... we live in the desert southwest where we have weather extremes of the opposite kind - sun & intense heat - which is also very harsh on rubber & plastics, etc. In our case, after 2+ yrs, the Eternabond patches still looked & felt the same as when it was applied... no dry/brittle areas, no wrinkles/ripples, & no discoloration.

Hopefully someone can offer you more info related to cold & snow.

Terri, the Chevy co-pilot