Forum Discussion

ugh's avatar
ugh
Explorer
Jan 26, 2015

Bubbles under rubber roof

I was looking at 2012 30BH Avenger by Prime Time Manufacturing which is owned by River Forest. I liked it a lot and just as I was ready to put a deposit down, I looked at the roof. There were lot of bubbles (kind of what you see if air gets trapped under a large decal) under the rubber roof around the edge and across where the plywood meets. It is also bubbling up in some areas near the vents and all four corners of the roof. I wish I had taken some pictures to show you to get your feedback.

The sale man called a service tech to look at it and he said that the glue appears to be giving away. He also said that it is still fine and he has seen it before.

What do you think? I am now not sure as we all know it is very costly to fix it and I am afraid it may get worse down the road.
  • drae0814's avatar
    drae0814
    Explorer
    Jan 30, 2015
    Get the best you can get with the money you have if you have a choice keep looking its the problems you find later that suck, but ones that dont look right to you means walk away better yet run away.
  • NMDriver's avatar
    NMDriver
    Explorer
    Jan 28, 2015
    I would walk away. They are easy to fix, but on a 100 + degree day a small bubble can grow very large, very quickly, at highway speed. Mine was from side to side and 4 foot long when I stopped at the rest area. I was not even aware of it but a fellow RVer stopped and told me my roof was coming off. BTW I did my own repair with a paint on EPDM membrane and that has lasted 10 years with no leaks.
  • BillB800si's avatar
    BillB800si
    Explorer
    Jan 27, 2015
    I've noticed on some of the upper end newer trailers they are wrapping the roof over the sides of the trailers and attaching them to the top of the sidewalls. This allows for no seam on the top (seam is on the side). Then if water does puddle up there's no seam on top to leak through.
    Happy trails,
  • Beaker's avatar
    Beaker
    Explorer
    Jan 27, 2015
    There are too many good trailers out there to take a risk on something you don't understand.

    It may be fine. On the other hand.........


    x2



    There are too many good trailers out there to take a risk on something you don't understand.


    x10
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Jan 27, 2015
    It's sadly normal especially if the edges of the roof are sharp. Obviously I haven't seen your roof but if it's anything like mine it will be just fine. Mine has been like that since new and 10 years later it's still good.
  • Allworth's avatar
    Allworth
    Explorer II
    Jan 27, 2015
    There are too many good trailers out there to take a risk on something you don't understand.

    It may be fine. On the other hand.........
  • bid_time's avatar
    bid_time
    Nomad II
    Jan 27, 2015
    Find something else. Sounds like a problem looking for a victim.
  • Mainevacationer's avatar
    Mainevacationer
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2015
    Friend had the same issue with bubbles around the edge of the rubber roof. Within a few years he had evidence of leaks.
  • ugh's avatar
    ugh
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2015
    Veebyes wrote:
    Roof pox. I imagine it is fairly harmless as long as the roof material is not pierced. Fixing it would require piercing each bubble, squeezing the air out & injecting glue to rebed & seal it.


    There is like 100 bubbles all around the edge of it.
  • Veebyes's avatar
    Veebyes
    Explorer II
    Jan 26, 2015
    Roof pox. I imagine it is fairly harmless as long as the roof material is not pierced. Fixing it would require piercing each bubble, squeezing the air out & injecting glue to rebed & seal it.

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