Forum Discussion

Neal_B_'s avatar
Neal_B_
Explorer II
Apr 19, 2016

Rubber roof repair....

I have a 5th wheel that I can buy pretty cheap but comes with a problem. On the slide one corner appears to have leaked and ruined the wood and insulation. The ceiling above the table has sagged because of water intrusion. My question is this, how hard is it to replace the rubber roof over the slide for an average DIY'er?
I believe I can fix the wood issues once I get the rubber top off. Is there any metal framing at all? Is there any special tricks to replacing the rubber roof? Should I just forget the whole thing?

7 Replies

  • Quote:
    Fixing the rubber coat with Eternabond or something else is not an issue here.
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    Its not ?? I suggest you go back and read the title and the question in the post itself, before you go counterdicting what others post.
  • It's a good bet that the damage is from the roof down through to the floor. It's not just fixing the roof, here. Walls, ceiling, framing, and part/all of the floor will probably have to be removed and replaced. It's not trivial and it won't be getting any better without fixing the whole slide out.

    The work itself isn't difficult. It's just the amount of pieces and time involved. If the OP does start on this, make sure that you maintain plumb and squareness when assembling. There was an owner of a fiver on this Forum that replaced part of his roof and front cap. When done, the siding was so out of square, the joints were inches apart.

    Replacing the rubber membrane roof is fairly easy, certainly in the realm of a DIY'er. Make sure the underlayment is flat with no screw heads above the surface or large gaps between sheeting joints. Apply adhesive to one half at a time, let set as to adhesive directions, flip membrane half onto adhesive and roll it down. Same for the other half of membrane, rolling from the middle out to remove any bubbles. The membrane edges are typically held with aluminum trim strips screwed down through the membrane into the framing.
  • Almot's avatar
    Almot
    Explorer III
    Fixing the rubber coat with Eternabond or something else is not an issue here. He has water damage:
    "one corner appears to have leaked and ruined the wood and insulation. The ceiling above the table has sagged because of water intrusion. "

    Chances are that there is also damage in the wall. Water damage is the worst that can be and the most expensive to fix. This is why you sometimes see used trailers sold way below expected price for a given vintage.
  • I don't know why anyone would even think about removing the slide when a roll of Eternabond (up to 24" wide) will repair any rubber roof damage better than new.
  • For almost free, if you are handy, go for it. Once you get into it, if the damage is more than you want to deal with, part it out. Probably has the dual fuel appliances, axles, tires etc.
  • There are way too many 5th wheels on the market to consider one with potentially expensive water damage. I'd run away from any that one; it's just not worth the hassle to fix.
  • Likely you are going to need to get the slide room out before attempting any repairs. Can you do it at home? Maybe, if you have a fork lift to lift it out with. Then you need saw horses or blocks to set it on. From there should be pretty easy to strip off the old roofing, remove the wet insulation, repair any structural issues, install new ceiling, new unsulation, new sheeting, new roof material. Then you can reinstall the slide room.

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