I bought a used 06 Jayco Jayflight 27BH and knew there was some previous water damage. There was dicor tape across the front seal, where the metal goes over the TPU roof. The repair looked OK at first but has gotten worse, so I'm trying to fix it. After pulling off the "dicor" tape, seems there were multiple attempts made to seal water leak. Water has gotten under the metal and even the screws are rusted. The metal is no long being secured to the roof, except by the tons of sealant they have applied. I was surprised there is no sealant between the metal and the TPO roof. There is tons of lap sealant all over, but none under the metal flap and where it's screw in place. I think I will need to drill new holes to secure it as the wood is probably rotten. I only paid 7k, so I'm not spending thousands to fix it. If I can get 5-10 years out of it, I'll be happy. At some point it may get parked at a site and I'll just put a structure over the top. So, on to repairs. I have purchased lap sealant, TPO cleaner, and 4" wide Dicor repair tap. The lap sealant and grey residue from repair tape is lot of work to remove. Any ideas to help get it off easy without damaging the roof membrane?Any thoughts about putting the sealant between the metal and TPU roof where it's screwed down? The following is google drive link to photos.https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_c_V3yd9h5hYXM3clJBUi1hMkU

You'll know it's terminal when the ceiling falls down inside...and it will btw. It's TPO not TPU and if the original screws are rusted why do you think new screws will bite into anything"? probably all rotted away underneath.My issue is, rot = mold and mold = mold spores and mold spores = sick occupants. Some of that stuff growing up there, between the underlayment and the ceiling can kill you.

drew2fast wrote:I bought a used 06 Jayco Jayflight 27BH and knew there was some previous water damage. There was dicor tape across the front seal, where the metal goes over the TPU roof.It's hard to understand why anyone would knowingly buy any trailer with such a deteriorated roof, no matter what price it may be, as a proper repair could entail removing the entire roof and starting all over again. :E I'd suspect that tape is Eternabond tape and as pointed out it's TPO (Thermoplastic Polyolefin), not TPU, whatever that may be. :@ For a couple of years around the time your trailer was built Jayco was using a version of TPO roof membrane that later was discovered to easily wick moisture because of the felt backing. This proved to be a major problem for Jayco which subsequently discontinued using this particular version of TPO. Doesn't help you of course, other than to point out that the damage below may be more extensive than you think, and as also already pointed out moisture leads to rot which leads to mold & mildew which creates an environment unhealthy to humans. Unfortunately you potentially have a major project on your hands, not a minor fix. :( Yours is a classic example why to never invest in any trailer with obvious signs of water leakage.

I am good with tools, I have rebuilt a kitchen from the dirt up, house was built in 1920. So I can do the repairs, but I'm not sure I want to rip it apart just yet. It looks like if I drill new holes spaced in between the original holes, I might have something for the screws in the metal strip to bite into.There appears to some different type of caulk or putty, it's almond in color, in the groove of the metal strip. Anyone know if you use a differnt substance in the metal strip groove?I may just purchase a new strip.

I'd start with all new materials and get everything solid. To me, there's nothing worse than a repair that fails. There are thinned epoxies like "Git Rot" and others that reinforce rotting wood. They can make the material stronger than it was originally. Yes, you want to seal any screws that penetrate the membrane. Any good caulk like Dicor will do this. I found that screwing through the Eternabond tapes, using a motorized tool, causes the adhesive in the tape to be drawn up the screw threads and would envelop the head. Eternabond Inc used to have a video of this method. For my own rig, I ended up installing an Eternabond tape over the metal trim and the plastic screw cover in the trim. This prevents any water from running underneath the metal trim and also, any water trying to get past the screw cover. Good luck on the repair!

My trailer had this problem. I think its a bad design as the arched roof meets the front cap which is straight. this results in 2 valleys to hold water on either side. eventually water seeped in under the front cap destroying the "fiber" underlayment. This created a floating front cap of fiberglass which would move when the suns heat hit it. So the gap grew and water got in again even though I kept on it with dicor. I now have a 4" wide piece of eternabond over the seem till the repair shop can replace the whole front cap. They said they will use 1/8 luan instead of the **** thats there now. It will be better than new at the cost of $1200 to fix. I would leave it but it looks terrible as the front cap is all wavy from delamination.

Roof front seam repair 06 Jayflight | Good Sam Community

drew2fast
Explorer
Sep 26, 2017
Jayco254 wrote:
Sounds good, but where you have rot you need to put something like Git Rot or one of the other similar items.

Without peeling back the metal roof and TPO I can't get to the rot. I used 2" screws at an angle, offset by 3" from the previous screws and all were able to bite into wood.

Its a long project to repair, and the local dealer is backlogged. At this point, I'm just trying to prevent any further damage.

I'm looking into purchasing one of the metal RV "carports", and do the repairs myself.
Jayco254
Explorer
Sep 26, 2017
Sounds good, but where you have rot you need to put something like Git Rot or one of the other similar items.
drew2fast
Explorer
Sep 25, 2017
westend wrote:
SoundGuy wrote:
drew2fast wrote:
I bought a used 06 Jayco Jayflight 27BH and knew there was some previous water damage.

SoundGuy wrote:
It's hard to understand why anyone would knowingly buy any trailer with such a deteriorated roof, no matter what price it may be, as a proper repair could entail removing the entire roof and starting all over again. :E

drew2fast wrote:
"Always with the negative waves, Moriarty"

Kindergarten kids would call it "Negative Nancy". :W Nonetheless, it's the OP's choice - address the issue as it really is OR bury his head in the sand and pretend this isn't a really bad situation he has on his hands. :R

Sometimes the truth hurts. :(
Sometimes, a buyer will purchase something that is less than perfect for his purposes. The OP may not care about the ultimate longevity of this rig as it is used as a hunting shack or other.

FWIW, for the past 20 years I've been in the business of fixing folks homes. I also work on commercial business facilities and have built a number of whole homes and garages. The "Home Handyman" area is where 90% of our focus is now. You would be surprised on how many "That's good enough"s I've heard.
Sure, there are some folks that want perfection but there are many more that are amazed that I don't just cobble in a temporary patch. Some are even pissed about it, even after I've explained the economics. There are some that I do as I'm told, even though the customer is shooting himself in the foot. I know I will return, later, to do the same job.

Point being: There are all kinds of folks with all kinds of perceptions and different ways to deal with it all. Perfection isn't always the goal.

Yep...all kinds...and we all make mistakes. Came to the forum for advise on fixing the repair, not to be chastised.

Campingworld has a checklist...but walking on the roof is not on the list. Checking it externally, is not enough. I'm "NOW" a firm believer that you should walk on the roof, if that unit is "walkable".

I've got it halfway patched. Cleaned everything up...got off as much prior sealant as I could. Screwed down new strip and applied sealant on all it's edges and screws. I used butyl tape between the TPO and metal, and between metal and strip. Waiting on it to cure, and will be applying dicor tape.

I also bought a cover, and will cover it when not in use.
westend
Explorer
Sep 23, 2017
drew2fast wrote:
westend wrote:
If it was me......I'd use Eternabond Roof seal over the TPO roof and onto the metal cap. I'd drill through the Eternabond tape so screws are sealed when attaching the trim. If I was still worried, I'd put another piece of Eternabond over the metal trim.

When I rebuilt my trailer, I applied high dollar elastomeric sealant between the siding and top of the roof frame, between the roof and the roof frame, between the metal trim and the roof material. I still had a couple of small leaks. I then applied Eternabond tapes and all leaking was a memory. I have my own equipment to do a pressurized leak test and have done a few in the first few years. All of the tests showed no leaking wherever Eternabond was used.

Thanks for the advice.

Do you recall what sealant you used? Isn't Dicor Self-leveling the go-to stuff? Is the other stuff really better?
I believe it was a GE product. It's been awhile and, since I'm in the construction biz, I get my hands on a lot of different sealants.

Dicor, as a general view of the company, makes good products. I know the self-leveling lap sealant is what a lot of Forum members use on their EPDM roofs. Whether it's the best for what you're trying to do is beyond my reckoning.

FWIW, I had never heard of Eternabond tapes before coming to this Forum and I questioned whether they were the superior product some members stated. Since I've used them, I can endorse them 100%. They are a good long-time fix instead of the almost yearly sealant recovery most folks do. AFAIK, they are the only barrier tape that has the adhesive in a micro-encapsulated manner bound within the material matrix of the tape. Rolling the tape with a small roller breaks the micro capsules and makes the adhesive stick like there is no tomorrow.
drew2fast
Explorer
Sep 22, 2017
westend wrote:
If it was me......I'd use Eternabond Roof seal over the TPO roof and onto the metal cap. I'd drill through the Eternabond tape so screws are sealed when attaching the trim. If I was still worried, I'd put another piece of Eternabond over the metal trim.

When I rebuilt my trailer, I applied high dollar elastomeric sealant between the siding and top of the roof frame, between the roof and the roof frame, between the metal trim and the roof material. I still had a couple of small leaks. I then applied Eternabond tapes and all leaking was a memory. I have my own equipment to do a pressurized leak test and have done a few in the first few years. All of the tests showed no leaking wherever Eternabond was used.

Thanks for the advice.

Do you recall what sealant you used? Isn't Dicor Self-leveling the go-to stuff? Is the other stuff really better?
westend
Explorer
Sep 22, 2017
If it was me......I'd use Eternabond Roof seal over the TPO roof and onto the metal cap. I'd drill through the Eternabond tape so screws are sealed when attaching the trim. If I was still worried, I'd put another piece of Eternabond over the metal trim.

When I rebuilt my trailer, I applied high dollar elastomeric sealant between the siding and top of the roof frame, between the roof and the roof frame, between the metal trim and the roof material. I still had a couple of small leaks. I then applied Eternabond tapes and all leaking was a memory. I have my own equipment to do a pressurized leak test and have done a few in the first few years. All of the tests showed no leaking wherever Eternabond was used.
drew2fast
Explorer
Sep 22, 2017
Denatured Alcohol hardly does anything. Had use mineral spirits to remove some of the grey glue left by the Dicor tape. It's all clean and ready to seal.
drew2fast
Explorer
Sep 21, 2017
GrandpaKip wrote:
I would put butyl tape under the metal strip that covers the TPO/front cap, then use stainless screws to fasten it down. Flipping the strip around might offset existing screw holes for a better bite. Longer and next size up screws might also help. Put the vinyl cover strip back in and cover with eternabond. Use lap sealant to cover whatever the eternabond didn't.
I believe you can use lacquer thinner to clean the TPO, but I would definitely check that.
Good luck.

Yes, that is what I was thinking, tape and flipping. I have plenty of butyl tape...shortest length was 30' at camping world.

I found a Dicor sealant video that actually recommends using denatured alcohol.
GrandpaKip
Explorer II
Sep 20, 2017
I would put butyl tape under the metal strip that covers the TPO/front cap, then use stainless screws to fasten it down. Flipping the strip around might offset existing screw holes for a better bite. Longer and next size up screws might also help. Put the vinyl cover strip back in and cover with eternabond. Use lap sealant to cover whatever the eternabond didn't.
I believe you can use lacquer thinner to clean the TPO, but I would definitely check that.
Good luck.
drew2fast
Explorer
Sep 20, 2017
Bumpyroad wrote:
drew2fast wrote:
Great...Any advise on getting this rig water tight for the time being...

ie..what if anything should I put between the metal and the "robber" roof, such as butyl tape or dicor tape before securing with c-channel.

is it a rubber roof or is it a TPO roof?
bumpy

Its TPO.

The screws which hold down the c-channel are rusted, any thoughts on using decking screws. I was going to drill new holes in the c-channel to offset them.

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Roof front seam repair 06 Jayflight

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