Roof front seam repair 06 Jayflight

[drew2fast]

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

[SoundGuy]

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. 😞

[drew2fast]

I have removed all the dicor tape, and all the lap sealant. I have also removed the c-channel. Now I need to figure out the best way to put it back together and be "water tight".

I have to buy that butyl tape which goes underneach the c-channel. I think I will actually put some lap sealant between the TPU roof and the metal roof that lays on top. Then attach the c-channel, put on more lap sealant and dicor tape on top of that.

[drew2fast]

SoundGuy wrote:

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.

"Always with the negative waves, Moriarty"

[ZeeLet50]

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.

[westend]

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!

[drew2fast]

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.

[SoundGuy]

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.

[SidecarFlip]

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.