Hello.Rubber roof issue.

[wrangell7777]

Totally a Newbie. Never had a RV. 2 months ago I bought a 1999 Keystone Montana 2850 RK. I did a lot of research and thoroughly inspected the RV. It appears to be built of quality materials and very well built with attention to detail and workmanship. The roof is TPO
rubber roof. There were two areas that had water leaks and were repaired. No longer leak and the rubber roof was not damaged. Leaks were due to a skylight in the bathroom leaking and leak #2 was a lapseal leak over a seam. Like I said the rubber roof has no damage HOWEVER...The roof is soft where the leaks occurred. You can't step on it. It feels like the support material underneath is missing. No tears or holes. So I'm thinking something between the ceiling and roof materials deteriorated due to water damage. Insulation? Rotted wood? IDK what material would be used. I don't want to cut open the rubber roof. Unless I must. I would rather remove ceiling and provide support for rubber roof. So I would like to know if anyone has removed ceiling materials to provide support for rubber roof .
I am 76 years old and lifelong DIY. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to answer.��

[Mikendebbie]

The screen shot below is from the 2003 sales brochure. I could not find the 1999 brochure - but I think this will give you a good idea.

The soft spots in the roof will be from damaged “plywood” - or Structurewood is what they call it in the keyed notes. The 2003 had aluminum roof joists and vinyl covered (thin) plywood ceiling panels. I assume the 1999 was similar. If the roof leaks have been stopped with good caulking - if it was me - I would find the edge limits of the soft plywood and spray marks on the membrane as a reminder for “no step”. Again - just me - if the roof is not leaking - I would not attempt to replace small areas of soft roof plywood due to my age and skill level.

[wrangell7777]

Looks like rubber roof, plywood,
Fiberglass insulation, Luan and ceiling tile. I was thinking about leaving it alone as your suggesting. Just using the Eternabond and Henry's Tropi-Cool. Also. There are a couple of areas where the Lapseal has deteriorated. Do I need to redo or will the Eternabond be enough along with the Henry's applied over everything. THANK YOU for responding. ��

[1retired06]

Eternabond is good stuff. If your roof is the original, it is 24 years old. I would wait until replacement and repair the damaged areas at that time.

[wrangell7777]

Originally Posted by 1retired06

Eternabond is good stuff. If your roof is the original, it is 24 years old. I would wait until replacement and repair the damaged areas at that time.

I received another reply that agreed with your suggestion and I inspected the roof again and looked at the areas that were damaged by the leaks and agree. I will use Eternabond and Henry's Tropi-Cool and resurface the roof with no repairs beneath the TPO rubber. Should I redo any of the self leveling lap sealant if it looks like it deteriorated? Or just clean with soap and water or denatured alcohol? Thanks for your response. My Newsome RV is coming together real nice thanks to people being willing to help. 🙂

[Mikelff]

Originally Posted by wrangell7777

I received another reply that agreed with your suggestion and I inspected the roof again and looked at the areas that were damaged by the leaks and agree. I will use Eternabond and Henry's Tropi-Cool and resurface the roof with no repairs beneath the TPO rubber. Should I redo any of the self leveling lap sealant if it looks like it deteriorated? Or just clean with soap and water or denatured alcohol? Thanks for your response. My Newsome RV is coming together real nice thanks to people being willing to help. 🙂

Short answer is yes, replace any lap sealant that has any cracks or if you think there is any chance of a water leak. Clean the old sealant thoroughly and reseal. There are all kinds of u-tube videos on this. Not a difficult job.