Sagging ceiling

Just opened my 08 3670 for the season (we have it seasonal in NH) and to my dismay, I found that the ceiling in the kitchen area is sagging. The center is 1.5" lower than at the walls. There is no water, but rather it looks like the roof rafters sank. I went up on the roof and while the rest of the roof has a slight crown, this area is perfectly flat. I contacted my dealer, but they said that it was most likely due to weight from the snow over the winter and not a factory problem. I can se his point, but shouldn't the roof be able to handle a normal winter? I am going to call my insurance agent to have them look at it, and I'm sure it can be fixed, but I have to wonder what will happen next winter. I'm considering getting rid of the unit and looking at something else. Please tell me that I am over-reacting!

Snow can weigh 25 - 30 Lbs per square foot. That is a lot of weight in one area and over along period of time. Depending on how much snow and ice you had over the winter there could of been several hundred pounds sitting in one place. I would not think there is any TT roof built for that type of weight and duration.

Nah, last winter we had more than 2 feet of snow om our 3600RL. It was a lot of work to get it clean to go to Florida but, no problems.
There is something seriously wrong with your 3670 butit's certainly not because the weight. I assume your roof is straight, right?

When you say straight, in which way are you refering? The roof now seems to be "flat spotted" just forward of my A/C unit. This area has no crown to it. This is the area that is sagging inside the trailer also. There is a definite problem, but getting the factory to say it is a defect will be near impossible. Seems to me that the roof should be able to handle a typical New England winter. My old Sierra did it for 10 years without problems.
Right now I'll have to wait for the dealership to have someone come out and look at it, as well as my insurance company. I am just going to be VERY apprehensive come next winter.

Guess they won't be putting a truck up on top on one of those like that show on the Sundance XLT.

Begin by taking it into your dealer so we can actually figure out what caused it. They will then call Heartland Dealer Services and report their findings. Before we get too nervous lets get an idea of a cause, and then we can figure out a correction. You can have them call me if you like.

James Fenner
Heartland Customer Service
RVIA/RVDA Certified Tech
574-262-8030 ext.1104

Thanks Jim,

My dealer will have a tech out to look at it as soon as possible. I can't get it to them as I do not have a TV any longer (we had it delivered to a seasonal site). I will pass along your message to them.
I will keep you updated.

Thanks

Phil

FennerJ said:

Begin by taking it into your dealer so we can actually figure out what caused it. They will then call Heartland Dealer Services and report their findings. Before we get too nervous lets get an idea of a cause, and then we can figure out a correction. You can have them call me if you like.

James Fenner
Heartland Customer Service
RVIA/RVDA Certified Tech
574-262-8030 ext.1104

Click to expand...

Hi Jim,

I had a tech from the dealership out on June 20th to look at the roof. He said there was definitely a problem, but not sure what the cause could be. He took some pictures and said he would submit his report to the warranty dept.
Is there anything someone at Heartland can do to get the ball rolling on this? All I was told was that it was be reviewed. I don't want to have this dragged out past my warranty.

I appreciate any help.

Phil

On the snow idea... our past 5er, a Jayco Eagle, the manual said not to let more than ten inches of snow accumulate on the roof. My poor DH had to get up on that roof twice one season to remove snow.

Good luck on your repairs!

Donna

retroxrider said:

Hi Jim,

I had a tech from the dealership out on June 20th to look at the roof. He said there was definitely a problem, but not sure what the cause could be. He took some pictures and said he would submit his report to the warranty dept.
Is there anything someone at Heartland can do to get the ball rolling on this? All I was told was that it was be reviewed. I don't want to have this dragged out past my warranty.

I appreciate any help.

Phil

Click to expand...

If it's a warranty issue that was reported before the warranty expired you do not need to worry about the warranty expiring while it is being resolved. A warranty claim that has been submitted in proper time can not be denied simply because somebody was dragging their feet and it expired in the process.

Hope that helps ease your mind a little.

Quick update:

I was contacted by Tim Peterson and Heartland wants to work on fixing whatever the problem is. Sounds like they want to drop the ceiling panels and sister in new roof trusses where needed. Tim said they would rather not touch the roof seeing as I have no leaks (if it ain't broke, don't fix it right?). He is contacting the dealer to find out when it can be taken in and how long it will be there. Tim was very understanding that I have the unit in a seasonal site, and ias trying to work it so that I can enjoy the majority of the camping season before the repairs.

Phil

I'll tell all here that Heartland has been great about taking care of customers. It has also been my persoanl experiance with them....

Talked to Tim and the dealership. All have agreed that I can wait until the end ot the camping season to have the unit worked on. That good news for me seeing as I have to pay for the stie whether the rig is there or not. Good news also that with all the severe weather we've had here there are no leaks. Looking forward to getting her fixed up.