North Trail 26LRSS Roof filling with air

[EPAndrew]

Hi Heartland Community - my wife and I recently purchased a 2015 North Trail 26LRSS. Love the camper except for a nagging roof issue. The membrane material just above the bedroom fills with air and the resulting air bubble can be seen in the side view mirror while driving down the highway (65 mph). The dealer has sealed off the nose cap both underneath the RV as well as at the nose cap to roof seam. Recently the dealer installed two mushroom style vents to give the air pressure between the bedroom ceiling and front roof cap (over the bedroom area) somewhere to go. Unfortunately, it still inflates. I could be wrong, but it appears that there is a unique roof cap molding or steel piece over the bedroom, but under the membrane material, that meets/butts up against the plywood that makes up the balance of the roof structure. Could air be escaping there and making rubber roof material inflate? Anyone else have experience with this issue? I would greatly appreciate any tips or solutions.

Pictures of roof bubble and new vents attached.

 

[rhodies1]

It sounds like the roof membrane has separated from the glue on the roof. The roof when built is covered with glue and the rubber membrane is laid down and rolled for adherence.

 

[EPAndrew]

Unfortunately, the dealer has re-glued the roof membrane but it keeps coming unglued. I do wonder if it needs a different type of glue on this forward roof section (over the bedroom) as the base material there is not plywood (as it is aft of the bedroom). It's plastic, fiberglass, metal or other structural formation.

Thanks for the input. Maybe I'll investigate different kinds of glue that works with other/non-wood roof panels.
Eric

 

[david-steph2018]

EPAndrew, give Dicor a call. Explain what is going on and make sure you tell them "you just want to know how to repair this." Because if you sound like you want them to pay for or repair this issue, they may shut down and not talk to you.
I have heard in the past of Dicor offering to assist people with roof issues. But also, have heard of Dicor saying "it was an installation issue at the factory".
It is only a phone call to find out.

 

[Ds62354]

Hi Heartland Community - my wife and I recently purchased a 2015 North Trail 26LRSS. Love the camper except for a nagging roof issue. The membrane material just above the bedroom fills with air and the resulting air bubble can be seen in the side view mirror while driving down the highway (65 mph). The dealer has sealed off the nose cap both underneath the RV as well as at the nose cap to roof seam. Recently the dealer installed two mushroom style vents to give the air pressure between the bedroom ceiling and front roof cap (over the bedroom area) somewhere to go. Unfortunately, it still inflates. I could be wrong, but it appears that there is a unique roof cap molding or steel piece over the bedroom, but under the membrane material, that meets/butts up against the plywood that makes up the balance of the roof structure. Could air be escaping there and making rubber roof material inflate? Anyone else have experience with this issue? I would greatly appreciate any tips or solutions.

Pictures of roof bubble and new vents attached.

We had the same issue going out west this summer. It was in the front drivers side. Since we had 3,000 miles remaining before home, we covered where the roof and end cap meet with eterna bond tape and and then used Dicor lap sealant. it did decrease the size of the bubble but still having that issue. Of course, insurance won’t cover it and neither will heartland but I believe it is a manufacturer/roof installation issue…inadequate glue or bad glue. Were you able to resolve this issue without having to replace the whole roof? We had a 2005 fifth wheel and the roof never showed any sign of failing but it was also a better quality roof.

 

[EPAndrew]

The Blue Compass dealer where we purchased the camper have been good about trying to fix it at no additional cost to us. The most recent try (September) has seemed to do the trick. They pulled back the roof membrane just aft of the front nose cap and up to where it butts up to the balance of the roof. They scraped all the old adhesive off of the membrane/cover and the rigid roof piece over the bedroom. An additional semi rigid mat, that could conform to the roof shape in that area, was glued onto the roof and a new seam seal between that and the rest of the roof was installed. Basically, tried to keep any air from inside the camper pushing up and out except via mushroom vents. Then fresh adhesive was applied and the mat placed back down and secured. So far, so good.

Definitely agree that it was a manufacturer's / factory issue. Luckily, the team at our dealer kept trying after the first (which we paid about 1/3 of the bill), second, and third fix didn't work and didn't give up until they found a solution.

 

[Ds62354]

The Blue Compass dealer where we purchased the camper have been good about trying to fix it at no additional cost to us. The most recent try (September) has seemed to do the trick. They pulled back the roof membrane just aft of the front nose cap and up to where it butts up to the balance of the roof. They scraped all the old adhesive off of the membrane/cover and the rigid roof piece over the bedroom. An additional semi rigid mat, that could conform to the roof shape in that area, was glued onto the roof and a new seam seal between that and the rest of the roof was installed. Basically, tried to keep any air from inside the camper pushing up and out except via mushroom vents. Then fresh adhesive was applied and the mat placed back down and secured. So far, so good.

Definitely agree that it was a manufacturer's / factory issue. Luckily, the team at our dealer kept trying after the first (which we paid about 1/3 of the bill), second, and third fix didn't work and didn't give up until they found a solution.

Thank you for the information. It’s a shame we have to deal with issues like this. ”Don’t make ‘em like they used to”