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Billowing Roof!

1L243
Explorer II
Explorer II
On the way home from our camping trip I noticed 3 different trailers going down the road with their roofs full of air! These were newer rigs too...If there was some way to let them know I would have.

I wonder how many of us tow our rigs oblivious to whats happening on the roof!
2017 Coleman 300tq by Dutchman Toy Hauler. 34.5 feet long and under 10k Gross. 500 watt Solar 2000 watt Inverter, 1999 Ford F250 2WD 7.3 4R100 DP Tuner, S&B Cold Air Intake, Gauges, 6.0 Trans Cooler, Air Bags.
19 REPLIES 19

Bumpyroad
Explorer
Explorer
JIMNLIN wrote:
:B

wanderingbob wrote:
Billowing roof , what I did on two trailers , took brass carpet tacks , nailed it down allover , then put appropriate sealer , roof treat on em .Ain't leaked yet , been seven years .


methinks it is swapping one issue for a worse one.
bumpy

JIMNLIN
Explorer
Explorer
:B

wanderingbob wrote:
Billowing roof , what I did on two trailers , took brass carpet tacks , nailed it down allover , then put appropriate sealer , roof treat on em .Ain't leaked yet , been seven years .
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" ............ Will Rogers

'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach
'97 Park Avanue 28' 5er 11200 two slides

wanderingbob
Explorer II
Explorer II
Billowing roof , what I did on two trailers , took brass carpet tacks , nailed it down allover , then put appropriate sealer , roof treat on em .Ain't leaked yet , been seven years .

wanderingbob
Explorer II
Explorer II
Billowing roof , what I did on two trailers , took brass carpet tacks , nailed it down allover , then put appropriate sealer , roof treat on em .Ain't leaked yet , been seven years .

wanderingbob
Explorer II
Explorer II
Billowing roof , what I did on two trailers , took brass carpet tacks , nailed it down allover , then put appropriate sealer , roof treat on em .Ain't leaked yet , been seven years .

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Explorer
ScottG wrote:
fj12ryder wrote:
ScottG wrote:
You don't have to have loose edges - just a loose center area.
As you drive, the air moving over the top of the roof is moving faster than the air under it. The faster moving air has a lower pressure than the air underneath.
The result is "lift" and exactly how an airplance flies.
We've had this discussion before, you can't have lift without air underneath the roof trying to equalize the pressure. If the roof is billowing there is a area somewhere letting air get under the roof.

Of course any way you look at it, it is bad news. Sooner or later something will pull loose in a big way.


Air is underneath - it the atmosphere and it's everywhere on earth. The difference is it's not under pressure under there until you remove the pressure from the outside.
Just like our bodies will rupture in outerspace, that air is higher pressure than the outside.

We once had a car that had a vinyl roof. It would do the same thing. Dealer tried sealing it all around but since there was no leak, it never helped. Only removing it and re-gluing the entire "field" would hold it down.

Here is a simple explanation of how lift works: (technically refered to as the Bernoulli Effect).
Lift


100% correct.

Scott have you ever seen a fast convertible with it's windows up going down a drag strip? The same thing happens. :E
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~


"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."- Abraham Lincoln

ScottG
Nomad
Nomad
Howie3 wrote:
ScottG wrote:
You don't have to have loose edges - just a loose center area.
As you drive, the air moving over the top of the roof is moving faster than the air under it. The faster moving air has a lower pressure than the air underneath.
The result is "lift" and exactly how an airplance flies.


I wish I could get my trailer to do that. Would be nice to fly over the traffic instead of being in gridlock. ๐Ÿ˜‰


Just takes a big enough wing!!

Howie3
Explorer
Explorer
ScottG wrote:
You don't have to have loose edges - just a loose center area.
As you drive, the air moving over the top of the roof is moving faster than the air under it. The faster moving air has a lower pressure than the air underneath.
The result is "lift" and exactly how an airplance flies.


I wish I could get my trailer to do that. Would be nice to fly over the traffic instead of being in gridlock. ๐Ÿ˜‰

DownTheAvenue
Explorer
Explorer
Billowing "rubber" roof is caused by the glue failing that adheres the rubber membrane to the roof decking. The most common cause of glue failure is using a cleaner that penetrates the membrane and dissolves the glue.

fj12ryder
Explorer II
Explorer II
I'm not going through this again. Whatever.
Howard and Peggy

"Don't Panic"

ScottG
Nomad
Nomad
fj12ryder wrote:
ScottG wrote:
You don't have to have loose edges - just a loose center area.
As you drive, the air moving over the top of the roof is moving faster than the air under it. The faster moving air has a lower pressure than the air underneath.
The result is "lift" and exactly how an airplance flies.
We've had this discussion before, you can't have lift without air underneath the roof trying to equalize the pressure. If the roof is billowing there is a area somewhere letting air get under the roof.

Of course any way you look at it, it is bad news. Sooner or later something will pull loose in a big way.


Air is underneath - it the atmosphere and it's everywhere on earth. The difference is it's not under pressure under there until you remove the pressure from the outside.
Just like our bodies will rupture in outerspace, that air is higher pressure than the outside.

We once had a car that had a vinyl roof. It would do the same thing. Dealer tried sealing it all around but since there was no leak, it never helped. Only removing it and re-gluing the entire "field" would hold it down.

Here is a simple explanation of how lift works: (technically refered to as the Bernoulli Effect).
Lift

jrobert01
Explorer
Explorer
I just came up I-75 seen 3 class c's newer looking that had bellowing roofs and one TT that looked like it was just attached around the edges. I am going for a ride tomorrow and have my wife follow down the interstate to see if mine is that way. Hope Not don't know what I would do though never had a leak so if it must have air under it somewhere Mistry to me.

fj12ryder
Explorer II
Explorer II
ScottG wrote:
You don't have to have loose edges - just a loose center area.
As you drive, the air moving over the top of the roof is moving faster than the air under it. The faster moving air has a lower pressure than the air underneath.
The result is "lift" and exactly how an airplance flies.
We've had this discussion before, you can't have lift without air underneath the roof trying to equalize the pressure. If the roof is billowing there is a area somewhere letting air get under the roof.

Of course any way you look at it, it is bad news. Sooner or later something will pull loose in a big way.
Howard and Peggy

"Don't Panic"

TenOC
Nomad
Nomad
Today meet a large "expensive" 5er on a 2 lane road. I was surprised how the roof was flapping over the center of the nose of the 5er. Look like it was moving up and down by 3 to 5 inches.

That flapping has got to stress/tear the roof even if the edges are still attached. . . . . :M
Please give me enough troubles, uncertainty, problems, obstacles and STRESS so that I do not become arrogant, proud, and smug in my own abilities, and enough blessings and good times that I realize that someone else is in charge of my life.

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