Antigua 215sb Roof Repair...updated

[hybrid_dw]

Today I began the removal of bad patching on this 2005 Hybrid we recently acquired. The skylight and vent in the bathroom (sound familiar) was badly patched and on our first camping trip we had torrential downpours that flooded the bathroom. So since then I've been researching here and other TT forums for examples, youtube, etc.

I believe this can be partially reroofed. There is solid full EPDM adhesion from the front edge for about 14 feet - full width, then I have loose but intact EPDM until the Skylight openings and rotted wood around that area...see pics.

I could get away with a 6' by 6' EPDM "patch" once the structure is replaced but I think going full width with one seam across the roof would be better. Appreciate the DIY pros opinion on this. But wait theres more.

The roof deck is a Luan sandwich with polystyrene foam and in this back area over the rear bunks and bathroom wall I dont see any beams or structure. I imagine the Luan/foam deck can span the 4.5 feet and use the bathroom wall top as a bearing, but where are the beams? I cant see any in that last 6 feet of exposed deck wood, Luan foam assembly. Should I replace this deck structure with the same Luan/Foam board? I cant find this material at Home Depot/Lowes. Forget Camping World, those guys are trying to sell me a 40 foot roll of EPDM for a full reroof for $1400+ today.

Again, thanks in advance for any input.

[hybrid_dw]

Agree...almost half of the hours were for the structural deck repair. So to be fair the roof probably took about 30 hours which was mostly by myself, 1 day out of those 6 days I had my son help for 6 hours.

I must make a summary judgement here about the factory design and construction. As a qualifier, I'm a Construction Manager and GC for my entire career so you can get where this might go. 😉

In buildings, the design industry has evolved to make "system" redundancy a standard requirement. Like a Wall "system" will have more than one layer keeping the bad stuff out (water/organisms/etc) and the good stuff in (Conditioned air/heat). When you see a brick wall on a building, it was designed and built to have more than one waterproofing layer before the water would find its way into the building. Behind the brick is an air gap/cavity which then has a membrane against the back of another inside wall assembly (block or framing). The air gap relies on gravity and open venting to allow any water that gets through the first barrier (brick) to fall and exit the cavity through a "weep" hole before it makes contact and damages anything inside. So when I assess a building system or assembly failure for an owner, and the failure evidence can be seen inside the building, then we know multiple layers of protection have failed.

In this particular trailer, there is no design of redundant systems or layers, once there is a breach of the first layer by water (EPDM or Exterior skin) the damage is nearly always certain. It makes me want to design and build the camper out of non soluable materials, thats why I replaced the top deck Luan with FRP. One silly pinhole in the EPDM glued to Luan becomes a huge mess. The aluminum frame is safe from water damage but any other wood based materials are not. So Camper repair for a water breach becomes a catch it and kill it urgency.

[shum02]

Imagine what a "professional" would have cost 😉

[hybrid_dw]

Heres my tally of costs and time for the roof and structural repair work:

Best materials = $325
Included 8' x 10' 60 mil EPDM
4" x 40' Eternabond Tape
25' seam seal tape
2 Gal. EPDM Glue

Home Depot = $81.00
Includes FRP panel
Contact Cement
Roller
Spray Foam
1-1/2" Screws

Ace Hardware = $17.00
2 rolls of Putty Tape

Total Materials Cost = $423.00
Hours 46 ( (4) 10 hour days and (1) 6 hour day )

[shum02]

Time to go camping!

[hybrid_dw]

Roof side done. Installed putty tape to all turned down EPDM edges, just like the factory.



Secured the EPDM inside each skylight:



Full bead of Dicor self leveling on the screwline of the slylight:



Waited a day and added Eternabond over all edges:

[slavco]

Having owned a 215SB when it was new in 2005 we were told NOT to walk on the roof of these campers without laying down a 4x8 sheet of plywood. The roof as well as the entire camper was meant to be light weight.


I had an 03 195CK and they said it was walkable so who knows. I can say I was on it many time with no ill effects but I am only 175lbs.

-------------------

I have a 2003 Travelstar 21SSO, luckily the roof is in decent shape and there have been no leaks. The floor is entirely different matter 🙂 I have had to replace a good portion of it, and will probably have to re-do the rear/bathroom this season.

Going back to the roof, I did walk on it multiple times to paint on roof sealant and to cut a hole for a new skylight. It holds up well, especially when you consider I'm 225lbs!

Slav

[camperforlife]

shum02 wrote:

slavco wrote:

hybrid dw wrote:
Luan bad, FRP good!

Are you able to walk on top of the FRP section?

Slav

Having owned a 215SB when it was new in 2005 we were told NOT to walk on the roof of these campers without laying down a 4x8 sheet of plywood. The roof as well as the entire camper was meant to be light weight.

I had an 03 195CK and they said it was walkable so who knows. I can say I was on it many time with no ill effects but I am only 175lbs.

[shum02]

slavco wrote:

hybrid dw wrote:
Luan bad, FRP good!

Are you able to walk on top of the FRP section?

Slav

Having owned a 215SB when it was new in 2005 we were told NOT to walk on the roof of these campers without laying down a 4x8 sheet of plywood. The roof as well as the entire camper was meant to be light weight.

[hybrid_dw]

Entertainment...the model is coming along, i got the side bunk framed out to scale, and the trailer has stabilizers!

[hybrid_dw]

slavco wrote:

hybrid dw wrote:
Luan bad, FRP good!

First of all, wow awesome job! Thanks so much for posting pictures, it's always amazing to see the progress and how people tackle these repairs, so again, thank you!!

How does FRP compare in strenght to Luan? I realize the 1/4" Luan they put on there doesn't offer much but the styrofoam sandwich does seem to hold well together.
Are you able to walk on top of the FRP section?

Slav

Slav - FRP when bonded fully enough is stronger than Luan due to the fiberglas in it. (Certainly much stronger than water damaged, delaminated Luan). This question deserves more detail than that really. If anyone reading is in the construction or building design industry this may bore you.

Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) panels in this use is the 1/8th inch thick version sold at Home D***t. This is essentially pvc with glass fibers embedded (not mesh) that is vacuum formed into a 4 x 8 sheet with a bumpy texture on one side, smooth on the other. These panels are intended to be Wall coverings to produce high durability, they are not meant to be put in a load bearing condition...so this is my hack of FRP.

The Camper Structure is designed to rely on the engineering practice of diaphram bracing. The aluminum frame skeleton of the "box" is braced by these Luan composite panels(Luan/rigid foam/masonite). The Luan (wood) is approx 3/16 inch thick and cannot by itself be relied upon for load bearing...it has to be a bonded assembly of other materials to resist forces. My choice to use FRP is to replace a material susceptible to water damage (wood) with one that is not.

As for walking on it, only stepping where I know the aluminum frame is key or where the bathroom walls support the deck above.

Keep your eye on this thread for updates, I aint done yet!

[slavco]

hybrid dw wrote:
Luan bad, FRP good!

First of all, wow awesome job! Thanks so much for posting pictures, it's always amazing to see the progress and how people tackle these repairs, so again, thank you!!

How does FRP compare in strenght to Luan? I realize the 1/4" Luan they put on there doesn't offer much but the styrofoam sandwich does seem to hold well together.
Are you able to walk on top of the FRP section?

Slav

[hybrid_dw]

Luan bad, FRP good!

[Jayco254]

I know some Lowes carry 4X8X1/8 Luan board. Seeing as my Jayco has rot some where on it most of the time I get mine from the Washington, Mo. Lowes.

[hybrid_dw]

See photo below on a foam vs. adhesive issue. I used DAP Weldwood Contact cement to adhere the new FRP top deck layer to the existing deck layer. 95% of the existing deck layer was the factory Luan and a couple small areas were exposed "styrofoam". I had read in multilple forums that this contact cement would not dissolve the foam. Thats not entirely true in my actual field application. When rolled on in a thin layer, it appears to hold to the foam, but because that condition is now fully concealed I cannot say for sure. In this photo I had a small 3/4 inch gap where my new deck FRP didnt quite span the gap I made. So during the preparation to install the EPDM, I poured this gap which was 1/2 inch deep full with contact cement and it ate right through the foam. I quickly scraped the remaining cement out of the void and let the rest dry. The fix was I filled it with "gaps and cracks" aerosol foam which expands a little (but not 4X). I let it cure and swell, about an hour, cut it flush with the top deck and we overlapped this seam with Seam Tape and then EPDM.
So the lesson is dont lay the contact cement on too heavy in foam or insulation!