I regularly go up on the roof to inspect it, clean it, and caulk any places where it has cracked, shrunk or separated from the camper. I found a soft spot in the roof near the air conditioner this past December as we prepared for a 10 week trip to Arizona. The spot is the size of my hand, and it feels like there is nothing below the membrane – there is no structural integrity left in the base plywood. There has not been any sign of leakage into the camper near the AC. I took the camper to a local RV repair shop when we returned home for them to inspect it and estimate how much it would cost to repair. They said the first sheet of plywood around the air conditioner should be replaced (quote $5186.14). They also said there is a good chance the membrane would be damaged when lifting it from the plywood and would have to be replaced (quote to include this $ 10,694.53).
From this forum, I learned about Flex Armor. I investigated it and couldn't find anything negative about it, it looked like a great option to repair and replace the roof at a more reasonable cost than the above quotes. It is also a superior product with a lifetime, transferable, no leak guarantee, no caulking or other maintenance needed, and it is very strong. The only downside is we are 700 miles from the nearest franchise and they are booked 2 to 3 months out. We scheduled the repair, drove to Kansas City, and had the roof repaired by LifeTime RV Roof. Attached are photos documenting what they found on the roof, including the cause of the problem. Photos Roof 2 and 3 all show what was found when they removed the air conditioner – the roofing membrane was not correctly cut when the air conditioner was installed. There is a cut that goes beyond the air conditioner seal. Water entered through this cut and spread around under the membrane, causing the plywood to rot (see photos Roof 4 and 5). It was also a source of leaking that I had in the left rear of the camper (I kept caulking and re-caulking the corner of the roof thinking that was the source). The rotten plywood was removed, the insulation dried out, and new plywood installed (photo Roof 6) and the Flex Armor roof sprayed on (photo Roof 7). This option for the roof is much better, and less costly than reinstalling TPO membrane. The total repair was $5816.20 (which also included a new skylight).
I contacted Grand Design after I got the first quotes. They created a case number, but said the 12 year roof warranty was only for the membrane - ie that water would not go through the membrane. I didn't hear any more from them. I am sending them the above information, hopefully they will accept responsibility for a problem caused by their cutting the membrane while installing the AC.
I am very pleased with the work done by LifeTime RV Roof. They were great explaining the process and answering my many questions. They kept us informed about what they found and how the work was progressing as they repaired the roof. I dropped it off last Tuesday morning and they were done Thursday morning.
Dave
From this forum, I learned about Flex Armor. I investigated it and couldn't find anything negative about it, it looked like a great option to repair and replace the roof at a more reasonable cost than the above quotes. It is also a superior product with a lifetime, transferable, no leak guarantee, no caulking or other maintenance needed, and it is very strong. The only downside is we are 700 miles from the nearest franchise and they are booked 2 to 3 months out. We scheduled the repair, drove to Kansas City, and had the roof repaired by LifeTime RV Roof. Attached are photos documenting what they found on the roof, including the cause of the problem. Photos Roof 2 and 3 all show what was found when they removed the air conditioner – the roofing membrane was not correctly cut when the air conditioner was installed. There is a cut that goes beyond the air conditioner seal. Water entered through this cut and spread around under the membrane, causing the plywood to rot (see photos Roof 4 and 5). It was also a source of leaking that I had in the left rear of the camper (I kept caulking and re-caulking the corner of the roof thinking that was the source). The rotten plywood was removed, the insulation dried out, and new plywood installed (photo Roof 6) and the Flex Armor roof sprayed on (photo Roof 7). This option for the roof is much better, and less costly than reinstalling TPO membrane. The total repair was $5816.20 (which also included a new skylight).
I contacted Grand Design after I got the first quotes. They created a case number, but said the 12 year roof warranty was only for the membrane - ie that water would not go through the membrane. I didn't hear any more from them. I am sending them the above information, hopefully they will accept responsibility for a problem caused by their cutting the membrane while installing the AC.
I am very pleased with the work done by LifeTime RV Roof. They were great explaining the process and answering my many questions. They kept us informed about what they found and how the work was progressing as they repaired the roof. I dropped it off last Tuesday morning and they were done Thursday morning.
Dave
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