QuestionI have a 1999 dutchman 5th wheel camper,and it has suffered water damage to the chipboard under the vinyl roof. the damage is located in the last 2-3 feet of the roof. the rest of the roof seems solid, I have removed the ceiling in the camper, and determened this. also the leak is not in the vinyl itself, the leak was caused in the seam between the siding and the roof in the rear of the camper. to get to the point I was woundering if it is possible to roll the vinyl up those few feet and repair the wood without having to replace the whole roof? or would I be able to just replace the last few feet of vinyl? thanks for any advice you can give me.
AnswerWithout seeing it, I will tell you what I would do. You can carefully try to roll up the vinyl, replace the wood and roll it back. If that does not work, then try to save the vinyl piece. When you are finished, you can put it back down.
For your house, they sell "Ice and Water Dam". That is a sticky material roofers put on your house at the end where the gutter is. This is a permanent sticky material that bonds the shingle to the wood. It keeps ice from backing up under the shingle and ruining the wood. I would put that down on your new wood. Make sure it covers your seam where the old and new wood meets. I would try to get some under the vinyl where the good wood is; and some under that old piece of vinyl, bonding the two pieces together.
I would also run the ice dam along the sides where the water got in, and along the back. Now I know the roof on your house is not routinely subjected to 70 mph winds, like your camper on the highway. But, being in the back, your repair should not take the brunt of the wind.
They make various roof repair methods for mobile home trailers. You can also look into some of these materials at Home Depot or Lowe's.
Only you and people in sky scrapers are going to see your camper roof. So, you want the best method possible to stop the leak, but it doesn't have to be OEM.
Good luck.
