RV Repair: Travel Trailer roof repair, self tapping screws, pop rivets

Question
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Followup To
Question - Thank you for your response. Very helpful. I presume you meant pop rivets as fasteners, right?

 Another solution was presented to me. I would like your thoughts on this: There is a small aluminum welding set I could borrow to weld either the existing material together or weld a patch.

Thanks

dave


Gerald,

I have a 2 inch puncture in the aluminum roof caused by a falling tree branch. The branch put a small rupture to the ceiling inside but did not break through it. The insulation is fibergass.

What is the best fix for the roof?  Should I trim away the torn sheet metal or use it as reinforcement for the patch?  Should the patch be aluminum and how should I fasten and seal it?

Thanks for helping

Answer -
For the Best repair you can buy a small sheet of aluminum and use rivets to connect. I would trim any mangled edges but leave most of the damaged area. Once that is done buy a can of sealant such as Kool Seal or any rubberized sealant and cover the damaged area.  This way you know it is strong enough to protect from other falling items and it is not going to come off during travel. The rubberized sealant will help against leaks and keep the rivets from vibrating loose. Should last a very long time. You can also use self tapping screws but I have found the rivets to last better.

Answer
Yes pop rivets using a small hand held riveter.
Yes welding is a solid way to go but I dont normally recommend this because of the diffulculty in welding aluminum, if you are already good at this then that would be the way to go, if you have not welded aluminum then I would say go with the rivets.