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Old 01-26-2016, 08:35 PM   #21
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Great job John and son! Sorry you have to do this work, but there are probably pluses in the time spent together working toward a common goal.
Thanks for posting and for all the photos, (there wasn't much going on around here since the winter kicked in).
Rich
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Old 01-27-2016, 06:16 AM   #22
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I'll start my shopping list now, thanks for the starting point! If you guys get terribly board after your project is over, let me know! lol hint, hint!


Tom
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Old 01-27-2016, 08:43 AM   #23
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John, when I replaced the two rear rafters on my 02 2653 I used luan on top of the rafters. It worked well and made It solid but not strong enough to walk on without support. After I glued the roof down I used eternabond on the edges before I put the trim back on. When Sunline built the trailer they cut the roofing material too short thus causing the leaks at both rear corners. If the roof would have had proper maintenance it probably would have never leaked. When that budboard gets wet it turns to mush as you know. When I opened mine up there was evidence of ant intrusion as well. It was a wet nasty mess but dried out quickly after it was opened up. It is a lot of work but I think it's enjoyable work and very rewarding. Anxious to see your sons new Sunline when completed!
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Old 01-30-2016, 07:17 PM   #24
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WOW John you should quit your day job and restore campers!

My roof I noticed this summer has developed some bubbles with low spots. I was on the ladder today finishing HAND WAXING ( never again but looks great!) my rig was was pressing down in spots to see if it felt " rubber band" like but it seems pretty solid. I have akwats taken care of the roof, washed it and had it resealed in 2014 by my local dealer.

I did take it in to be checked before I left for Tucson this Fall and dealer said it was fine and that Sunlines sometimes have these bubbles??

I am going to post a seperate thread with pictures as soon as I can get online and find time

However, great job!!! 👍
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Old 02-03-2016, 07:27 PM   #25
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For all those following along with us on this project and wondering what it might cost here is the breakdown of what went into the roof. There was/will be some more spent in other places as upgrades or rot repair but I will keep this to the roof related items. The roof on our T-264SR is just a little over 23ft to give you a perspective. All costs are approximate.

3/8” (11/32”) plywood, 6 sheets, $90
1-5/8” coated deck screws for plywood, $15
Gray/black tanks vent caps/covers, qty 2, $15
8.5’ x 25’ 40mil Dicor roof membrane $290
Dicor roof install kit which includes 2 gal glue, 6 tubes lap sealant, 150’ butyl tape, $175
Shower dome skylight and tube of butyl caulk, $95
Stainless screws for gutter rails, vents, skylights, etc, $25
Air conditioner gasket $20
Extra lap sealant and butyl tape to complete roof install, all roof accessories and corner trim, $100

All this comes to $825 (and I may have forgotten something small). Obviously someone with a larger roof will have some more cost in the extra materials. We will be buying new roof vents because the old ones had the covers replaced with poor metal ones and did not seal. One will also be upgraded to a MaxxFan. If the vents were in good shape and no fan upgrade was planned the old ones could be reused. The fridge vent cover and base will be reused because it is still in usable condition.

Fortunately we have more tools than needed for this job and our labor has no cost. Most of the time spent so far has been fixing the rot damage and it only took about a day to remove all the roof accessories and the old roof. We just finished the rot repair and started installing the plywood for the new roof base.
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Old 02-03-2016, 08:36 PM   #26
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The big question is when looking at a used Sunline is how do you know if there is extensive water damage? It's awesome that you two can do this work but I certainly could not and to take it somewhere would be 4-5 times the costs you quoted so far in just materials

A couple of years ago at the Midwest Meet and Greet someone had a liitle gaget
that could detect wetness. As I recall it had two small spikes on it

Does anyone know what that was? Would something like that help to detect the type of damage you have here??
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Old 02-04-2016, 05:20 AM   #27
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I'm probably jumping in here ahead of John on the moisture meter because he told me about it.
It has been a great tool for detecting moisture down to 3/4" below the surface. I got the one that doesn't use spikes, rather the back of the unit has a flat pad that you press to the surface your checking. Robot Check
When you're looking at someone's camper for a possible purchase, you don't want to be poking holes in the walls (probably wouldn't want to do it to your own camper either!).

I used this meter to check all around, inside and out before we bought our current 2499 because it showed no signs of water intrusion, but I did find some moisture under the rear entry door. I figured that wasn't too big a deal, used it as a negotiating point and did have to do a repair along the rear bottom rail. Not a big job.
But as far as finding leak free Sunlines (or any other brand for that matter) I think they are like the proverbial needle in a haystack. We traveled out to see many campers that we rejected within the first walk inside. Our noses told us all we really needed to know. We saw warped walls, spongy roofs (one looked like an old Conestoga wagon or a swayback camel, every roof rafter was visible with the rubber roof sagged down and then up to the next rafter. Most owners over the phone or in emails will tell you "never any leaks" until you get there and find out otherwise. They might not be fibbing either as few people know what to look for and few know what is necessary maintenance to prevent it. Most are surprised to hear their campers are saturated and the others, well they were just hoping YOU wouldn't find it.
Do a search on this site for what to look for. Try water damage, water leaks etc. I know JohnB has posted and I have also.
Good searching,
Rich
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Old 02-04-2016, 12:21 PM   #28
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Very nicely done John!

Perhaps you should retire from your regular job and you two hit the road with the 310SR. You could be a traveling Sunline repair shop!
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Old 02-04-2016, 01:38 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BenB View Post
For all those following along with us on this project and wondering what it might cost here is the breakdown of what went into the roof. ...
Ben,

All I can say is that you are your father's son (and that's meant as the highest complement).

You and Dad are doing an excellent job. You'll have the best roof once done.

Oh yeah, wrt your costs - you forgot to add the cost of the 40' barn so you can do all the work inside during winter

Keep up the great work.
Hutch
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Old 02-04-2016, 06:41 PM   #30
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Originally Posted by apackoftwo View Post
Does anyone know what that was? Would something like that help to detect the type of damage you have here??
Dad (John) went with us to look at it, he had 2 different moisture meters, and we did the "smell" test. The inside of the cabinets smelled like wood no hint of odd smell. We were completely shocked to find what we did. We looked at every nook and cranny inside trying to find something and didn't find anything. After taking it apart we found the vinyl coating on the interior makes an excellent vapor barrier. Had it not been there im sure the inside would have looked much worse. As it turns out trying to find water leaks can be tricky.
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Old 02-05-2016, 04:43 AM   #31
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Water leaks/damage can be a difficult thing to see when you're looking at a camper to purchase, I'll attest to that. Throw into the mix the fact that many times you've been looking for months, you just made a long trip to see this one, the floor plan is exactly what you want and everything inside is in great shape and if you have the ability to do repairs yourself, you figure you'll do a little work and have a great camper. I'm not saying that's exactly what happened in this case Ben, but I have done it myself, so I understand how it can go for many potential purchases.
As Tom said, "You'll have the best roof once done".
Great work guys!
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Old 02-06-2016, 05:54 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubbabc View Post
John, when I replaced the two rear rafters on my 02 2653 I used luan on top of the rafters. It worked well and made It solid but not strong enough to walk on without support. After I glued the roof down I used eternabond on the edges before I put the trim back on. When Sunline built the trailer they cut the roofing material too short thus causing the leaks at both rear corners. If the roof would have had proper maintenance it probably would have never leaked. When that budboard gets wet it turns to mush as you know. When I opened mine up there was evidence of ant intrusion as well. It was a wet nasty mess but dried out quickly after it was opened up. It is a lot of work but I think it's enjoyable work and very rewarding. Anxious to see your sons new Sunline when completed!

Hi Bubbabc,

Sorry getting back on this took so long. I wanted to comment on what you found, the rear roof rubber stopped at the end of the camper. This is now the 3rd time this has come up, all from leaks...

Frank (screen names Frank) had rear end wall water entry too. He commented on the rubber being short and he added Enternabond like you did to to be part of the rebuild to extend the rubber.

When we took up the back end on son's camper, he made the same comment. They stopped at the end wall with the rubber?? .

I really do not know why they did this practice, however between your camper, Frank's and my son's, the year difference is enough this seemed to be standard practice.

See this link to Dicro's site and the Brite Ply installation instructions. Cick "Installation" then scroll down to item 8 Dicor EPDM Rubber Roofing | Dicor Products | Official Website

They show the end of the camper with the rubber stopping at the end wall, however they show a trim piece under the rubber going over the end wall and down the rear wall. Here if water leaked through the rubber seam it would follow the trim piece and not directly into the camper. This is not to say no water would get into the camper, but odds are better to shed some of it over the end wall.

Sunline did not use that trim piece under the rubber and they used the bud board. In the case of the bud board I do not know if the trim piece would of saved the roof. Once water compromises the rear or front seam, the bud broad will start wicking and it is down hill from there. Bottom line: On a bud board room setup (or most any other) if the caulking is compromised, it's down hill.

The other realization, the butyl sealing tape on top of the rubber between the top trim molding and the rubber did not stop this leak either. Water worked it's way across the butyl area somehow to the screws and wicked in or up into the bud board and or wicked past the butyl seal and then into the bud board and camper. The buytl should of held, but it didn't. Rusted screws on the top rear trim due to bad caulking sealing them can create a wicking post down into the camper too. The butyl may have held if the screws did rust/wick.

In my sons' case, the rear top corners trim cap had screw rust/goo and gutter rail screws had rust/ goo too. It appeared the prior owner approx a few months to a year before they traded it to the dealer who sold it to our son had someone do caulk repair. It looked like the only caulk repair since new. Basically 9 to 10 years and never caulked. Not good.

I review of this, we will do the rear seam different. We will wrap the rubber over the end wall. I will call Dicor and ask if there is any thermal expansion reasons why this is not acceptable as it is done on the sides of the camper.

Here are some pics of the back wall area. I did not have an exact pic showing the rubber stopping at the rear seam but you can see it on the bud board with screw holes in it from the top trim strip.

The left rear gutter rail coming off. Rubber and bud board wrapped down the side of the camper


You can see here, the caulk on top only seals a small distance. Water has started working it's way partly down the butyl. See the right side of the pic for black working down approx 1/4"


The rear seam. Notice the newer caulk on the top trim of the end wall cap


The bud board all wicked. From gutter rail screws or from rear end wall cap area or both.


The bud board rolled up on the end


What was awaiting us. By the most rot, the actual corner of the left wall and the end wall area appeared to maybe be the point the most water entry.
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Old 02-06-2016, 07:11 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by apackoftwo View Post
The big question is when looking at a used Sunline is how do you know if there is extensive water damage? It's awesome that you two can do this work but I certainly could not and to take it somewhere would be 4-5 times the costs you quoted so far in just materials

A couple of years ago at the Midwest Meet and Greet someone had a liitle gaget
that could detect wetness. As I recall it had two small spikes on it

Does anyone know what that was? Would something like that help to detect the type of damage you have here??
Hi Joan,

The gaget was a pin type moisture meter. Jim (jim44646) was the club member you turned me onto the moisture meters. He brought his and was probing the bottom of your camper when we where trying to locate your floor water damage.

Passing the good info to a fellow SOC member, I took Jim's findings to the next level and bought a pinless meter and told Rich about it. He used it when he went to find his new camper.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vcrt View Post
I'm probably jumping in here ahead of John on the moisture meter because he told me about it.
It has been a great tool for detecting moisture down to 3/4" below the surface. I got the one that doesn't use spikes, rather the back of the unit has a flat pad that you press to the surface your checking. Robot Check
When you're looking at someone's camper for a possible purchase, you don't want to be poking holes in the walls (probably wouldn't want to do it to your own camper either!).
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenB View Post
Dad (John) went with us to look at it, he had 2 different moisture meters, and we did the "smell" test. The inside of the cabinets smelled like wood no hint of odd smell. We were completely shocked to find what we did. We looked at every nook and cranny inside trying to find something and didn't find anything. After taking it apart we found the vinyl coating on the interior makes an excellent vapor barrier. Had it not been there im sure the inside would have looked much worse. As it turns out trying to find water leaks can be tricky.
And one more

Quote:
Originally Posted by vcrt View Post
Water leaks/damage can be a difficult thing to see when you're looking at a camper to purchase, I'll attest to that. Throw into the mix the fact that many times you've been looking for months, you just made a long trip to see this one, the floor plan is exactly what you want and everything inside is in great shape and if you have the ability to do repairs yourself, you figure you'll do a little work and have a great camper. I'm not saying that's exactly what happened in this case Ben, but I have done it myself, so I understand how it can go for many potential purchases.
As Tom said, "You'll have the best roof once done".
Great work guys!
Rich
OK to comment to all of these, and then some...

Ben's truck was loaded... 3 of us (Ben, his wife and I) heading east with tools, air compressor, camping gear, hitch parts, spare camper tire, food and I think there was 2 sq inches left over.... Good thing son has a 3/4 ton truck... The salesmen from the dealership was very helpful as was the shop foremen. They had gone over the camper and did fix some things including a wheel bearing repack. They missed some lug nuts and tire pressure but they did do the bearings.

I was on the hunt for water intrusion. Inside we knew were to look and there was nothing in the front overhead cabinets or the bath room wardrobe. I sniffed right up close to the ceiling and dry wood was the smell.

They gave us a step ladder and I went around the roof and looked at every seam. I could tell the caulk had not been touched other then what someone added not long ago. I saw the shower dome had flange cracks starting and I had a faint memory of even feeling the front right rubber area. The front seam on the right side looked questionable but it was all re-sealed with caulk but again at least ~ 3 months to a year ago.

After the visual inspection, I did get my pinless moisture meter and went into the front right overhead compartment and felt around with the meter on the cieling. It did not show anything. Since it smelled dry, dry wood smell, the meter did not show concerns, I accepted at that time it was questionably OK. We had to redo all the caulk on the roof and the shower dome that was a given.

In the heat of everything else we had going on, I never used the meter in the bath room wardrobe cabinet. (left rear wall) Time and weather was somewhat against us and we had to mount the Reese DC hitch. Yes, we setup and drilled on the DC in the dealers yard and did tire pressure checks and added air along with lug nut torque. Ben and I were into the hitch and the dealer shop folks keep walking back and forth curious as all get out... Ben's wife was watching them... I never realized it, too into getting done before the rains came. I guess they never had a customer mount their own hitch before...

So, we missed the wet in the back bath wardrobe of the camper with the meter.

Learning from this, the front right had a fair amount of dry rot. It was not really wet at the time we opened it up. The front leak must of been from a few years before and had drained out the bottom of the camper. The meter
did not pick up much moisture in the ceiling area. I did not check the top area of the walls. Now in hindsight, should have. The wall area may have picked up some moisture. So even with the meter, this area snuck past me. The learning is, you have to go all over the entire front area and walls if they are suspect. This dry rot and lack of current moisture tricked me and the meter. When Ben was home washing the roof and found the spongy front right, that was the bad feeling setting in... Oh boy. The trip home was some 350 miles ish. The bud board that I "thought" I felt and was OK. May have rattled totally loose on the way home. Again this area was dry rotted and drained out

The back of the camper when we opened it up was a total surprise. I knew the shower dome had a questionable area but the left side in the wardrobe was well, shocking. After seeing the mess up on the roof and it was still wet, I took my meter and went inside to see if it would pick it up. Again there was no signs, smells or anything inside to give a hint of the mess above. As Ben said, this white vinyl cieling paper and the vinyl bead at the cieling line creates a pretty good water barrier. At this point, they kept every thing out of the camper. I'm sure if another year or more would of went by, it would be in the camper.

So here is the test from below and then what was above it. If I had checked this during the dealer inspection, I could of found this. My bad, trust me I'm still kicking myself. So that other fellow members can learn, hear is how you can find this.

The meter up against the ceiling with wet on the roof side. This meter reads out in % of a scale. Not actual % moisture like the pin meters do. 100% means, real wet.

This is the left rear corner in the bath wardrobe cabinet.


And this is directly above it what it was measuring. The luan is only 1/8" thick and the meter can read apprx 3/4 deep into a wall.


So Joan, armed with how to use the meter and were to look, you can do this too. I do not know if RV dealers who sell used campers use these or not. Some may, some not.

In your case, here is something that may help. If you are buying from a dealer, ask if they will inspect the camper for water damage and give you or sell you some kind of warranty good for a year that pre-existing water damage is not in the camper. And if a roof re-caulking is needed, then hire them to do it. They may not do this, or they might. Most used campers are sold "as is". But in this case, you are trying to get a somewhat certified dry unit to at least start with. While they may not be able to guarantee it, their shop may be able to do a complete water damage check and sign off on the service report they completed it. This is better then nothing. You have at least lowered the odds. In the case of my son's camper, short of a moisture meter, all standard visual/smell checks came up clean.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 02-06-2016, 07:17 PM   #34
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Very nicely done John!

Perhaps you should retire from your regular job and you two hit the road with the 310SR. You could be a traveling Sunline repair shop!
Hi Gary, good to hear from you. Thanks for the good words. Gee, retire and fix Sunlines! I could get into that.


Quote:
Originally Posted by PTHutch View Post
Ben,

All I can say is that you are your father's son (and that's meant as the highest complement).

You and Dad are doing an excellent job. You'll have the best roof once done.

Oh yeah, wrt your costs - you forgot to add the cost of the 40' barn so you can do all the work inside during winter

Keep up the great work.
Hutch

Thanks Hutch for the good words. Greatly appreciated. And the barn comment Now that's funny. I'm still cracking up reading it....
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Old 02-06-2016, 07:57 PM   #35
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Progress Update as of 1/31/16. Yes I'm a week behind posting and this weekend son and I had other needs to get to so no camper work progress this weekend. But we are gaining.

The weather cooperated so we Rot Dr. treated the front right corner so come the weekend we could put is back together. This epoxy treatment turns the wood very dark once it dries. So this dark area is the treated area of infection. We cut everything out short of the luan that we redid with the epoxy.



Next was to Krieg jig join up all the parts to be replaced. This is the loose pieces from the prior week


and now all glued and tied in






Next was to put the siding on the front right side back on and start on the front siding. Here the right side is done and the front top temporally held on to see how the new roof decking will mate up that was not there before.


We had to sort out how to deal with 5/16" more thickness then was there before and still reuse the same siding. Did not want to come up siding short so we aligned the siding in the same front corner seam holes and put a few screws in the siding to hold it in place as we sort out the roof seam transition. The plan was to plane/sand the front of the sheathing to blend in smoothly the siding and front seam. This came out well.






The blended front on the roof decking filled in the gap the 5/16 decking created and the siding goes right over it nice. We added a full 2 x 4 under this area where a 2 x 3 was before. This created a nice sound place to support this new transition. In these pics, the decking is only temporarily mounted. We needed to start the siding at the top and will do the decking from the rear to the front so the 4 foot joints come out on the rafters right. This front sheet will have about 6 to 8" trimmed off of it on the final fit up.

Now to the front siding. Took down the test setup on the siding, cleaned the camper metal, and since it is cold weather, we helped the buytl tape by warming the siding with a heat gun. Then set the butyl to the camper left and right siding and left the release paper on






Here is the release paper lifted so you can see the tape. Dicor sent us gray in place of white. It is for sure butyl as it strings like taffy. They only list the gray too.


It was a little tricky to line up the top siding with the butyl on after covering up the screw holes we used to align the siding to go back on the same way it came off. We ended up pencil marking the siding to where the holes where and use a ice pick to align the siding while we stapled it on. It worked.

Then to apply the butyl caulk to the front siding. This was a new learning. We had finally figured out why the front siding came off so hard, Sunline seals the front joints. Assume this is to keep the beating water out when towing in the rain getting up in the camper or rusting out the staples. We had to use a heat gun to get the sheets off. Here is the butyl caulk going back on.




And making sure we cover the staples of the sheet above.


Now that small piece on


Now the piece with the hitch light


We stopped the siding at this point. Son wants to do the diamond plate upgrade, (me too,) so we will leave the bottom off for now.

So this is the front. Next post starts the roof decking.
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Old 02-06-2016, 08:22 PM   #36
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Now we started on the roof decking. We started in the back and worked towards the front. First was to get all the insulation fitted back up. Son did this while I was prepping the 2 back sheets for hole locations. Seems there are tank vents, roof vents, shower domes, roof antenna's etc all over....

The first sheet area with insulation cleaned up on the back end wall area ready for decking


Since this camper was never sold as a walk on roof, the rafters do not 100% align true to 16" centers. We had to figure out all the 4 ft joint rafters and let the rear end wall sheet hang slightly off to custom trim fit. The back of the camper is not straight, true and totally square to the walls. (It's a camper... what do you expect John!!!) We compensated though and was able to get 2 full sheets on before we ran out of time. The roof vent hatch and the shower dome openings are roughed in. Need to go back and router fit the opening custom to the opening.




And looking towards the front yet to do

So that is the progress to date.

We also did some weight measuring. Here is what the new roof membrane looks like shipped to us.


And here is what the old roof rolled up looks like


Now the weights.

The new 0.040" thick EPDM Dirco Brite Ply will weigh appox 55 to 58# . Did not subtract the vent holes out of it. This is for a 23ft 6in piece. My scale is not much more accurate then this.

The old roof with bud board, EPDM bonded to it and cutouts, dried out, weighs 85# By the way, the bud broad itself is 0.052" thick with a 0.040" membrane glued to it. (0.92" total)

These plywood sheets declared as 3/8, actually measure 0.313" or 5/16". They weigh 35# for a 4 x 8 sheet.

The new roof is estimated to weigh with trimmed holes and final fit length: 197 lb decking + 55lb EPDM rubber = 252 lb.

The old bud board roof subtracted is 252 lb new roof - 85 lb old roof or 167 lb gain to camper weight.

Not that bad for a full walk on roof.

Thanks for looking

John and Ben
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Old 02-07-2016, 06:35 AM   #37
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Wow! great read John, thanks (as usual) for all the photos!
It's looking really good, the walk-on roof will be a practical plus.

At this point, I don't think anyone should ever should ever be disappointed to find some water damage after purchasing a camper. First, the way many of these manufacturers construct the roofing almost guarantees it, second, it's so difficult to find, especially when water intrusion isn't the only thing your dealing with during a sale. Time constraints are always a factor as well.
So many of us on this site have gone over this topic again and again for years and it still rears it's ugly head even when the most knowledgeable and experienced among us are involved. It's a tough issue, period.

One thing I wanted to mention about the roofing rubber stopping at the trim rail and not extending down the back as it does on the sides. You see how the front of the roof ends on a flat plane and then the aluminum siding continues to go over and down the front? On our 92 Solaris, the back was done the same way. It wasn't until a few years later that Sunline redesigned the back of the roof to make a squared off style which would allow the Dicor roofing to drop down vertically, so maybe, the thinking was "We didn't (couldn't) drop it over the back all these years, why start now?". I don't know, maybe that's why it was done that way.

Rich
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Old 02-07-2016, 07:32 AM   #38
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Thanks for the confirmation!

Wow, we're very impressed and thankful. After much debate, we sold our T1950 this fall. It was a very hard decision, but based on our age, health, and lack of space to do repairs, we made, what I see now, as the right decision.

We had, basically, the same problems. We had recaulked and resealed the roof every year. Had fixed the leak in the shower and had done several other repairs, but we knew we had water problems. Just not how extensive. Or else we were looking thru rose colored glasses! We had replaced the front picture window, don't try to make a turn with the tailgate of the Expedition open, and were confident it was sealed well. Well, as we got ready to sell, we realized the floor under the rocking chair, was completely rotted out. Had never had an indication. There was a leak over the bed and who knows what else was hidden.

As much as we loved our "Leap of Faith", I'm more confident now that we could never have done the extensive repairs that you have undertaken. So now, Granddad Jim sits at home on his computer doing genealogy and Nana Anne has her new tent and new Equinox and still enjoying the wonderful outdoors.

Thank you Sunliner for many many happy years!

Anne and Jim
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Old 02-07-2016, 08:04 AM   #39
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Thanks for the information! I have been full timing for two years in my T-1950. Just me and my pupster Emme. However, I am wanting something bigger and looking for what you own, a T-2499.

But after seeing these pictures I am very leary as I had a leak that was unknown by me when I purchased mine. Fortunately I found someone who could do the repairs very reasonably. There is a thread with pictures posted on here somewhere of the damage. And just like you mine was leaking my the door! And the 2499 has two! I don't really understand the two doors unless it was just common at the time?
However, I am hoping not to have to go through those repairs again and have a wanted ad for a 2499 posted here.

I would love to find one with a walkable roof!
If I could find one cheap enough, then I would do a walkable roof with Eternabond!




Quote:
Originally Posted by vcrt View Post
I'm probably jumping in here ahead of John on the moisture meter because he told me about it.
It has been a great tool for detecting moisture down to 3/4" below the surface. I got the one that doesn't use spikes, rather the back of the unit has a flat pad that you press to the surface your checking. Robot Check
When you're looking at someone's camper for a possible purchase, you don't want to be poking holes in the walls (probably wouldn't want to do it to your own camper either!).

I used this meter to check all around, inside and out before we bought our current 2499 because it showed no signs of water intrusion, but I did find some moisture under the rear entry door. I figured that wasn't too big a deal, used it as a negotiating point and did have to do a repair along the rear bottom rail. Not a big job.
But as far as finding leak free Sunlines (or any other brand for that matter) I think they are like the proverbial needle in a haystack. We traveled out to see many campers that we rejected within the first walk inside. Our noses told us all we really needed to know. We saw warped walls, spongy roofs (one looked like an old Conestoga wagon or a swayback camel, every roof rafter was visible with the rubber roof sagged down and then up to the next rafter. Most owners over the phone or in emails will tell you "never any leaks" until you get there and find out otherwise. They might not be fibbing either as few people know what to look for and few know what is necessary maintenance to prevent it. Most are surprised to hear their campers are saturated and the others, well they were just hoping YOU wouldn't find it.
Do a search on this site for what to look for. Try water damage, water leaks etc. I know JohnB has posted and I have also.
Good searching,
Rich
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Old 02-08-2016, 08:50 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vcrt View Post

One thing I wanted to mention about the roofing rubber stopping at the trim rail and not extending down the back as it does on the sides. You see how the front of the roof ends on a flat plane and then the aluminum siding continues to go over and down the front? On our 92 Solaris, the back was done the same way. It wasn't until a few years later that Sunline redesigned the back of the roof to make a squared off style which would allow the Dicor roofing to drop down vertically, so maybe, the thinking was "We didn't (couldn't) drop it over the back all these years, why start now?". I don't know, maybe that's why it was done that way.

Rich
Hi Rich,

Thanks for the good words. And thanks about the back wall change. I had forgot Sunline did the round ended rear wall a while back. I remember it on the metal roof campers, but had not realized it was on the earlier rubber roofs as well. Good, now I know there should not be an expansion issue. Actually that older design end wall had a level of advantages to it. While water intrusion was still at the mercy of the caulking, gravity was at least in your favor to have a majority of the water run down the "outside" of the wall if the seal was compromised.

Thanks

John
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