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Old 09-22-2009, 02:32 PM   #1
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ronnyr
roof leak and the refrigerator

Hi, Was wondering if anyone has had a roof leak along the front seam? My T-2354 has been sitting idle since we went to Colorado in August and returned with the dreaded refrigerator recall problem. Now after having some really hard rains the last couple of weeks here, we discovered a leak in the front left corner ceiling in front of the cabinet along the interior seam. The ceiling is wet.
We had checked the roof seams and the dicor prior to our long trip to Colorado, and it didn't leak when we first purchased it and during our initial trip. The roof material seems soft compared to the other parts of the roof. Maybe that is because of the moisture trapped underneath in the insulation? I am trying to dry it out and was wondering where to look for problems, or if there is another way to fix it besides replacing dicor. thank you, ronny

P.S. About our defective refrigerator that thankfully did not burn our Sunline to the ground . . . we have the refrigerator out, have taken off the cooling unit, and are now ordering a new cooling unit for the refrigerator. The wood underneath the refrigerator is good, except for a ton of those mud dobber nests underneath. (It was almost solid mud)

After calling Dometic about the recall problem and learning they only install a safety shield to prevent a fire instead of fixing the refrigerator, I wanted to know our options. Dometic could not promise the same thing wouldn't happen to the new refrigerator, only that it would have a three year warranty. (I wanted to know if they addressed the recall issue, but got no good answer.) Replacing the cooling unit was the other option, and they would install the safety shield around the heating element after a newcooling unit was installed. After weighing the issue, my husband and I decided spending $500 for a rebuilt cooling unit that had a five year warranty would be a better idea than $1,200 for a refrigerator that might quit in three years just like the one originally installed and we would be back to square one.
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Old 09-24-2009, 10:34 AM   #2
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photos of my refrigerator once out

Here are a few photos of the refrig out with the cooling unit removed -




Cooling unit to arrive shortly so we can get it back in and working!
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Old 09-24-2009, 05:46 PM   #3
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YES... we have had a leak in the roof on the awning/street side, along the seam. There were several places where the rubber roofing material had split away from the edge of the roof and several places where the Dicor sealant had cracked.

We used Acetone to clean the areas to be patched. We resealed all of the questionable areas of sealant with NEW Dicor self-leveling sealant. Where the rubber roofing had separated, we used 4-inch white Eternabond tape.

We taped the entire street side roof edge from the front seam all the way down to the fridge vent... this was the only portion of the roof edge where we had tears in the rubber. Since the vent area itself looked good, we resumed the tape reinforcement from the rear of the vent back to the rear roof seam.

When we get enough $$, we will continue the Eternabond all the way around the roof edge.
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5.3 liter V8, 3.73LS, Prodigy, Hensley Arrow
2004 Sunline Solaris SE T-2499 #5527
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Old 09-25-2009, 09:28 AM   #4
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Thanks for input. What you described is exactly where I am having the problem. Outside there is no evidence of any problem except a few cracks in the Dicor sealant. Underneath the trim piece which holds the edge of the roof down, the screws are starting to rust away, so I am wondering if that might be where the water is coming in. We had something like five to eight inches of rain within three days a couple of weeks ago, and that was when it must have happened. We were consumed at the time with trying to fix the refrigerator which died.
Originally when we bought the trailer, we had went over the seams with new Dicor lap sealant. I am checking to see where I can get eternabond just in case we need to go that route and reinforce that corner. One of the RV places told me it was time we did a roof recoat. I am not sure what that involves. I wonder if anyone on this forum has ever done a roof recoat. We are relatively new to rubber roof trailers; we just purchased our 1999 Sunline T-2354 last July. Our first trailer (which we owned for five years) was a 1978 Aristocrat with a metal roof. Thanks again for your input. Ronny
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Old 09-25-2009, 09:31 AM   #5
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Sorry, I must be dyslexic . . . our Sunline is a T-2453. We've had it now for almost three months and I still can't get it right. Must be old timer's disease . . . Ronny
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Old 09-25-2009, 11:49 AM   #6
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ronnyr... I've read that rubber roof manufacturers state there is no requirement to "coat" a rubber roof. And then I read about a product that will provide "an excellent protective barrier for extending the life of the EPDM rubber membrane." (direct quote from the DICOR website PDF for their 2-part rubber roof coating system)

I suspect that a thorough cleaning of the roof with the appropriate cleaners and perhaps applying a protectant like 303 would be all most of us need. Unless you keep your RV under a bunch of oak and pine trees like I do.

I am working towards some sort of protective structure that will keep leaves, sticks and other debris off my Sunline's roof, but we're not there yet.

I think I am going to use a rubber roof specific cleaner on my roof, either the DICOR Rubber Roof Cleaner or the ProtectAll Rubber Roof Cleaner... then follow that up with an application of protectant of some sort. Both DICOR and PROTECTALL make these products.

I was surprised that they recommend cleaning these roofs as often as they do... 3 or 4 times a year. My last camper was a popup with an aluminum roof which we cleaned a couple of times a year. I guess the rubber membrance requires a bit more attention than the metal roofing.

Regardless, we have a significant investment in our portable hotel suite and we must maintain it properly, lest it decide to betray us in some financially horrible manner... usually when we're off someplace on a trip and less prepared to deal with it.

Good luck with your fridge repairs!
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2004 Sunline Solaris SE T-2499 #5527
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