Roof weight limits

[ZachO]

I'm sure this been brought up, but my search didn't find anything obvious...I got my new fantastic vent/fan today, and the forecast is for sunny skies and temps in the 40's through Friday. I'm going to get after it.

Am I ok to be up on the roof? Obviously I'll be careful, but as far as what the roof can support, is it fine for me to be up there?

[David Tilston]

Umm... I am not small, so I sent one of my teenage daughters on the roof of the Trillium 4500 that I installed a Fantastic Fan on. Maybe a Bigfoot has more support, I can't say.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by ZachO

I'm sure this been brought up, but my search didn't find anything obvious...I got my new fantastic vent/fan today, and the forecast is for sunny skies and temps in the 40's through Friday. I'm going to get after it.

Am I ok to be up on the roof? Obviously I'll be careful, but as far as what the roof can support, is it fine for me to be up there?

I do not believe that any of our fibreglass trailers are designed to take the full weight of a person on the roof.

Having said that some have the roofs have been reinforced for AC units some have not .... but if it has been reinforced and already has an AC I still would not think the extra weight of a person would be a good thing.

[ZachO]

Ok thanks.

Well in the end there's just no way around it. I don't have AC, but with the width of my roof, there's is just no way of getting the old vent out and the new vent in without being on the roof.

I definitely can't reach from the ladder.

[ZachO]

And how worried should I be about this? It's just on the front part of the roof. The dark spot is crud, not a hole.

[ZachO]

Maybe I should start a new thread, but...

As some of you may know, this stuff is hard to get off. I got all the silicone off, but the stuff that looks like Dicor lap sealant is on there really well. I know silicone won't stick to silicone, but if I get butyl tape where the silicone used to be, will the Dicor adhere to the old Dicor?

Obviously I'm going to clean it up as well as I can, but I'm just wondering how much effort I absolutely need to put into this. I'm willing to do what it takes to keep it from leaking, but don't feel the need to do any extra work.

[tractors1]

A scraper tool on an oscillating saw will take that off. Dremel makes one that's not too pricey.

Shop Dremel 7-Piece 2.3-Amp Oscillating Tool Kit at Lowes.com

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by ZachO

And how worried should I be about this? It's just on the front part of the roof. The dark spot is crud, not a hole.

Those wrinkles - how do they feel? Is the shell somehow delaminating? If that is the case, I would be concerned, but have no idea how to deal with something like that. Somebody else knows?

When I have to do something on the roof, I lean my six foot step ladder against the side with some duct tape protecting the side of the camper and reach over. Sometimes I have to use two of them or move it from side to side.

[ZachO]

Ok, thanks.

Yeah, your Scamp is narrow enough that can work. My Bigfoot is 8' wide...

I don't think there's any delaminating. Just ripples in the fiberglass. Except I don't know enough about fiberglass to know if there are layers which can delaminate..? I don't know if it's an age thing or a water damage thing. There is no sign of water damage inside anywhere on the ceiling.

[ZachO]

Originally Posted by tractors1

A scraper tool on an oscillating saw will take that off. Dremel makes one that's not too pricey.

Shop Dremel 7-Piece 2.3-Amp Oscillating Tool Kit at Lowes.com

Thanks. I think my money flow has officially dried up So I won't be buying any new tools. Though I'm sure something like that will pay for itself in the long run...

I saw somewhere else online that lap sealant will bond to lap sealant. Just needs to be cleaned up a bit. I'll keep chiseling away at the bigger chunks up there, then just make sure to take the dirty surface layer off the rest, and clean it all up with some mineral spirits or something before I install the fan.

Unless anyone knows for sure that all the old sealant needs to come off...

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by ZachO

Maybe I should start a new thread, but...

As some of you may know, this stuff is hard to get off. I got all the silicone off, but the stuff that looks like Dicor lap sealant is on there really well. I know silicone won't stick to silicone, but if I get butyl tape where the silicone used to be, will the Dicor adhere to the old Dicor?

Obviously I'm going to clean it up as well as I can, but I'm just wondering how much effort I absolutely need to put into this. I'm willing to do what it takes to keep it from leaking, but don't feel the need to do any extra work.

The cleaner you can get it the better... spent about 2 full days working on cleaning up the roof and hatch of my scamp when I redid it.

If you use google you will find lots of threads on this forum on the topic of removing it..

Here is a fairly good one. Silicon Remover.

I used the DAP product and found that after I scrapped off the major part of it putting the Dap over the remaining thin layer of it and leaving it on for at least a few hours worked fairly well, overnight even better.

[Eddie Longest]

When working on a Scamp escape hatch you can remove the table top and place a small step ladder under the hatch. You then remove the regulator and regulator mounting bar and top. You can then do just about anything you need to do through the escape hatch hole and not worry about falling off the side of the trailer.
Eddie

[ZachO]

Thanks Carol, I'll check that out. Maybe I just need to work on using better search terms.

Yes Eddie, now that I've got the old vent out, I can slide the rear bed platform in the Bigfoot out and stand on it, and access the roof fairly well. But not as well as your Scamp...'cause another nice thing about the Bigfoot is the headroom!

[Glenn Baglo]

I use pool noodle or pipe insulation to protect the trailer from the ladder.

[Borrego Dave]

You can get a multi-tool from Harbor Freight real cheap. I was wondering about the waves in the FG too....can you post a good pic or two from a side view ? Have never seen FG do that before.

[Darral T.]

I'm in FULL agreement.... IF that is a FG roof. It looks like a rubber/vinyl coating?? I'd be VERY interested to know exactly what that is. I personally do not believe it's the typical fiberglass resin/gelcoat...no way.

You could build a cheap scaffle to go over the trailer if absolutely necessary....better than caving in a roof...maybe use an outbuilding as one side to mount the scaffle crossboards to or something. Just a thought

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Darral T.

I'm in FULL agreement.... IF that is a FG roof. It looks like a rubber/vinyl coating?? I'd be VERY interested to know exactly what that is. I personally do not believe it's the typical fiberglass resin/gelcoat...no way.

That was my initial thought as well. And the next was why? Is there some fiberglass damage underneath, say from a falling tree branch... Deserves a close look for sure.

[mexbob5150]

If u gonna get on top of ur roof ! Try putting some plywood acrosd the roof to spread the weight !

[WaltP]

ZachO
I don't know how helpful to you, but I've been on the roof of my BF; first replacing the cowl on the original AC and later replacing the AC itself. I found it to be very sturdy, little or no flexing.
I'm right at 200 lb.

Glenn
That's a very simple and helpful tip.

Walt

[ZachO]

Ok thanks.

Maybe not the best light but here's side shot.

There is no sign, to my eye, of any repair work up there. Everything looks completely unaltered from how Bigfoot built it...