aries
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Post by aries on Aug 22, 2019 10:38:12 GMT -8
Good to know Larry,I thought I was saving time by cutting 8' lengths of curbing,boy was I wrong!!🤔Mark
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jasper
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Post by jasper on Mar 22, 2020 8:54:04 GMT -8
Are there any opinions on Flex seal instead of white paint on a roof that doesn't leak? Additionally, I'll need to cut a section of the roof off to connect with the new siding as it rounds out to the front. I've got flat rail as a solution and would screw it down to a cross beam to connect the two pieces of metal. I realize this isn't ideal but are there any best practices for this; ie., overlapping the metal, sealants, etc?
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Mar 22, 2020 10:54:15 GMT -8
How far around the radius in the front? Low enough so rain won't seep in the seam? Without seeing it, I'd guess you have two choices for the roof you're cutting. Overlap the seam at a framing crossbeam, seal and screw it to the beam as they did in early campers. Or remove the roof and create an S-lock, reinstall the roof and slide the new lower piece into it. If your roof doesn't leak, I would not put sealer on it. If it's already covered in goop then it probably did leak at some point or they wouldn't have gone through the time and expense of gooping it.
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jasper
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Post by jasper on Mar 22, 2020 14:13:09 GMT -8
Wow, thanks for the quick reply. I bought some flat rail from Hemet Valley RV. I think it's meant to have an overlap of the two pieces of metal which then get screwed down to the framing cross beam (as you suggested). Here is a photo of the cross beam which is right at the point where the transition starts. photos.app.goo.gl/1EcMXsCwfEw7LKvU7photos.app.goo.gl/cJeL4ByARrbBzSN8AHere are photos of the flat rail: photos.app.goo.gl/7LTCoXBciQt967Ca7photos.app.goo.gl/4Sv88ys1LAwBncD2AI suppose this means the water wouldn't pool which is good. It would likely divert to the j-rail on the sides. Adding an s-lock to the roof is an idea, although I have no idea how to do that. For the other alternative, I guess I should overlap the roof metal on top of the metal that wraps the radius (with roof flap on top). I'm thinking maybe 1/2" of overlap, then butyl tape, then flat rail, then screws into flat rail, then Proflex on screws. Does this sound about right?
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Mar 22, 2020 17:01:30 GMT -8
Tricky. Your framing cross beam sit exactly where the rain will be hitting at 60mph. If it was on the rear it wouldn't be much of an issue but the front is not ideal. I was hoping you had a framing piece in mind (on the front ) closer to the window. I've never seen that type of railing used on a roof. Normally at that point on the roof they crush/seal the pieces together using a heavy piece of equipment nobody has at home. So here are the options that pop to mind. Best to worst. 1. Buy a new roof. Ideal but $450. 2. Take the roof off and create a wide s-lock (I think there is a thread here on VTT) seal it and crush putty in the seam. I've created smaller pieces using a rented brake from Home Depot but on a roof it would require two helpers. 3. Overlap the pieces with a wide margin. Putty tape the seam at the edge then add another sealer further under (maybe three inches) to give you a double seal. I don’t love the rail idea. It may not sit right if the roof sags or is wavy. Others may disagree.
Another thought would be a Pittsburgh seam with putty. This is for an AC fabrication and only the first part of the video applies but it gives a good view of the bends:
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Post by vikx on Mar 22, 2020 21:39:19 GMT -8
I've read some pretty bad reviews on Flexseal. I would not goop the roof.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Mar 23, 2020 3:37:10 GMT -8
I agree with vikx, I've read flexible sealant on a roof are a bad idea because the wind undulation is so intense.
Some people don't expect to move their campers. They're a quest bedroom or office in the backyard. For them sealant may make more sense but even they probably will have to go up every few years to scrape and reseal. A hassle. Which is why I bought new roofs for your Forester and Shasta. I hate scraping off old goop.
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Mar 24, 2020 9:14:54 GMT -8
Also make sure that you have a crown on top of the vent hole. This will raise the metal slightly so that no puddling happens. I use 3/4 inch plywood for the crown. sits right on top of the hole framing for the vent. Larry, can you wait until the roof is on and the vent hole is cut before slipping the 3/4 inch plywood between the framing and roof aluminum? I worry that the raised strips will throw off the lay of the roof as is gets tacked on before the J-rail. I remember doing this when I replaced the roof on our Friendship Vacationaire. It seemed that there was enough floppiness in the roof to allow the strips to be slipped in, with glue and clamps.
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Post by wisconsinjoe on Mar 24, 2020 9:31:59 GMT -8
Do you know how a metal roof is made? If not I have a video on it. You need to have a seam lock at both ends of the roof to connect with the back panels in a water proof way. A solid piece of aluminum won't have that seam lock at both ends because of the difficulty in making it on a piece that long. Also, the only way you will find a one piece aluminum sheet for the roof is with .040 thick metal which is very hard to fold by hand and also very hard to shoot staples through. Our Friendship Vacationaire originally was built with some obvious details missing. They did not use the locking bends in the aluminum to seal up the seams. Rather, they used simple hemmed edges that overlapped joining aluminum that had putty along the edge, and surface screws. That allowed us to replace our roof in one piece with both front and back extending downward to overlap separate skin pieces. They did this for all seams. The screws were installed very evenly. We replaced every screw with new stainless steel ones. Actually like this vintage low tech solution. It allows me to use readily available 0.40 aluminum that can be gotten from trucking supply companies for affordable prices. A local sheet metal shop cut to size, added breaks, and hemmed the edges for a reasonable labor price. You will want to have good sharp chisel end pneumatic staples. We tacked everything with a minimum of screws, then painted the aluminum, and then replaced the screws with new stainless ones.The neatly spaced straight rows of shiny screws looks nice.
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