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Old 05-17-2018, 10:18 PM   #1
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Bubbles in Roof Membrane

I own a 2018 Kodiac 201 QB Ultra Lite which I took delivery of 7 months ago.
I washed the roof for the first time and noticed in the area which was wet there were air bubbles under the roof membrane. After the roof dried out in the sun the bubbles disappeared and the roof membrane was tight again.
Is this normal ? This is my first camper.
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Old 05-18-2018, 02:09 PM   #2
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Welcome to the forums!

Yes it is normal, to a point. How many bubbles and how large?

Aaron
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Old 05-18-2018, 02:31 PM   #3
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Aaron, can he slit the bubble, let it dry out, then fix the slit with Eternabond? Will it eventually cause an issue if it is not addressed? A friend wanted to know.
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Old 05-18-2018, 02:44 PM   #4
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Yes it is normal, to a point. How many bubbles and how large?

Aaron
There were several bubbles, odd shapes and oval. The odd shapes were as long as 3 inches by 1 inch wide. The oval were approximately 1 inch. I took a picture , but I am not sure I attached it properly.
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Old 05-18-2018, 03:11 PM   #5
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Aaron, can he slit the bubble, let it dry out, then fix the slit with Eternabond? Will it eventually cause an issue if it is not addressed? A friend wanted to know.
You can, however I would not mess with any that are less than 6" in any direction. Unless there are several large ones close together, then I would slit them open, check for moisture, if dry get some adhesive in there and stick them back down, then cover the slit with eternabond.

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Old 05-18-2018, 03:15 PM   #6
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There were several bubbles, odd shapes and oval. The odd shapes were as long as 3 inches by 1 inch wide. The oval were approximately 1 inch. I took a picture , but I am not sure I attached it properly.
I would just keep an eye on them at this point, maybe mark the edges with a crayon, then check them periodically to make sure they aren't growing.

Shouldn't have too many, however if they continue to spread or get larger you have an issue. There may a leak allowing moisture to penetrate or possibility of wind getting under it when you are driving. The roof systems are supposed to be fully adhered, if they are releasing it usually means there is a adhesive failure. It can be repaired, but not easy or cheap.

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Old 05-18-2018, 05:56 PM   #7
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Thank you Aaron. I called Dutchman and they said the bubbles were normal. I am going to bring the camper into the dealer to get the problem documented while under warranty. Guy
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Old 05-18-2018, 08:30 PM   #8
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The only thing "normal" is that Dutchmen Customer Support says "they're normal".
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Old 05-18-2018, 11:22 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by franktafl View Post
The only thing "normal" is that Dutchmen Customer Support says "they're normal".

Normally that's true!
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Old 05-31-2018, 12:04 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Guy Lombardo View Post
I own a 2018 Kodiac 201 QB Ultra Lite which I took delivery of 7 months ago.
I washed the roof for the first time and noticed in the area which was wet there were air bubbles under the roof membrane. After the roof dried out in the sun the bubbles disappeared and the roof membrane was tight again.
Is this normal ? This is my first camper.
A number of us feel your pain. I had never seen this on any of our past trailers But everything changes. After contacting Dutchmen more than once I did receive a response saying it was normal. They also sent me a couple documents about the roof. 5 years later and it still looks the same and happy to say no leaks.Click image for larger version

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Old 05-31-2018, 01:18 AM   #11
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Thank you for the information !
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Old 05-31-2018, 03:52 AM   #12
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I saw a camper going down the freeway that had a humongous bubble on top. I would guesstimate it was 2X3 feet and filled with air. If they hadn't been on the opposite side I would have driven beside them to let them know
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