Cracks in fiberglass roof

ttrox

New member
Have a 2018 Navion with 2 flexible solar panels. One of the panels failed and Zamp sent me a replacement. After removing the old panel I saw what appear to be cracks 4/6inches long in the fiberglass roof. They do not extend past the edge of the solar panel.
They are not deep although the roof will flex a little in the area of the cracks. Will put the new solar panel over them so not concerned with looks. Suggestions on what to use to seal and or cover the cracks to prevent possible water leakage.

I plan on using 3M 4950 VHB acrylic foam tape and Dicor sealant on screws (original panel was held with 6 screws) and Dicor.
 

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Alphacarina

2006 Itasca Navion 23H
One of the major downsides to flexible solar panels is they get HOT and there's no cooling air flowing beneath them. I would BET this is what caused your roof to break. A 'lesson learned' for anyone considering adding solar later on - It might be best all around to use rigid panels just to protect your roof, along with their other advantages

An excellent adhesive sealant for fiberglass is 3M 5200 which bonds very well and stays flexible so it won't crack when the fiberglass flexes. It's a bit expensive, but for breaks like you've got, I think it' the best thing on the market. One thing for sure . . . . your roof is going to get very hot again and stay that way for extended periods of time

Don
 

Geriakt

2017 View 24J
I think you should turn that into Winnebago as a warranty claim if the house is still under warranty.
At the minimum that fiberglass should be repaired and not just caulked over. You will get water seepage into your roof and possible black mold and rot.
 

Philip53

2021 2500 Sprinter 170, 4 cyl gas
Agree with Geriakt, that looks particularly bad to me (but it's just a photo). Still should be under warranty.
 

Larry M

Well-known member
...An excellent adhesive sealant for fiberglass is 3M 5200 which bonds very well and stays flexible so it won't crack when the fiberglass flexes. It's a bit expensive..
3M 5200 = Satan’s glue. I’m from the marine industry where we use 5200 for applications that won’t have to be taken apart and yes it is an excellent sealant/adhesive but I’d do the proper repair. If you use 5200 and later need to remove it, you’ll be cussing and can do additional damage. The stuff is not meant to be removed. Fix what caused the cracks and do a proper repair. Fiberglass is one medium that’s easy to work on and a good repair won’t depreciate the value of your van.
 
I'm not convinced the repairs that would be done under warranty would be as good as you could do yourself or worth the aggravation. Personally I'd just fix it myself.

I sealed all the holes left by my flex panels with Eternabond tape. The stuff in incredible. I cleaned everything with rubbing alcohol.

The white squares in the picture.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRy2RbFL_zM
 
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Geriakt

2017 View 24J
I do think your photo should be shown off everywhere you can so others stop using these 2 year disposable flex solar panels. Zamp Solar, Go Power, Winnebago, and LTV should be ashamed for pushing a product like this.
 

CJPJ

2008 3500 170 EXTD 3.0 V6 OM642.993 4.182
My opinion cracks looks like compression damage from weight and not heat damage.
 
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Alphacarina

2006 Itasca Navion 23H
IMO, you would have to break the plywood under the fiberglass in order to damage the fiberglass by overloading it with weight - It would be very interesting to pick up the other solar panel (which I would do anyway to take it to the trash can) and see what the roof looks like under that panel

We had problems with the seams of the USAF VOR (VHF Omni Range) fiberglass towers leaking, no matter which sealants were tried, until we caulked one of them with 5200. I was on the crew that eventually removed that one and after we had removed about 150 bolts which held it all together, we still couldn't take it apart - Eventually it was junked. Larry is absolutely correct . . . . don't use it on anything you will want to take apart later on - You'll need a hammer & chisel!

Don
 

billbo

Member
Everyone might have an idea on the cracks but here's mine. I also had a panel replaced under warranty. Zamp and WGO advised the tech how to remove it. They are held in place from the factory with way too much sealant. It takes two people (three is better) to remove it without damage. They had a long thin plastic blade tool and while one guy pulled up slightly on one end the other slid the tool to cut the sealant. I can only imagine if you pulled the old panel up by force it could cause those cracks. They definitely do not look like compression, they seem to be pulled up. BTW, there was no "visible" damage at all from heat under the old panel. I agree with the overall assessment of the flexi panels - bad. This is Fall and when we get home I plan to remove both mine (still working) and do a rebuild of the entire solar using rigid panels.

Suggestion for the cracks - take it to a good marine shop - they work fiberglass all day for a living - get it fixed right before putting on rigid panels.
 
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ttrox

New member
Thanks for all the advice. I decided to use the 3m 5200 to seal the cracks and the 4950 to attach the panel to the roof along with Dicor sealant along the panel edges. It is my understanding WBGO has gone back to solid panels on their coaches.
 

220629

Well-known member
This may or may not apply.

Coleman/Fleetwood pop up campers had ABS roof units that were prone to cracking. My BIL had the roof on his Coleman replaced once under warranty. The replacement developed some similar cracks after Coleman/Fleetwood was defunct. We stop drilled the cracks and repaired using Dicor non-sag sealant reinforced with roof repair mesh fabric. It actually didn't show much to the casual observer. It did seal the roof.

This link contains a bit fancier repair than we used. As I said, I don't know whether it applies to this thread or not. There may be some repair ideas that will transfer to the Sprinter RV's.

https://www.thepopupprincess.com/po...-camper-remodel-repairing-a-coleman-abs-roof/

:2cents: vic
 

richard cabesa

Active member
If you are going to eliminate the flex panels and change to elevated ridged panels, I would suggest possibly leaving the flex panels (disconnected) to avoid creating new damage to the roof. Why tear them off and cause damage that might leak.

I LOVE 3M 5200. Have never had a failure
 

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