# Class C roof membrane replaced after a branch tore the front termination

> A branch caught the front of the roof on a narrow driveway, tearing the membrane back from the front termination bar for roughly thirty inches and lifting the bar itself along the same span. The eleven year old membrane was already brittle and shrinking at both terminations, and it split further when the torn section was lifted for inspection. Moisture readings found a wet band across the front of the deck extending into the cab over bunk, with staining beginning at the ceiling seam.

**Source:** https://ocrv.life/resources/case-studies/class-c-roof-replacement
**Business:** OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887
**Phone:** (949) 799-3387
**Serving:** San Juan Capistrano, Orange County, California, roughly 26 miles from the facility

**Vehicle:** 2014 Winnebago Minnie Winnie 25B on a Ford E-450 chassis
**Labour:** 58 to 68 hours across roof, structural, interior and mechanical
**Price band:** Roof membrane replacement, $3,500 to $18,000 and up
**Carrier:** Farmers

## Scope

- Moisture map of the full roof and cab over recorded before any material was removed
- Complete membrane removal, both trim rails off, all roof mounted components dismounted and set aside
- Wet deck sections at the front and around the forward air conditioner opening cut out and replaced
- New membrane bonded to the full deck with terminations rebuilt and bars bedded properly rather than skimmed
- Air conditioner, vents and antenna reset on fresh sealant with correct chemistry for the new membrane
- Cab over ceiling panel and the affected upper cabinet face replaced after the structure dried to a stable reading
- Air conditioner tested for function and drainage once the roof and interior were closed up

## What happened

The owner arrived asking for a patch, which was a reasonable request and the wrong one. A thirty inch tear at a front termination is a straightforward sectional repair on a membrane with life left in it. This membrane was eleven years old, chalked hard, and shrinking at both terminations to the point where it split further simply from lifting the torn section for inspection. Patching it would have bought a season and left the same coach back at OCRV Center with a bigger interior bill.

Establishing that in a way a carrier would accept meant photographs rather than adjectives. The shrunk terminations, the brittle edge that cracked under handling and the moisture map across the front of the deck all went into the first supplement together. Full replacement was approved on that evidence. Written as a request for a better repair without the supporting condition record, the same supplement is the sort that comes back declined and costs three weeks arguing.

Everything came off: membrane, both trim rails, air conditioner, vents and antenna. That is the part owners underestimate about a roof job, because the membrane itself is the cheap component and the labour lives in dismounting and resetting every penetration correctly. With the deck fully exposed, wet sections at the front and around the forward air conditioner opening were obvious, and they went straight into a second supplement while the coach was already open.

Drying was logged, not assumed. OCRV Center held the coach for three days with readings taken morning and afternoon until the structure returned a stable figure, rather than closing the deck the moment one check came back acceptable. Bonding new membrane over a deck that is still carrying moisture traps it permanently, and the failure that follows looks exactly like a bad membrane rather than a rushed process. The readings went into the file alongside the photographs.

The new membrane was bonded across the full deck and the terminations were rebuilt properly, with the trim bars bedded on fresh sealant rather than skimmed over the old bead. Skimming is the shortcut that produces a roof looking correct from the ground and leaking at the same seam within two years. Every penetration was reset with sealant chemistry matched to the new membrane, since the wrong product will attack the very seam it was applied to protect.

Inside, the cab over ceiling panel and the affected upper cabinet face were replaced once the structure was dry, and the air conditioner was tested for both function and condensate drainage before the coach was signed off. Betterment came up against an eleven year old membrane, as it always does, and was negotiated down against documented condition rather than accepted as first written. The owner walked the roof water test and the quality control sheet at OCRV Center before settling the balance.

## Timeline

- **Day 1** Coach driven to the Yorba Linda facility. Roof and cab over moisture mapped, torn termination photographed, claim opened with the carrier.
- **Day 3** Sectional repair ruled out at OCRV Center. Brittle shrinking terminations photographed and the first supplement submitted for full replacement.
- **Day 6** Supplement approved. Membrane and both trim rails removed, roof mounted components dismounted and the full deck exposed and inspected.
- **Day 7** Wet deck sections at the front and around the forward air conditioner opening documented and the second supplement submitted.
- **Day 12** Deck sections replaced, structure dried to a stable reading logged across three days rather than signed off on one check.
- **Day 18** New membrane bonded across the full deck, terminations rebuilt and trim bars bedded on fresh sealant rather than skimmed over.
- **Day 23** Air conditioner, vents and antenna reset with correct sealant chemistry, then the roof water tested at every penetration.
- **Day 27** Cab over ceiling panel and upper cabinet face replaced, air conditioner function and drainage tested, coach collected after the quality control walk.