Roof delaminating

[Duncan2580]

Hi I have a 2003 Bessacar e445, the roof has started to delaminate . I have seen several videos on you tube on floor lino delaminating and a resin being injected to rectify it. Is it possible to do this to the roof
Thanks in advance.

 

[funflair]

The floor delamination is usually due to waking and standing pressure flexing the laminated panel and causing the breakdown, I imagine that doesn't apply to your roof, what is the construction? is it fibreglass or aluminium sandwich panel? do you have a photo?

 

[Coolcats]

Hi I have a 2003 Bessacar e445, the roof has started to delaminate . I have seen several videos on you tube on floor lino delaminating and a resin being injected to rectify it. Is it possible to do this to the roof
Thanks in advance.

You sure it’s not the heat shield they do this on re-entry seriously though hope you find a way of fixing without too much expense

 

[Duncan2580]

The floor delamination is usually due to waking and standing pressure flexing the laminated panel and causing the breakdown, I imagine that doesn't apply to your roof, what is the construction? is it fibreglass or aluminium sandwich panel? do you have a photo?

No photo sorry, it’s fibreglass but it had been painted before I bought it. I took it to a motorhome garage and he said he’s never known one to come off but they do delaminate with age.
When the wind picks up it’s very noisy during the night

 

[Two on Tour]

Hi I have a 2003 Bessacar e445, the roof has started to delaminate . I have seen several videos on you tube on floor lino delaminating and a resin being injected to rectify it. Is it possible to do this to the roof
Thanks in advance.

What do you mead by "started to delaminate" ?

Many MH's including ours have what's called a "floating roof" meaning that the outer surface of the roof is not bonded to the main core material of the roof to allow the outer surface of the roof to expand and contract at a different rate to the main roof core, as a result on sunny or hot days the roof surface can look wrinkled or raised in places.

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[funflair]

When you say it's very noisy in the wind are you suggesting that it is "flapping about" which wouldn't be good otherwise I would echo the explanation from Two on Tour.

 

[Duncan2580]

What do you mead by "started to delaminate" ?

Many MH's including ours have what's called a "floating roof" meaning that the outer surface of the roof is not bonded to the main core material of the roof to allow the outer surface of the roof to expand and contract at a different rate to the main roof core, as a result on sunny or hot days the roof surface can look wrinkled or raised in places.

I understand what you’re saying but when I put the solar panel on it certainly wasn’t like the way it is now. In some places it’s stuck but on others I can put my hand on it and it bounces.

 

[Duncan2580]

When you say it's very noisy in the wind are you suggesting that it is "flapping about" which wouldn't be good otherwise I would echo the explanation from Two on Tour.

Yes I suppose I am suggesting that but until I can see it visible I don’t know

 

[rb62]

Hasn't this come up before? Swift motorhomes and their varients have 'floating 'roofs'

Roof issue

Hi I have a Bessacarr e445 2003 which I purchased last march. I noticed when I cleaned the roof last September that the outer skin in a small place had come detached from the inner and when pressing your hand on it, it is like a bubble anyway I was away in it when we had the bad winds in...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Duncan2580]

The floor delamination is usually due to waking and standing pressure flexing the laminated panel and causing the breakdown, I imagine that doesn't apply to your roof, what is the construction? is it fibreglass or aluminium sandwich panel? do you have a photo?

No photo I’m afraid, it’s made of fibreglass. I gather it’s 3 layers, starting from outside to inner, it’s fibreglass then wood then a soft wood or something similar like plasterboard on inner

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[funflair]

No photo I’m afraid, it’s made of fibreglass. I gather it’s 3 layers, starting from outside to inner, it’s fibreglass then wood then a soft wood or something similar like plasterboard on inner

It sounds like it is a "floating roof" as described earlier, a lot of caravan and motorhome roofs were/are like this, your old thread from January suggests there is a solar panel stuck to the roof, not sure how good an idea that is .

 

[PeterCarole29]

I think when someone quotes sometimes they do with age it’s missing many factors including how in the past it’s been walked / worked on
With pressure points of knees and feet
This type of incorrect pressures do damage
Maybe this has caused the problem
How to re fix it it is a hard one
If it’s water tight then maybe an option would be to stick rigid rails on the roof forming ribs

 

[Duncan2580]

It sounds like it is a "floating roof" as described earlier, a lot of caravan and motorhome roofs were/are like this, your old thread from January suggests there is a solar panel stuck to the roof, not sure how good an idea that is .

Yes I have thought that about the solar panel and I am checking it regularly. According the the motorhome garage it’s not a floating roof and I have spoken to a few other companies who say the do delaminate in time but t should be ok. I am concerned and that’s why I am trying to resolve the issue

 

[funflair]

Yes I have thought that about the solar panel and I am checking it regularly. According the the motorhome garage it’s not a floating roof and I have spoken to a few other companies who say the do delaminate in time but t should be ok. I am concerned and that’s why I am trying to resolve the issue

If you lift the solar panel does it lift the roof skin? if it's not floating roof it should be fully bonded so the inside would not be boarded as you described earlier.

 

[Basa]

Not sure if this applies to your van but some Elddis units have an aluminium roof panel overlaid on top of the wooden panel
The aluminium panel does look uneven due to the change in temperature but it’s quite normal according to Elddis
It does at first glance look like it’s delaminating but obviously it is not

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[Duncan2580]

Not sure if this applies to your van but some Elddis units have an aluminium roof panel overlaid on top of the wooden panel
The aluminium panel does look uneven due to the change in temperature but it’s quite normal according to Elddis
It does at first glance look like it’s delaminating but obviously it is not

I have now had a reply of swift who say it’s an aluminium skin bonded to a wooden panel, so I have asked is it common for it to delaminate. As I am now sure it wasn’t like that when I bought it 18 months ago.
Many thanks to all the responses

 

[Basa]

Elddis sent me a reply to say that the ‘ripple’ effect was quite normal
I think in the case of Elddis there is a thread on this forum