How to Fix a Leaking Camper Roof? (Easy Guide)

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Last Updated on August 10, 2021 by Ted Mosby

An RV camper is a luxurious vehicle for your living that gives additional space for your family to rest and sleep in, just like a spacious room with wheels. These trailers are helpful for long journeys as travelers can make use of their space to rest and cook food while staying inside the trailer and stay protected from the outside environment. In these cases, it is possible that sometimes a roof of the trailer gets damaged, and it can be very dangerous for you.

Under these conditions, you might be looking for a way about How to Fix a Leaking Camper Roof. If this is your case, then here is a complete guide about what you can do if you have a leaking RV camper roof. We see everything about these roofs step by step.

There are three basic steps to fixing the roof of your RV, and they are mentioned here. You need to keep in mind that a roof may be of a different type, so each type may need a different kind of fix. Generally, there is a quick fix that can apply to your RV.

  • Find out the reason for the leakage and where it happened.
  • Get a temporary fix with some equipment and then apply a fix permanently on it.
  • Make use of a permanent fix to solve the problem.

How to Fix a Leaking Camper Roof?

You can stick to the following steps in order to fix the leaking camper roof,

1. Check for Leakage

It is a must that you perform a complete inspection of the roof not only from the area where the leakage happened but also the points where there is a chance of leakage on any other parts of the roof. Make thorough inspections and find out the problems.

Start the inspection from the inside and start looking where there are any holes and problems in the roof that might be causing the issue. Make sure to check every corner of the ceiling and check for stains and water if you see a leak somewhere. Check the interior walls properly and the edges of the floor, which may indicate where the leak happened.

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In case you can find the leaking source from the inside, then start inspecting the RV camper from the outside. This will help you to find the leaking better, and you will be able to see which part of the roof is damaged. In case you are not able to get to the roof, make use of a ladder and safety to get on top of it and check for any problems.

2. Apply Temporary Fixes

When you have found leakage in the roof of your RV camper, the next thing you can do is applying a temporary fix. As you may not have the right tools and equipment at the moment to fix the roof permanently, you can try to fix things by yourself temporarily to avoid greater damage that can be caused in roof leakage gets worse.

Repairing a roof is not always possible all by yourself. This requires a lot of hard work, and sometimes you can end up ruining things. For this, it’s important that you should know what you are applying and where you have to apply in order to take proper effect.

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Make use of something like mentioned below.

  • Tarping

Tarp on RV Roof

Putting some tarp on the leaking area of the roof can pretty easily fix the problem temporarily. You just need some ropes and bungee cords in order to fill the tarp on the area. This can help to avoid water coming in from the leak source, but you should also know that windy weather can blow the tarp as well. So make sure the tarp sits tightly on top of your roof.

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This is the Tarp (Amazon Link) I am using on my RV and I highly recommend this. 

[amazon box=B07XRXW7QW]

  • Tar Paper

You can also use tar paper for the fix, which is not very expensive and which does the job very well. You can get your things fixed in easy steps with tar paper as it can block the leakage area and work as a barrier on the roof. You just have to clean the roof and apply tar paper by using instructions that are given with it.

This is the Tar Paper (Amazon Link) I am using on my RV and I highly recommend this. 

[amazon box=B0765C33G3]

3. Implement Permanent Fixes

Now coming to the permanent fixes, these are essential if you want to avoid greater damage and loss of your RV camper. In case you live in an area where there is a weather-changing environment on a daily basis, you should get permanent fixes as soon as possible. Make sure that the leakage area is away from your electronic appliances like an AC or any other component.

So now we can see what permanent fixes you can apply to different types of roofs in an RV camper.

  • Fibreglass Roofs

For Fiberglass roofs that come in an RV trailer, you have to find the areas for leakage first. Then you can search and inspect the roof properly and do recall if you attached or fitted anything new to the fibreglass roof lately, which might be the cause of leakage. A solid fibreglass roof will only leak if there is damage to the roof.

It is possible for the Fiberglass structures to get cracks easily, which is why they can start to run leaks. You can use sealing tapes (Amazon Link) to fix the leaking area by filling the holes. In any vents or such places, you can apply a sealant to shut down the leakage permanently. The tape adds a layer of protection to the roof, which stops the leaking.

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RV Roof Damage

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You can also check the vent properly to see if the leaking is not coming from the vent itself. Then you can replace the cover of the vent sealant with a new one.

Check this article for the Best RV Roof Coating Products.  

  • Aluminium Roofs

For an RV trailer that comes with an Aluminium Roof, this is quite possible that you have holes in it by default, or it can leak due to some dents or any kind of ribbing on the insider of the trailer. It is recommended that you should not fix aluminium roofs by yourself because it can get a little tricky, and you may ruin things up even more.

Get a professional hired to do this task and fix the leaking roof of your RV camper by applying a rubber membrane on the area where the sealant is applied to the leaking surface. It provides a good seal to the roof, and it will be even easier to stay safe for a long time inside your camper without any leaks.

  • Wooden Roofs

Wooden roofs are hard to fix, and it’s not quite possible to fix them every time for leaking, so the best solution for you will be replacing the roof with another quality material roof to avoid any leakage.

Conclusion

This was a discussion about easy tips for How to Fix a Leaking RV Camper Roof, and we discussed some easy hacks to get the job done. For more details, see the FAQ section.

FAQ

Will flex seal work on an RV camper roof?

Yes, the flex seal works really well on the RV camper roof to fix the leaking spot. This can get you out of a lot of problems.

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About Ted Mosby

I am Ted Mosby from Cleveland, Ohio. I am a Freelance Architect. I live in New Jersey, USA right now and I take my RV every alternate weekend. I own a Forest River Berkshire XLT Diesel 45A Class A Motorhome. As I am a Freelancer I can work anywhere so most of my work is done inside my camper remotely.