My roof is popping like an aluminum soda can

[CamperCamper]

Sitting here inside my 2017 Hawk Flat Bed banging my head against the wall trying to figure out what the heck that noise is. The alarm is set for 4 AM and I should have been asleep 2 hours ago. The ducks start flying early you know!

The wind is blowing variably between 10 and 15 mph and every time it ramps up to the 15 mph range the roof pops like the sound you hear when you squeeze a soda can. Except, I seem to be inside the can. I fret a bit, think about crawling up on the roof and come to my senses. What would I learn up there in the middle of the night?

This is not my first night in this rig. I spent 3 weeks in Utah last month and camped in much higher winds and lower temperatnures at elevation.

The wind serms to be calming down, I took two belts of bourbon and I will try to catch forty winks before I go completely winky bonkers. But WTF?

Any thoights from the WTW Collective Brain Trust?

 

[Alley-Kat]

Maybe this thread will help.

Oil canning

Or, maybe this one

Roof Popping

Or, maybe even this one.

Roof pops in the wind

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

It's a known issue with some of the one piece roofs. My Grandby did it from the very first trip, and as you found out, makes sleep difficult.

Go to your dealer or FWC and insist that it be repaired. We can discuss offline if you want.

 

[Wallowa]

CamperCamper,

Let us know if you find out FWC has a "fix" to stop the poping sound in the wind...our '16 Hawk did this as you described at night in a high wind near the WaterPocket Fold, for us it was in the right front corner which was facing into a 35-40 mph wind. By pushing in/out on vinyl siding with roof locked up, we can replicate the sound.

We have Yak Rak and FWC 160 solar panel.

Can't imagine how this can be resolved. Stiffing the one piece aluminum roof to stop flexing seems impossible.

 

[longhorn1]

It is the nature of the beast. Large 1 piece roof is going to oil can. This was our 4th camping season (2014 Grandby) and we had 1 night this fall with 35-40 mile winds and the noise was a little unnerving. When the wind died down it went away. Not sure there is anything FWC can do. Awhile back there was a write up. Think someone may have taken their camper back into FWC but I don't know whether they replaced the roof or what the outcome was. jd

 

[dharte]

My 2015 Hawk does this too. I have noticed my roof is far from being flat and smooth-there are dips and ripples in the metal and the Yakima tracks actually bend up and down a little. Is it possible my roof “skin” wasn’t tensioned enough? Maybe this aggravates the oil canning effect?

 

[PaulT]

While I haven't noticed any oil-canning while camping, my 2014 Hawk certainly has the ripples and dips that dharte mentions.

I suspect there are a several factors affecting oil-canning. Stiffness of sections due to Yakima tracks running fore and aft dividing the roof into three long sections or factory aluminum racks running side to side dividing the roof into wide sections of unequal lengths are likely to cause different behaviors. Solar panels and roof vents will also results in different size sections to pop.

In addition, thermal expansion will result in varying bulges or dips that predispose the roof to pop up and down based on temperature. Search for "coefficient of thermal expansion aluminum" to locate a calculator to help understand the effect of temperature on aluminum. My guess is that thermal changes in length that result in rather small bulges & dips will more easily pop back & forth by the wind.

YMMV

Paul

 

[Bombsight]

Never have heard the "Can" within mine.
Maybe the curtain track I fabbed stops it?

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Our 2012 Eagle shell did this a lot in 30 mph plus winds when vehicle was side on to the wind. Positioning truck head into the wind has stopped it. Though placing a 26 pound solar panel on the front has really stopped the sound.

Except this past weekend we were camped at Ocotillo Wells and the wind was blowing 20-30mph one night and the truck was positioned side onto the wind direction. Little oil canning in upper drivers side corner. Once I realized the cause I was able to roll over and go back to sleep.

Over time you will get used to it...at least we have,

 

[Stalking Light]

I've not heard any popping on my Eagle and have been in plenty of high winds, side to side and front to back. I'm sure it helps that I have 3 solar panels (two flex glued to the roof), two roof vents and Yakima tracks which don't allow a lot of flex to the aluminum.

 

[camper rich]

Our 2016 had this problem our first night in Baja. We were parked facing directly into the wind but the wind was in the 60-70 mph range. From then on it made popping noises in as little as 15 mph winds and it didn't seem to matter what direction it was facing. We returned it to our dealer who returned it to FWC and they repaired it.

Occasionally there is still a little popping but it is much improved. I didn't mention it is a 2016 Grandby with Yakima
tracks and a 160 watt solar panel.

 

[Wallowa]

Our 2016 had this problem our first night in Baja. We were parked facing directly into the wind but the wind was in the 60-70 mph range. From then on it made popping noises in as little as 15 mph winds and it didn't seem to matter what direction it was facing. We returned it to our dealer who returned it to FWC and they repaired it.

Occasionally there is still a little popping but it is much improved. I didn't mention it is a 2016 Grandby with Yakima
tracks and a 160 watt solar panel.

What exactly was the "repair"; how did they fix it?

Thanks...Phil

 

[2tallDA]

Wouldn't a little thicker roof do with bracing perhaps. For what FWC charges a fix must be out there.
Do the ATC owners report this flaw?

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Wouldn't a little thicker roof do with bracing perhaps. For what FWC charges a fix must be out there.
Do the ATC owners report this flaw?

No, ATC has chosen to stay with a two piece roof that has screws going into the ribs. I believe they also use different insulation. My old Grandby had oil canning, as mentioned in one of the linked threads, but never in the ATC Bobcat. I think the Bobcat roof is quieter in the rain as well.

 

[Alley-Kat]

I thought someone, maybe Ted (?), a year or more ago, had this issue on a brand new FWC and it turned out to be the adhesive that was used to hold the one piece roof to the ribs. I thought I heard that a complete roof replacement at the factory with newer and better adhesive was the fix. Maybe my old memory is not right.

As Steve says, the ATC's don't have this issue.

 

[Wallowa]

I thought someone, maybe Ted (?), a year or more ago, had this issue on a brand new FWC and it turned out to be the adhesive that was used to hold the one piece roof to the ribs. I thought I heard that a complete roof replacement at the factory with newer and better adhesive was the fix. Maybe my old memory is not right.

As Steve says, the ATC's don't have this issue.

"Paging Stan"...Stan what is/was it that FWC can do to eliminate or lessen the "oil can" popping in a strong wind?

As for thicker aluminum or anything that increases the weight of the roof; that perhaps would create lifting, lowering issues.

I realize that my Yaktrax as does the solar requires holes in the one piece roof sheet...but just for me, I prefer the fewest number of holes through any of the roof or skin.

All said and done, it seems this popping problem does not constitute a structural or functional problem; it is only an annoyance.

Phil

 

[camper rich]

What exactly was the "repair"; how did they fix it?

Thanks...Phil

They removed the old roof skin and replaced it with a new one, tapeing it down in more places.