Roof Caulking - Montana Owners Club

montanaman · 03-05-2006, 07:32 AM

First, I am not taking my RV back to a dealer for every little thing I find. We have friends who think I should go back to the dealer to have something caulked (we have a fairly new Monty). That is a two hour drive one way. Now, what I need to know if there is a product I can buy right from Home Depot to caulk around skylight over the shower on the outside on roof. Is there one caulk I can use around all of the vents, etc., on the roof so there will be no leaks. thanks

rvfirefighter · 03-05-2006, 07:45 AM

Montanaman, you need to use a dicor sealant that is for rubber roofs. It is a self-leveling caulking that will stay pliable and it better than regular caulking. The only place to get this kind of caulking is from an rv dealer or rv parts. It is easy to use and one tube will cover alot of area.

Searchers · 03-05-2006, 07:48 AM

Frank, Dicor Lap Sealant is recommended by the rubber roof material manufacturer. I've used it and was able to pick it up at a local auto supply store that carries RV supplies.

Don

Montana Sky · 03-05-2006, 10:17 AM

montanaman,
I will agree that taking the coach back for every minor detail can be a bit of a pain, but in the case of you are having roof leaks?? I think I would take it back and have everything checked out, dont want to find out later on down the road there is more damage to the inside from where the water came through. Just my opinion... Which ever product you purchase to fix your leak make sure it is approved by the roof manufacturer, you sure do not want to void that warranty. Best of luck in getting your problem fixed.

richfaa · 03-05-2006, 03:02 PM

I am always concerned about doing repairs on "Warranty related " problems because if a more serious problem exist and it does not show up till later you have given them the perfect excuse to deny Warranty repair. I know it can be a pain but I bite the bullet and do everything I can to get Warranty repairs done by a dealer. Its like changing the oil in my 05 Ford.We know perfectly well that any good grade oil will work just fine But..I use what Ford tells me to use and go to a Ford dealer to get it done while in the Warranty period. It is a inconvenience to me..but that's life.

harleyrider · 03-05-2006, 10:05 PM

If it wasn`t for potential warrenty issues I would go with "eternabond Tape" and forget the caulking.I just redid my shower sky light,of course i AM way out of warrenty.But I can tell you one thing I will never have a leak around the sky light.When the rest of the caulking starts to look bad I will de ALL my seams with Eternabond.

Thunderman · 03-06-2006, 04:16 PM

Harleyrider,
Did you remove all of the old sealant prior to putting eternabond down? I was told one time to use a heat gun on the eternabond before applying to a rough surface. The heat was to make the tape more pliable in order to get a good seal. I have not tried it but would certainly consider it when the time comes.
Thanks, Weldon

harleyrider · 03-06-2006, 11:00 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Thunderman

Harleyrider,
Did you remove all of the old sealant prior to putting eternabond down? I was told one time to use a heat gun on the eternabond before applying to a rough surface. The heat was to make the tape more pliable in order to get a good seal. I have not tried it but would certainly consider it when the time comes.
Thanks, Weldon

Weldon

When I went up on my roof to inspect all the seams and caulking the only place I noticed that the caulking had deep cracks was around the shower sky light.No leaks so far but I wanted to make sure it stayed that way.I cleaned up the old caulking,removed some not much.And put the 4 inch wide Eternabond right over the remaining caulking.The trick is to make sure the area is good and clean to get a good adhesion to the roof.Once put down I used a metal rollar to give it a good bond.It worked out nice and looks a lot better then the caulking did.

I`am sure people flying over in helicopters would be impressed.(lol)

harleyrider · 03-06-2006, 11:03 PM

Weldon

One more thing I forgot was when I did this it was about 80 degrees out side and I saw no need to use a heat gun.The Eternabond is pretty flexible.

Glenn and Lorraine · 03-07-2006, 12:32 AM

If it were me I would take it back and have it repaired by the dealer BUT if you insist on doing it yourself...

Seeing as how Dicor is the manufacturer of the roof and Dicor is the company carrying the warranty I personally would use only products recommended by Dicor. Especially considering your rig is still within the warranty.

This is what Dicor recommends...ROOFING CARE AND MAINTENANCE

Emmel · 03-07-2006, 01:18 AM

Like Glenn said, as long as Dicor warrenties the roof, I will only use what they recommend. Also, be sure you get ALL the old caulking removed before you put new on. The old will keep cracking under the new otherwise defeating the purpose of replacing the cracked caulking. This was told to us at last years rally by the Dicor rep during his seminar on foofs. He said to check the plyability of your present caulk and to replace it when it was hard to the touch. It was also pointed out to use Joy detergent to keep the roof clean, cheap and easy way.

ols1932 · 03-08-2006, 02:45 AM

I have used Dicor caulk only on the areas on the roof. I've only used Eternabond tape on flat surfaces where I've noticed some abrasions (not cracks) just to prevent problems. On my big slide, I used the Eternabond tape the full length to cover the screw heads. I used 2 overlapping runs of the tape the full length of the slide.

One thing, it was mentioned by a previous writer to make sure the area is clean. The best way to clean it is to use rubbing alcohol. This is what is recommended. I just pour a little on a shop towel and wipe the area down first. The tape really sticks!

Orv

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