Community Forums

dpsdenny · 11-14-2015, 10:01 PM

Two years ago I put Eternabond 4" tape on the roof seams of the motorhome. Looked great and I was very pleased. Inspecting the roof a couple of weeks ago i noticed water easing out at the seams when I pushed on the tape. Not good! I had installed full length ( 41 ft ) strips of tape on both sides and ends ( 7 ft ). Removed it all. Still like the Eternabond tape and feel it may have been the installers fault. The "seam" on the roof, itself creates a small valley underneath the tape. Any leaks will allow the water to run the full 41 ft. lenght of the coach. It was wet the full length. I decided to not have any piece over 12 long ( some are only 2 ft), and not to overlap the tape. Also, not to tape over any Dicor on the inside edge when the outside edge was straight and clear of any obstruction. That "stretches the tape on the inside and it will LEAK. I used Dicor to seal the ends of each section of tape. If I do have a leak it should be localized and easier to repair. Thats the plan for right now. I am sorry if this is a repeat of somebody's Thead,,,, i did not take the time to check

Captjake1 · 11-14-2015, 10:09 PM

Eternabond does not like to be stretched AT ALL during installation. Surfaces must be super clean; I use acetone usually. Much pressure must be applied to activate the adhesive also.

I just applied Eternabond over all of my slide toppers. 36" roll and I cover the entire slide out. Pain in the $&* but I think it will do the trick. I wish I had the facilities and the time to have sealed up the transition points with Dicor; let it set for a week and then apply the roll of Eternabond.

I applied it to the roof of our previous 5'er when I had to split the rubber roof to re-set some screws. I applied 4" Eternabond and it worked AMAZING for 4 year until sold (still solid then).

Mr_D · 11-14-2015, 10:09 PM

We traded our 2002 DSDP 4090 in last Feb. It had the original BriteTek roofing and all I had ever done was freshen the Dicor up where needed. Unit was stored outside it's entire life, cleaned twice a year, Dicor refreshed and the 303 used.
Not one leak in the entire time.
Why did you think you needed the Eternabond?

2 Stroker · 11-14-2015, 10:12 PM

I have used the tape but i like this better
ProFlex Brushable Sealant - Geocel 23200 - Roof Maintenance & Repair - Camping World
2 stroker

dpsdenny · 11-14-2015, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

We traded our 2002 DSDP 4090 in last Feb. It had the original BriteTek roofing and all I had ever done was freshen the Dicor up where needed. Unit was stored outside it's entire life, cleaned twice a year, Dicor refreshed and the 303 used.
Not one leak in the entire time.
Why did you think you needed the Eternabond?

Good question! Just nervous I guess! i am an insurance agent and always look at every roof of every home I enter. Ha, I had no leaks, but it was 10 years old, looked a litte tired in the seams, and I thought it would be something i could do to not worry about the roof for my duration anyway. Thanks David

TQ60 · 11-15-2015, 07:40 AM

We added eternal on to the usual places on our fiberglass roof and expect it to outlive us.

The trick is preperation followed by application.

It must be clean as the glue sticks very well to what you press it against.

If you have not cleaned to the roof it sticks to the stuff on the roof and will fail.

Scrub with acetone until rag stays clean.

When applying burnish it and good handy tool is the one for installing window screen as it focuses all pressure into tiny spot so light pressure is high pressure in tiny lines so easy to get it stuck well.

Recent experience with liquid roof adds different options as this stuff is amazing.

Depending on what you have if you can get by without the primer you can paint this stuff on with a stiff brush to scrub it into any possible cracks and gaps then over coat the area and it cures to a rubber film.

That too will last.

ga traveler · 11-15-2015, 09:13 AM

Clean the surface! Clean the surface! Clean the surface! Glue will not stick to a dirty surface. Sealant will not stick to a dirty surface. when we had leaks in new motorhomes, Almost every time it was where sawdust had contaminated the surface. (motorhome factories are covered in sawdust.) When the tape or sealant was applied, it stuck to the sawdust and not the surface.

Gadget Man · 11-15-2015, 08:19 PM

The EternaBond name implies that it will last forever...we all know nothing does. I applied EternaBond along all of my roof seams five years ago. I followed the manufacturers installation instructions to a tee. Although it adhered well to flat surfaces, it eventually started to lift in raised areas such as my my end cap trim molding. It actually hid a roof leak that took me forever to find. It worked well for almost five years but IMO it is not a permanent fix, at least not in my case.

Craig

UsualSuspect · 11-15-2015, 08:30 PM

I used eternabond around the vents, antenna, and satellite dish and ladder. I did not use it on the seams down the sides or the cap seams at both ends. I was told not to by a guy that does fiberglass body work and to use Dicor for those areas. Did not ask why, so far so good with the areas I did. He said make sure it is super clean and to remove as much Dicor as possible before I put the tape down. He said prep was everything.