Side wall leakage

[Johnontheroad]

Often overlooked, the seal that Entegra (and most others) uses between the sidewall and the trim deteriorates and allows water to run inside the side wall. There is can cause rot, rust, and other bad things. I had the same problem on my prior coach and put a fine bead of silicone to seal the gap. But it always looked bad, it’s almost impossible to add just a small bead.

Looking at other coaches, this is a common problem. And it is usually overlooked because you can’t see inside the joint. So I practiced until I found a method that worked. So I thought I would share it.

First, clean the joint. Use rubbing alcohol, if needed a plastic scraper to remove baked on dirt. Then, take some masking tape and put one layer right above the seam on the sidewall, another on the trim piece. This leaves a small gap where the seam is exposed. Using a rubber glove, put a good dollop or clear silicone on your finger, and work it in to the seam. Get it as thin as possible on the tape but still working it in the seam. After the silicone dries you can pull the tape off leaving a sealed gap.

Some pictures...

[brobox]

John, you brought up a good point on the Classics. I had a couple of seams that peeled and I had to redo them on my 14 before I sold it. The Classics are getting to the age the silicone seams will need resealing or they will hold water and start rusting or blistering the paint. Excellent post.

[dave&ginny]

Here’s a trick for a good seam when using any type of caulk or silicone.

#1 clean the area and make sure it’s dry
#2 cut the tip of the tube so only a small amount comes out
#3 apply the silicone to the desired area
#4 spray windex over the entire area
#5 wet your finger with windex and wipe off the excess caulk

The caulk won’t stick to the windex and this leaves a nice clean look

[creeklife135]

WD-40 works as well

[Johnontheroad]

An RV window installer turned me on to the Windows trick, but I found that it was very difficult to get a small enough bead that it would smear even with Windex. And I tried WD40 this morning, same thing. If that works for you fine, but I find that the tape method gives a more reliable small bead.

[DebbieMH]

That’s for the tips. I have one that I need to do.

[brobox]

Originally Posted by Johnontheroad

An RV window installer turned me on to the Windows trick, but I found that it was very difficult to get a small enough bead that it would smear even with Windex. And I tried WD40 this morning, same thing. If that works for you fine, but I find that the tape method gives a more reliable small bead.

I did the same method using blue painters tape. It was almost mess free.

[rorr1821]

The tape method sounds like the way to. The windex and wd40 sound like they could be rather messy. But, that being said, one should use what works best for them.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Booberboo]

Wouldn't it make sense to combine both procedures? Use the tape to ensure a minimum of mess and overspreading of the silicone, and use the Windex/WD-40 to ease with the spreading/packing of the silicone?

Also, in my mind, I think I might use a small straight edge/putty knife/credit card(?) to get a nice smooth finish to the bead of silicone and to ensure it gets into the seam.

[Gary.Jones]

I had a number of those seams on my 2015 Anthem that appeared to almost have no caulking at all direct from the factory. I needed to go back to the factory for some other problems at 1 year and again at my two year PDI and there happened to be a female tech there who apparently did caulking almost exclusively at some previous job, and she re-did these seams and did a beautiful job. Not sure what method she used, but those seams were never a further problem.

I will file these methods away for future reference. When caulking in the house, I always found that a very thin bead, then getting your finger wet with saliva or a glass of water, and running you very wet finger down the bead line left a pretty perfectly smooth job.

Gary

[Almost There]

Originally Posted by Johnontheroad

Often overlooked, the seal that Entegra (and most others) uses between the sidewall and the trim deteriorates and allows water to run inside the side wall. There is can cause rot, rust, and other bad things. I had the same problem on my prior coach and put a fine bead of silicone to seal the gap. But it always looked bad, it’s almost impossible to add just a small bead.

Looking at other coaches, this is a common problem. And it is usually overlooked because you can’t see inside the joint. So I practiced until I found a method that worked. So I thought I would share it.

First, clean the joint. Use rubbing alcohol, if needed a plastic scraper to remove baked on dirt. Then, take some masking tape and put one layer right above the seam on the sidewall, another on the trim piece. This leaves a small gap where the seam is exposed. Using a rubber glove, put a good dollop or clear silicone on your finger, and work it in to the seam. Get it as thin as possible on the tape but still working it in the seam. After the silicone dries you can pull the tape off leaving a sealed gap.

Some pictures...
Attachment 238751

Attachment 238752

Attachment 238753

Attachment 238754

Ok, just because I will be doing same job day after tomorrow, what caulking did you use?
I just went into town and got a couple of tubes of proflex.
Hoping I choose the right material.
Thanks in advance

Bob

[2Nailz]

Just started this project in what appears to be the very same area. The existing caulk was very boogered up. I went to HD and found this tool "Homax
2-Piece Caulk Finishing Set". It works great, just do not put it against the body of the coach, it will scratch. I used it at about a 45 degree angle using the v notched portion of the scraper tool.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Homax-2-...5860/203604199


I have Geocel Pro Flex RV Clear on-hand that I plan to use. I find that I can smooth it better than silicone. Silicone seams to stick to everything I don't want it too. I am also using mineral spirits to wipe just the joint for prep and it helps remove remaining caulk boogers. I am going to use the tape method mentioned above. I have done this before on other projects and it really helps to achieve a uniform appearance. I also use a small container with water and a drop or two of Dawn dishwashing liquid to dip my finger in when smoothing the caulk. It seams to help prevent the caulk from sticking to my skin.

Forgot to add: It seemed to shrink the gap between the trim and the wall when I pushed up on the trim. There are screws on the underside of this trim piece. I found some that were rusted off and some that were loose. I ran out of daylight but I'm going to try to replace some of these.

[2Nailz]

BTW Johnontheroad I enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks to you I torqued my wiper arms to 65 ft. lbs. They were very loose.

[2Nailz]

Got the section on the passenger side caulked today. I thought I would share a photo of the screws I mentioned before. With little effort I could twist the heads off of the rusted screws. I drilled out the existing location and added stainless sheet metal screws. It did help tighten up the gap between the trim and the sidewall.