Community Forums

H2O4 · 10-25-2016, 07:37 AM

Good Morning,

we took our RV ('07 Bounder 35E) to a general inspection at Camping World last week. They said that the roof caulking needs to be replaced because it starts crackling. In total this would mean 1.400 USD repair costs. Because we are RV newbies, we would love to hear your oppinion first:

Should a professional do such repairs or is it simple and can be done by ourselves? If this can be done by ourselves: What kind of caulking is required? Does the old caulking needs to be removed or can the new caulking be applied directly on top?

Are there any other options that are wiser? I have heard something about Armor RV for a long lasting roof protection?

We have attached a photo that shows an example area of our roof.

Thank you so much for all your help.

Many greetings from New Orleans,
Ralf

JJH3rd · 10-25-2016, 08:04 AM

Yep, that crack needs some Dicor sealant and given that you (I assume) took the picture, you are able to get up on the roof. Next time upi go up there take along a tube on sealant (in a dispenser) and slather ALL of the edges of the openings (fans, pipes, etc) and joins (caps to roofs) with the stuff. wear disposable gloves and throw away any left over sealant because it will have hardened before you need to use it again next year. Check out the online How-To videos for more instructions.

For much less than $20 you can do this maintenance task and put the $1,380 you "saved" into your next trip.

aguablanco · 10-25-2016, 08:17 AM

I just recaulked all of the openings on my roof for $42.00. That was what I paid for 6 tube of Dicor self leveling caulk that I bought online. It is really very easy.
RichH

MSHappyCampers · 10-25-2016, 09:34 AM

You can easily do it yourself for a small fraction of that price! I would use the Dicor 502LSW self-leveling caulk. You do not need to remove the old caulk, just clean it good with Acetone. Put an ample amount of new caulk, being sure to completely cover the old caulk and maybe an inch overlap all around. It will take several tubes to do the entire roof.

Don't make the mistake of using any type silicone caulk!!!!!!!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

H2O4 · 10-25-2016, 09:36 AM

JJH3rd, aguablanco, MSHappyCampers,

thanks a lot for all your help and your quick answers! I will look into Dicor sealing now. Do you think that they sell it at Walmart or Camping World (:-)) or some other Auto dealer?

Bye,
Sven

MSHappyCampers · 10-25-2016, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H2O4

JJH3rd, aguablanco, MSHappyCampers,

thanks a lot for all your help and your quick answers! I will look into Dicor sealing now. Do you think that they sell it at Walmart or Camping World (:-)) or some other Auto dealer?

Bye,
Sven

I doubt you will find it at Wal Mart. Camping World may have, or check with any independent RV dealers around. I found mine at a local RV dealer.

You may find the 501LSW. Dicor told me that the 502LSW is preferred by professional techs and will flow better.

I Googled it and this is one source.

RV Lap Sealant-Self Leveling- Dicor 502LSW-1,White | RV Parts Country

**Spdracr39** · 10-25-2016, 10:07 AM

Could you not also repair this with Eternabond tape ?

70ChevelleSS · 10-25-2016, 01:02 PM

You can cover up what's already there, Dicor sealant is what you want. At some point though you need to remove the old caulk or as much of it as you can. You don't want to just keep adding more and more. If you have a rubber roof removing the old stuff is a little tricky, you don't want to cut or tear the roof. If it's fiberglass it's a lot easier.

palehorse89 · 10-25-2016, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H2O4

Good Morning,

we took our RV ('07 Bounder 35E) to a general inspection at Camping World last week. They said that the roof caulking needs to be replaced because it starts crackling. In total this would mean 1.400 USD repair costs. Because we are RV newbies, we would love to hear your oppinion first:

Should a professional do such repairs or is it simple and can be done by ourselves? If this can be done by ourselves: What kind of caulking is required? Does the old caulking needs to be removed or can the new caulking be applied directly on top?

Are there any other options that are wiser? I have heard something about Armor RV for a long lasting roof protection?

We have attached a photo that shows an example area of our roof.

Thank you so much for all your help.

Many greetings from New Orleans,
Ralf

Figure out how many feet you need, and buy some Eterna-bond tape and do your roof.............will never have to worry about it again, and it look nice when done.......

powderman · 10-25-2016, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 70ChevelleSS

You can cover up what's already there, Dicor sealant is what you want. At some point though you need to remove the old caulk or as much of it as you can. You don't want to just keep adding more and more. If you have a rubber roof removing the old stuff is a little tricky, you don't want to cut or tear the roof. If it's fiberglass it's a lot easier.

Agreed, remove as much as you can of the old stuff. Not trying to be disrespectful, but what's on there now looks like it was done by a first grader.

70ChevelleSS · 10-25-2016, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powderman

Agreed, remove as much as you can of the old stuff. Not trying to be disrespectful, but what's on there now looks like it was done by a first grader.

I didn't want to be disrespectful either but covering the old and extending an inch each in direction? Eventually you'll have huge pile of sealant that covers the whole roof. You don't have to remove all of the old sealant. Just cut down into it where it's still pliable and not cracked.

HR2004 · 10-25-2016, 04:50 PM

I agree with others.. strip down what you can and get leveled out.. Dicor comes in SELF LEVELING AND NON LEVELING.. you want self leveling.. I got mine at a camping world and it is on Amazon.com.. Eternabond tape is amazing stuff. I would use it if you can find it.. I would not let CW do anything to my rv..

TXredfish · 10-25-2016, 05:13 PM

I would certainly use the Eternabond tape. I did that on my motorhome.
It will last forever and does a much better job. Go to their website and see the instructions. Very easy to do. You may have to order what you need on line. That $1400 price at Camper World is way too high. That is almost like robbery just to caulk. The only thing you have to watch with the tape is do not let it touch anything after removing the covering, it will stick instantly.

LVRVLUVR · 10-26-2016, 08:16 AM

here's a problem with the tape on a flat roof... and worse running down the edge of both sides... what happens is you will loose the design of the roofs water run off... if you build up the side a 1/2 inch... you will pool 1/2 inch of water on the roof... the roff is not designed for water to pool..and problems will happen.... and one of the first is leaks around the AC...

the rubber roof is designed to be flat... and water is to run off..