WRONG!

[MSHappyCampers]

When we bought the MH in 2012 we had a small roof leak that I could not determine where it was coming from. I bought a 50' roll of 4" EternaBond tape and some Dicor 502LSW self-leveling sealant, and resealed every opening on the roof! I used the tape on all the large openings like vent fans, skylights, etc., and the Dicor sealant on vent pipes, TV antenna, etc. I didn't remove the old caulk, just cleaned it good with alcohol before applying the tape or sealant. Sure enough, my leak was gone!

Now, after 2 1/2 years I had another leak around the vent fan in the bathroom! I got up there and found that water had gotten under the tape where it was over the uneven caulk next to the base of the fan. With the unlevel caulk the tape did not seal as it should have. I remember seeing on IRV2 where someone was advising to seal the edges of the tape with caulk, but I read that after the fact and didn't think it was important enough to go back and do it! WRONG!

I got a tube of the 502LSW yesterday and did the job right! I think that will solve my problem for good!

Thanks to everyone for the great information I get on IRV2! I'll try to listen better from now on!

[George Schweikle]

Again, some good information from reading this excellent forum.

I used Eternabond to seal the joint between the roof and front cap and was very discouraged after a few months to find the front edge of the tape had peeled back and may have allowed water to seep into the joint. I just applied the tape without adding sealant to the edges, and also used a roller to press the tape onto the surface. Maybe it's time to try some new Eternabond and edge sealant when I am up on the roof this spring...

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

When we bought the MH in 2012 we had a small roof leak that I could not determine where it was coming from. I bought a 50' roll of 4" EternaBond tape and some Dicor 502LSW self-leveling sealant, and resealed every opening on the roof! I used the tape on all the large openings like vent fans, skylights, etc., and the Dicor sealant on vent pipes, TV antenna, etc. I didn't remove the old caulk, just cleaned it good with alcohol before applying the tape or sealant. Sure enough, my leak was gone!

Now, after 2 1/2 years I had another leak around the vent fan in the bathroom! I got up there and found that water had gotten under the tape where it was over the uneven caulk next to the base of the fan. With the unlevel caulk the tape did not seal as it should have. I remember seeing on IRV2 where someone was advising to seal the edges of the tape with caulk, but I read that after the fact and didn't think it was important enough to go back and do it! WRONG!

I got a tube of the 502LSW yesterday and did the job right! I think that will solve my problem for good!

Thanks to everyone for the great information I get on IRV2! I'll try to listen better from now on!

[MSHappyCampers]

George, the tape has held well where the surface was flat and I could apply good pressure to it. It's just on the uneven surfaces where I had the problem. Nevertheless, I sealed ALL the edges with the Dicor to be sure!

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

George, the tape has held well where the surface was flat and I could apply good pressure to it. It's just on the uneven surfaces where I had the problem. Nevertheless, I sealed ALL the edges with the Dicor to be sure!

Joe,
In my opinion, and surely don't take this wrong but, you did a bit of an improper job when initially re-sealing your areas of concern. And that was, to remove ALL the old caulk and sealant prior to any alcohol cleaning and re-sealing. I've done just that in/on a couple of coaches we've had. I use a heat gun and soften up all the caulking around each vent, fan, sky light, plumping vent and more.

Then, I use a stiff bladed scraper to remove all of it. Then, it gets thoroughly cleaned with alcohol and assurance that everything is dry when I'm ready to re-apply the Dicor, self-leveling sealant/caulking. When I'm ready to apply the new sealant/caulk, it's like I just installed all the vents, vent caps, skylights etc. and every thing is brand new looking. In this manor, you then are 1000% assured that you have done a complete link between the lips of any vent, plumbing vent, sky light etc. and the parent material (roofing material). And of course, I also dab all the screw heads too. And, this same practice is done when working on the seams of the front and rear caps.


Sure it's a little bit extra work. So what. It's your (mine and everyone elses) roof so, why not take the extra bit of time? Yes, the job can be done without the extra step of old caulking removal and, many have gotten away with it.

Just some ideas and info here. Good luck.
Scott

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

Joe,
In my opinion, and surely don't take this wrong but, you did a bit of an improper job when initially re-sealing your areas of concern. And that was, to remove ALL the old caulk and sealant prior to any alcohol cleaning and re-sealing. I've done just that in/on a couple of coaches we've had. I use a heat gun and soften up all the caulking around each vent, fan, sky light, plumping vent and more.

Then, I use a stiff bladed scraper to remove all of it. Then, it gets thoroughly cleaned with alcohol and assurance that everything is dry when I'm ready to re-apply the Dicor, self-leveling sealant/caulking. When I'm ready to apply the new sealant/caulk, it's like I just installed all the vents, vent caps, skylights etc. and every thing is brand new looking. In this manor, you then are 1000% assured that you have done a complete link between the lips of any vent, plumbing vent, sky light etc. and the parent material (roofing material). And of course, I also dab all the screw heads too. And, this same practice is done when working on the seams of the front and rear caps.


Sure it's a little bit extra work. So what. It's your (mine and everyone elses) roof so, why not take the extra bit of time? Yes, the job can be done without the extra step of old caulking removal and, many have gotten away with it.

Just some ideas and info here. Good luck.
Scott

Yep, Scott, I'm sure you're right. I should have taken the time to remove all the old caulk. I think I posted the question on here about doing that and most said it wasn't necessary. If I had it to do over, I probably would do that. What's that they say about hindsight!

[dsbike]

This is from the EternaBond website. " Clean the area to be repaired - the cleaner and drier the better.
(EternaBond® tapes will usually aggressively bond to non-cleaned surfaces, however, we suggest using EternaClean, or acetone applied to a rag and wiping the area to be repaired, or briskly rubbing the area with a dry towel.)"
I am curious......You both say you used alcohol. No where does EternaBond recommend alcohol as the cleaning agent. I have installed this tape on 2 motorhomes , cleaned with acetone over the dicor sealant with no lifting or leaks after several years on one & a few years on the other until & I sold it. Was I just lucky or did you use the wrong cleaning method?????

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by dsbike

This is from the EternaBond website. " Clean the area to be repaired - the cleaner and drier the better.
(EternaBond® tapes will usually aggressively bond to non-cleaned surfaces, however, we suggest using EternaClean, or acetone applied to a rag and wiping the area to be repaired, or briskly rubbing the area with a dry towel.)"
I am curious......You both say you used alcohol. No where does EternaBond recommend alcohol as the cleaning agent. I have installed this tape on 2 motorhomes , cleaned with acetone over the dicor sealant with no lifting or leaks after several years on one & a few years on the other until & I sold it. Was I just lucky or did you use the wrong cleaning method?????

Dan, I have just come to depend on alcohol for things like that. It does a good job of cleaning and totally evaporates, leaving no residue. Acetone is great stuff too! I really thine either would be fine!
My problem wasn't a cleaning problem, just that it's hard to get it pressed down properly without space under it if the surface is uneven.

[dsbike]

Joe that"s why I stated I may have just been lucky. We use alcohol 99% of the time when cleaning ares that need retaped on aircraft, such as flooring & seals that were saturated with hydraulic fluid etc.

[2500HD]

Its not always practical to remove every bit of old caulk when recaulking or putting on eternabond tape. With that said Eternabond tape is does not stick as good as they say it does but does have its place. I have done my entire trailer and would do it again.

I did not remove all the old caulk because in some areas it would have ripped the rubber roof membrane. That would be a whole new can of worms. On a fiberglass roof Im sure it can be done a lot easier but on some roofs you can do WAAAAY more harm than good scraping ever seem clean.

[Grandpere]

So when did the fight start? LOL

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by Grandpere

So when did the fight start? LOL

Good memory!

[mojoracing]

hahahahah! Sure would have been one in our little abode! Just kidding! Might have gotten one of "those looks" however.

[RVNeophytes2]

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

When we bought the MH in 2012 we had a small roof leak that I could not determine where it was coming from...

I stuck the popular vent hoods on both my kitchen and bath fans; in doing so, a nightmare of leakage in the kitchen was triggered.

In the latest of seven or eight trips to the roof to re-caulk the fan area, I tested the fix with an hour's worth of rooftop lawn sprinkler. Dry as a bone, not a single drop.

However, during heavy rain the other night the water was trickling down the edge of my fan frame -- I removed the shroud -- in a steady stream!

At this point, I'm going to use the ideas you've garnered in these responses to completely uninstall the fan and reinstall as it should've been done at the factory. Like 80-90% of my 180-odd maintenance write-ups* during two years' ownership, this failure has assembler/maintainer fingerprints all over it.


*Just like at the airline I keep a book of numbered enteries. If something comes up on the road, one of us pulls out the book and notes it in the left column. Then, when the item is fixed, a notation is made in the right column. When each page is totally resolved, it has a diagonal line drawn across the page, and the page is folded in half. In this case, the writeup begins with "Repeat of Item #___." I print copies of the attached form six or seven at a time, punch them and insert the blanks into the slim notebook.

[ahicks]

The nice thing about removing a vent completely to reinstall? You can frequently spot frames that are cracked, making them very difficult to seal properly.

Plastic frames like to expand and contract with temp changes. If they're installed securely to something that doesn't expand and contract at the same rate (alum, steel, wood) - you're eventually going to have cracks. No if's, and's, or but's to it.

Further, when replacing one of those cracked vents using today's sealants, you can use screws in half (or less) of the supplied holes in the perimeter of that new frame and it will be secured just fine. The screws you use don't even need to be tight. The plan is to leave that frame so it can expand and contract a little so it won't crack/break - then leak.