Community Forums

depchief · 01-24-2021, 09:16 AM

The roof to side wall caulking is deterorating and needs to be replaced. I have don this on this coach and a previous coach and is not a tough job.
the question is has anybody used anything other then DiCor to seal the joint. I have seen Eternabod used and this is not something I would want to do.
Thoughts of using a Flex Seal product but have never heard any comments on how it holds up to exposure.
I have seen some new type Rust O Lium products and have thought about posibly using.
Any thoughts would be appreciated

cherv · 01-24-2021, 10:46 AM

dicor, decor non leveling.

bruceh · 01-24-2021, 10:50 AM

Use Manus bond 75 and follow the Winnebago directions. It is an adhesive in addition to being a caulk. This is really important.

There may be a direct replacement for the Manus bond but I don't know about it.

Make sure that it is fresh as it has a short shelf life.

Eternabond is good for keeping water out but useless for holding down the roof.

geordi · 01-24-2021, 10:53 AM

If the roof is aluminum and held to the side wall with screws and a trim strip... You have to remove both of those, and then fill behind / under where the roof attaches. I used GE Silicone 2 100% silicone on my coach for this. On an older coach I sealed the roof with this product 25 years ago and it is STILL sealed today.

Mudfrog · 01-24-2021, 10:56 AM

Its commercials make it sound like Flexseal is the greatest thing since bubblegum. However, one thing I know is that 99.9% of "as seen on TV" products are subpar to many of the other products in their category.

I have no personal experience but I have read in these forums that Flexseal may work to an extent but is only a temporary fix. In other words, I would not use Flexseal for this type of fix.

David 70 · 01-24-2021, 04:14 PM

When the wind blew the driver's side of the roof out of the channel I used Lexel building sealant. It was what I had and I had to get it put back together. I use it for all my building projects and once it sets it is impossible to get it apart. It says "sticks to almost anything". If you get it on you, you will find that out. I know it's not on Winnebago's list probably because it is too cheap. I've had it on there now 4 years and still looks good. Winnebago says their sealant you need to redo it every 2? years.

Dive in · 01-25-2021, 06:04 PM

I re-did mine this past summer with Loctite PL Marine fast-cure adhesive sealant and thus far it seems awesome. I had previously used 3M 5200 a few years ago on a small area and would have used that again but I found out that the Loctite sticks to aluminum better. (I have a Winnebago with fiberglass roof going into aluminum channel) A couple years ago 3M recommended I use their 4000UV instead of 5200 as its supposedly better in regards to sun exposure but it failed miserably so I had to dig it out and use the Loctite.

Dive in · 01-25-2021, 06:12 PM

Forgot to mention, I got it at Home Depot for about $12 per tube if I remember correctly. Most of the reviews I saw on this product were very positive and the few negative that I saw seemed to be in regards to it being too thick or perhaps too old. Before buying I called the manufacturer at 800-624-7767 with the batch number so they could confirm it was fresh. I found it easy to work with, set up super quickly, and seems very well stuck to both the fiberglass and aluminum.

geordi · 01-25-2021, 06:50 PM

GE Silicone 2 is a 100% silicone product that will bond VERY aggressively to both aluminum and fiberglass - and as I mentioned, I have an installation on the roof of my 1990 Holiday Rambler that has been in full sun exposure since about 1995 and has not failed or degraded in any way. I still own this coach BTW.

As for the product, yes it needs to be fresh. Tubes now are coming with a "use by" date on them, which is usually about 18 months into the future. Of course check and get the freshest you can in the store. I don't know the price for the other products mentioned, but the GE product is about $6 for a standard caulking gun size tube.

On my current coach, I have now replaced all 3 of the roof vent dome-and-fan combinations, as well as the shower dome. Each of these has been installed with ZERO fasteners, but a heavy bead of the silicone sealer. I had previously added the Maxxair covers to two of the vents and used the silicone in a continuous bead to secure them to the roof... Removing the Maxxair domes, I grabbed on and just tried pulling them off..... And pulled the dome APART before it let go of the roof! This was on top of old sealant too.

The new vents, I cleaned everything down to the aluminum with a scraper blade. I don't think they will ever release by themselves, OR leak again.

Ray,IN · 01-25-2021, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geordi

GE Silicone 2 is a 100% silicone product that will bond VERY aggressively to both aluminum and fiberglass - and as I mentioned, I have an installation on the roof of my 1990 Holiday Rambler that has been in full sun exposure since about 1995 and has not failed or degraded in any way. I still own this coach BTW.

As for the product, yes it needs to be fresh. Tubes now are coming with a "use by" date on them, which is usually about 18 months into the future. Of course check and get the freshest you can in the store. I don't know the price for the other products mentioned, but the GE product is about $6 for a standard caulking gun size tube.

On my current coach, I have now replaced all 3 of the roof vent dome-and-fan combinations, as well as the shower dome. Each of these has been installed with ZERO fasteners, but a heavy bead of the silicone sealer. I had previously added the Maxxair covers to two of the vents and used the silicone in a continuous bead to secure them to the roof... Removing the Maxxair domes, I grabbed on and just tried pulling them off..... And pulled the dome APART before it let go of the roof! This was on top of old sealant too.

The new vents, I cleaned everything down to the aluminum with a scraper blade. I don't think they will ever release by themselves, OR leak again.

You are quite lucky indeed; silicone has a poor track record when used on RV's. There is a reason silicone sealing products are the cheapest on the market.
re: Flex-Seal products contain petroleum by-products according to labeling. Since the Ultimates have a fiberglass roof I used Flex-Seal white paint to seal one side of the roof to gutter joint the same year the product was advertised on TV, so far it is holding with no water leaks.

IF it ever shows signs of peeling or coming loose I'll remove it and use Dicor like I did on the driver side of the roof/gutter joint.

geordi · 01-25-2021, 09:53 PM

A lot of the "siliconized" products on the market are mostly acrylic or latex with varying levels of silicone added.

It's hard to determine actual quality or durability in an installation without knowing exactly what was used, but I have never had an issue with 100% silicone. With any of the latex or acrylic products - no question, they have all failed out and usually fairly quickly, at less than 5 years durability in outdoor applications.