Caulking/Sealants - what do you use?

[Bondi19]

Hi there. Forest River 16 Surveyor 220RBS. Have noticed some breaks on exterior door seals, around water/electrical, you know all the places all over the exterior that has sealant or caulking. What brands do you use for what? It looks like we have several different types that have been used. Thanks!

[DWJM2513]

I've got a buddy who works at a camper retailer and he says this osi window and door caulking is the best stuff they've found out there.

[harleyjt]

Whatever you use, don’t use silicone!

[Bondi19]

Originally Posted by harleyjt

Whatever you use, don’t use silicone!

What should the caulking or sealant be made with?

[harleyjt]

Originally Posted by Bondi19

What should the caulking or sealant be made with?

Look names like Dicor or Proflex. Not sure of their composition. Just steer away from silicone.
jt

[chipline]

Originally Posted by harleyjt

Look names like Dicor or Proflex. Not sure of their composition. Just steer away from silicone.

jt

Just wondering why not to use silicone?

[grumpy0374]

Originally Posted by chipline

Just wondering why not to use silicone?

Some caulk is silicone "based", not pure silicone.
You do not want to use any type of "pure" silicone sealant...it was never designed for outdoor use.
Over a short period of time it will start to crack and pull away.
It is the devil to remove if you ever have to.
Nothing, but nothing will stick to it, even new silicone.
If you ever have to remove it, most likely anything you use over the same area will never stick.. the residue it leave is almost impossible to remove.

Just stick with Dicor products or similar sealants designed for rv's. May cost a bit more, but it will be well worth it. Do it right the first time and be done with it.
If you are resealing a window frame. exterior hatch, ect., preferred stuff to use is butyl tape between the item and the surface. It will compress as the item is snugged down and will be water tite.
Grumpy

[harleyjt]

Originally Posted by chipline

Just wondering why not to use silicone?

Originally Posted by grumpy0374

Some caulk is silicone "based", not pure silicone.
You do not want to use any type of "pure" silicone sealant...it was never designed for outdoor use.
Over a short period of time it will start to crack and pull away.
It is the devil to remove if you ever have to.
Nothing, but nothing will stick to it, even new silicone.
If you ever have to remove it, most likely anything you use over the same area will never stick.. the residue it leave is almost impossible to remove.

Just stick with Dicor products or similar sealants designed for rv's. May cost a bit more, but it will be well worth it. Do it right the first time and be done with it.
If you are resealing a window frame. exterior hatch, ect., preferred stuff to use is butyl tape between the item and the surface. It will compress as the item is snugged down and will be water tite.
Grumpy

Exactly!
jt

[grumpy0374]

Additionally, the 2 major rv sealant brands, Dicor and Pro Flex, make different caulks and products for different applications, and you don't want to use the wrong one.
Example, Dicor makes several sealants and coatings, some for solid roofs and some for the tpo and rubber type roofs. a non sag and lap caulk. Seam sealants and caulk.
I'm only fimilar with the Dicor products that I use for my fiberglass roof. I used Dicor products along with Eternabond to seal the roof of our rig in 2013 when it was new, and to this day my rig is still water tight. Minor yearly touch ups have been all I've had to do. If you take the time to do a seal/caulk job right it should last for years.
But just ask about a specific application and I'm sure members fimilar with it will chime in.
Grumpy

[Spoonsize]

I have found polyurethane based caulking works best for me. It can be very messy, rubber up. Cleanup with disposable cloth rags while “wet” does go pretty good.

[Bondi19]

Still trying to figure out which is best to use - this is for just regular maintenance, around front storage compartments, around main door, no roof needing anything at this point. My problem is that this trailer is cream and black, so clear was used on the upper half, and black used bottom half. This is hard to find. And the review on Proflex RV flexible sealant lists uses as: aluminum, glass, steel, wood, and then fiberglass. Should I be looking for something where fiberglass is listed first? One person said it didn't stick to fiberglass. Another said 3M marine product was best, but I think its silicone. Help!