Apply New Dicor or use EternaBond 4" around Vents and Prep Question

[CoachStreamr]

Coach:
1996 36' Gulf Stream Scenic Cruiser on Spartan EC-2442 Chassis | Cummins B5.9L 230hp ++ | Allison MD3060 6-Speed


Hello,

From this thread, it appears our Coach has a EPDM roof. It is original (21 years old) and I know we should probably replace it and will budge for that over the new couple years.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f110/epdm...of-298680.html

It looks like a rubber coating had been rolled on top in the past and in some areas has peeled (please see picture below).

Took a damaged vent cover off (already purchased one new one, will be replacing covers for both vents) and noticed the cracks in the old Dicor. Used my air compressor to blow stuff out of the cracks in the old Dicor around the vent. Also used a plastic putty knife to get some of the old Dicor off the vent cover brackets.

To clean around the vent, I want to use Turpentine (on a cloth) and ordered a 4oz bottle of this: http://www.diamondgforestproducts.com/~shop/4-oz-100-pure-gum-spirits-of-turpentine/186769/

Supposed to be pure and from Pine Resin, not from the wood chips/pulp. I know Home Depot has Turpentine but read bad things about it. I know some use Mineral Spirits or Denatured Alcohol to clean/prep the old Dicor before applying new Dicor. I also read not to use anything on the roof that is petroleum based. I see if you are careful with the cloth, just cleaning with Mineral Spirits/Denatured Alcohol on only the old Dicor probably is okay.

Questions:
1)Should the Turpentine linked above be good for me to clean the old Dicor around the vent and other areas needed another layer of Dicor 501LSW?

2)Should I try to remove more of the old Dicor?

3)What about using EternaBond 4" around those vents instead of new Dicor, again knowing that the roof probably is past it's life and will need replacing in the future?

A concern I read about using EternaBond around vents is that it can be difficult to remove the EternaBond if the vent itself needs replacing.

I'll use Dicor around the skylight where there is a crack in the Dicor.

I'll post another question about fixing the peeling on the coating in Post #2

Vent





Skylight

[CoachStreamr]

Coating peeling.

Can I get product recommendations for re-coating the areas that have peeled? Perhaps that I can brush on or roll on. I would lift the newer coax cables to apply the coating under.

Should I just use Dawn dish soap & water to clean those areas before re-coating?

I am not going to re-coat the whole roof this year.

Thank you in advance

[RKins]

How is the rest of the roof? I will fess up right now that I only have experience with a fiberglass roof, but if the rest of the roof is in good shape and just needs cleaning, clean it and then take a plastic brush and clean the dirt from the dicor around the vents and any thing else that needs to be cleaned. If the roof can be damaged by scraping it then don't as long as you don't have any leaks. You can scrape the vents and skylights clean. They should be bedded in a butyl tape and the dicor is just added protection. There are a ton of Youtube videos on using Eternabond and they show it going over a lot of semi-rough areas.

Get some eternabond "prep" and coat that area with that and then stick 4" eternabond tape around the vents and skylights, and whatever else. It's going to be good for a long time.
The flaking around the wiring I would just dicor over - appears to be just securing it from the wind.

I just did about 30 feet of my roof (still have 60+ feet left) and the tape is some awesome stuff.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f65/getti...ml#post3700980

[CoachStreamr]

I think the rest of the roof is in good shape (but what do I know).. in these pics below, the shade makes the roof look not as white

I would rather re-coat those small areas, just not sure what to use, hoping someone will post a product recommendation something I can brush on or roll on over the peeling.

[Smitty77]

-Utility Knife or sharper putty knife, to clean loose pieces.
-Gloves, and acetone clean the area.
-Dicor self leveling seal. Let cure based upon you weather/humidity. Say wait 24 hours.
-2" or even 4" Eternabond over the area.

This would be a onetime repair, and should outlast the roof.

Best to you,
Smitty

[jondrew55]

My roof is fairly new, but it was pretty yucky. I got up on the roof with a hose, bucket, a semi stiff brush on a pole and a spray bottle of simple green. I was able to clean things up pretty well by wetting the area, give a couple of squirts of Simple Green and then scrubbing with the brush. It even cleaned the really gnarly spots where the lap sealant was up against the vents and edges.

Safety Tip! Wear rubber shoes like sneakers. I was bare footed at first and boy did that almost end badly. Even with rubber soles shoes this is extremely dangerous.

[Dbrown57]

I have been told by my RV tech to only clean and remove what is loose and then apply the new Dicor over the old when doing repairs. If you are replacing vents then yes you would need to remove the old and replace with new Dicor. Be careful some cleaners will damage EPDM roofs.

[CoachStreamr]

I've read petroleum based products are a no no with EPDM and from this thread I found out about Turpentine.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f59/what-...tml#post912055

Mineral spirits is a distillation fraction of petroleum. Turpentine is a distillation from pine tree sap(no petroleum involved). Where are Ken and Rusty when you need them_.

I figured somebody would say "OMG" when I mentioned mineral spirits. Both mineral spirits and turpentine work fine and are not a problem to any roof as long as you don't pour it on. You just use a dampened cloth.

I have Mineral Spirits here but don't think I want to use it on my roof. I've also read about the poor quality of Turpentine available at Home Depot so I searched around and found some pure stuff here (they also sell on Amazon): http://www.diamondgforestproducts.com/~shop/4-oz-100-pure-gum-spirits-of-turpentine/186769/

Does anyone use Turpentine to clean with? And if so, which brand Turpentine do you use?


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[FatChance]

Originally Posted by Smitty77

-Utility Knife or sharper putty knife, to clean loose pieces.
-Gloves, and acetone clean the area.
-Dicor self leveling seal. Let cure based upon you weather/humidity. Say wait 24 hours.
-2" or even 4" Eternabond over the area.

This is the way I do roof repairs like this as well. Eternabond over properly installed Dicor.

[donnyman]

you look to be in pretty good shape! the most important thing you will have to do is get the repair areas as clean as you can, I used a rubber roof cleaner from the RV store that did a stellar job. I washed the roof twice just to be sure. remove all the loose stuff the use the tape and Dicor liquid. two years now and no problems. Dicor has it's own cleaner/primer expensive, but it works. That patch has tape and liquid ....no problems, the rv dealers would not touch my roof.

[CoachStreamr]

what a difference in those pics

Originally Posted by donnyman

you look to be in pretty good shape! the most important thing you will have to do is get the repair areas as clean as you can, I used a rubber roof cleaner from the RV store that did a stellar job.

Can you post the brand & item number (if any) of the rubber roof cleaner?

Originally Posted by donnyman

use the tape and Dicor liquid. two years now and no problems. Dicor has it's own cleaner/primer expensive, but it works.

Did you Dicor first then put the EternaBond on top?

[CoachStreamr]

Besides prep stuff, is this what I need for the EternaBond

Either 2" or 4" 35 mil (25' or 50'):
EternaBond RoofSeal

And this roller:
EternaBond Steel Roller

Perhaps a solid rubber roller would be a good choice.


I see that the tape has a 5 year shelf life, need to find a reputable online source next

Originally Posted by RKins

Get some eternabond "prep"

Originally Posted by donnyman

Dicor has it's own cleaner/primer expensive, but it works.

EternaBond own "Prep" "primer" - Are you posting about?

Clean first with:
http://www.eternabond.com/EternaClea...%20cleaner.htm

http://www.eternabond.com/EternaPrim...ternaprime.htm
or spray
http://www.eternabond.com/EternaPrim...me%20spray.htm



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[CoachStreamr]

Originally Posted by RKins

The flaking around the wiring I would just dicor over - appears to be just securing it from the wind.

What is your opinion about using the EternaBond 4" tape over those peeling areas? Dicor would pile up (tho flatten a bit) and would be thicker, no one would see it but me of course.

.

[CoachStreamr]

Originally Posted by Smitty77

-Gloves, and acetone clean the area.

Is Acetone is safe for a EPDM roof?