Community Forums

Cameraman · 01-02-2021, 05:15 PM

We full time and about 2x / year I get up on the roof, clean it, and check for cracks in the caulk around all the vents, antennas, etc.

I’ve been wondering if I should just clean everything off all the roof penetrations and then seal them with Eternabond Tape. It would certainly save time and probably money in the long run.

The question I have is are there any downsides to doing this that I’m not aware of?

Thanks.

Jim_HiTek · 01-02-2021, 07:38 PM

The downside is all the work involved getting the old caulking off. Most of us that have switched to EBond tape, just trim the caulking a bit, smooth it down some, then cover it with 4" EBond, making sure the Ebond sticks to roofing material mostly.

And then, 6 years later in the case of this RV, and 12 years on my other one, it's still doing the job. I have had to replace the EBond that covers the rear seam because I installed it once during a very moist period just before a big storm, and eventually the poor edges were pealed back by the wind. Only took 30 minutes and it's fine now.

JDooley · 01-02-2021, 10:18 PM

My last moho was a 96 hr endeavor le. It had aluminum roof with a seam dow the middle and factory installed 4 inch eternabond held till I decided to go over the 4 with 6"

Great long lasting product just dont stretch ....clean will use primer and lay it in place and pull backer off as you roll it down.

No negatives here.

Cameraman · 01-03-2021, 05:23 AM

Thanks for the replies. I'll add this to my winter projects this year. Just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything before starting.

richard5933 · 01-03-2021, 05:36 AM

I've been watching a You Tube channel from an RV repair guy in Arizona. He doesn't have good things to say about Eternabond.

Before taking this step, I'd suggest you watch a few of his videos on the subject of Eternabond failures.

He explains things very straightforward, including the steps he takes to rebuild roofs which have not been maintained or which have been poorly maintained.

https://www.youtube.com/user/azrvexp...ery=eternabond

sibe · 01-03-2021, 05:39 AM

IMO, I would not add the tape to a perfectly good seal,,

I have cleaned the seals and used a good roof seal and a 2" brush and added a coat or two..

I have eternbond on my roof and have sealed over it.. fixed a bad skylight and a factory seam... BOTH I skin clean.. uses a dicor self leveling type product we fill voigs and nasties, Let go all week then did the Enternabond, the following year I sealed it all

clifford j · 01-03-2021, 06:16 AM

Richard 5933, thanks for the video link, that certainly was a messy job. Looking at the material he was removing I have doubts it was EternaBond he was removing. The EB I've always used has a gray adhesive and white finish side. Some of the junk stuff he was removing looked like silicone sealant, silicone is not a good base for a sealant tape.

CLIFFORD

richard5933 · 01-03-2021, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clifford j

Richard 5933, thanks for the video link, that certainly was a messy job. Looking at the material he was removing I have doubts it was EternaBond he was removing. The EB I've always used has a gray adhesive and white finish side. Some of the junk stuff he was removing looked like silicone sealant, silicone is not a good base for a sealant tape.

CLIFFORD

He's got lots of videos showing this, and since he does this every day I would tend to believe him when he says it's Eternabond. He's pulled lots of Eternabond from roofs to do a proper repair. He's also pulled lots of caulking improperly applied, usually because the area was not properly cleaned or because incompatible caulking was used over the old stuff.

BCam · 01-03-2021, 06:51 AM

I've also seen AZ Expert's videos and am puzzled by his experience with Eternabond. My Eternabond tape shows no signs of deterioration after three years in the CA sun. Either he's seeing something other than Eternabond, it's been poorly applied, or the AZ sun is much worse than we see here in the Sacramento area. Also, Eternabond has little tensile strength so it's prone to failure where parts are subject to movement, which could be the case with end caps and the like.

sibe · 01-03-2021, 07:04 AM

I have seen Enternabond fail.. many times not a cleaned substrate or degraded substrate.. Not getting oxidation off metal or even a laminated finish.. can casue the tape to lift, bubble..

the other failure that happened to me was a bad seam at my skylight,, wall had delamed and was always not perfectly dry from shower steam and hot/cold exchange.. condensation.. After a winter the moisture goes thru the cracks in the seam or skylight seal.. it freezes thaws many times over winder,, BUBBLEs. soft spots come back..
Hence my mention of cleaning and pre sealing a bad spot,, then the enterabond. bridges and make a near permanent repair that will flex some and remain in place..
Otherwise These TAPES are bandaide that helps but does not replace...

Gary RVRoamer · 01-03-2021, 09:04 AM

I wouldn't do it unless the caulk in fact does need touch-up 2x yearly. Eternabond is excellent, but you still need to get up on the roof if you want to clean it, and you should still inspect periodically for potential leaks. So it's not clear to me that the Eternabond saves you that much work.

Do you really have problems with the existing caulk that need attention 2x annually? Or are you just washing down the roof and eyeballing for potential problems as you go along?

That said, I have added Eternabond to the roofs of two of the slides to solve repeated leaks there. The other place I've had leaks is around the shower skylight, an actual crack in the plastic at one corner. Eternabond wouldn't help there, so I used Geocel Proflex.

Cameraman · 01-03-2021, 08:01 PM

Richard5933,
Thanks for the link to the videos. I'll certainly take a look at them.

Gary, I haven't had failures that I can see. I basically go up, clean the roof, inspect the caulk, etc.

Usually I find some minor cracks starting in the caulk. I clean it up with alcohol before applying fresh caulk... Self Leveling Dicor.

I was just thinking that the Eternabond might give me a more permanent seal... where I wouldn't have the cracks that need constant attention. I'd still be up on the roof cleaning and checking for any possible problems.

So maybe it wouldn't help that much, yet I couldn't see a problem with doing it and was wondering if it would cause a problem that I wasn't aware of.

Again, I'll take a look at the videos and make my decision then.

Thanks for all the input.

Sweetbriar · 01-04-2021, 05:08 AM

I've eliminated as much caulk as possible on my roof. All the straight line seams (front/rear cap, skylight, vents, TV antenna) have been taped with the oldest going on 9 years in place with no signs of lifting, bubbling or any type of pending failure. Before taping I removed all the old caulk and cleaned the EPDM material as best I could which made for a smooth surface for the tape to attach to and gave a good looking final application. I do not caulk the tape edges.

The areas I did have to caulk, tank vents and awning mounting hardware, I used EternaCaulk. The oldest EternaCaulk has been in place for four years with no signs of pending failure or needing attention.

My coach is parked outside in what ever the weather might be in southeastern Virginia. 90+ summer days, an occasional hurricane, northeastern storm or winter freeze and snow. Tape hasn't eliminated the need to get up and inspect the roof on a regular bases but it has extended the life, so far indefinitely, of the seal as compared to the alternatives that may need to be renewal or augmented after a few years in place.

JDooley · 01-04-2021, 06:04 AM

First let me say that sealant fails in 2 ways. First is adhesive failure the second is cohesive failure.

Adhesive failure is usually due to incorrect product or applying the sealant too thick ( in a sealant well) or not using backerrod or bond breaker tape. Not providing proper surface prep.
Cohesive failure is due to improper mixing of two part (commercial sealants) or UV degradation. Or the sealant has outlived the life expectancy

"Three sided adhesion" will cause failures
Three sided adhesion is really sealant spread over two mating surfaces without a bond breaker tape or in the case of a sealant well, backer rod.
Backer rod and bond breaker tape should be used to allow the sealant to bridge a gap or lap and adhere only to the two sides and allow the sealant to act as a rubber band. This allows the metal to expand and contract without failure.

The majority of rv roof sealant failure is improper prep and installation.

Eternabond tape micro sealant is to be installed in accordance with manufacturers direction. Do not stretch the tape while installing. Properly clean then Use primer and a roller when installing.

This is why sealants fail

Not just my .02....but my experience.