Little Mold pinpoint spots on caulking before belly band

[CampyTime]

Hi FGRV Friends,

Each season, I've had to use Concrobium to get these tiny little mold pin sized dots off the white caulking behind my scamps belly band.

She does sit outside on my driveway until storage in October, but aside from the Concrobium stain remover, is there anything you've used to effectively seal that caulk so they don't keep coming back?

I do have a cover, but live alone and it's hard to put on without some help. I'm going to do the Concrobium tomorrow and give her a little bath. If the cover will work for now I'll put it on with someone's help, but I camp frequently when I do so it would be kind of a pita to keep putting on and taking off. Is there some type of sealant that would sort of "close the pores" of the caulking?

Much obliged,
Wendy


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[EllPea in CA]

Hi Wendy,

Am very curious to know if there's a solution to this problem, so I hope someone chimes in soon!

Best,
LP

[Borrego Dave]

Wendy, is this a silicone caulk you're talking of? If so I do believe there is a mold resistant one you can replace it with.

[CampyTime]

I'm not sure Dave. It is what scamp uses right from the factory. It is white. Happy to take a pic if that would help.

Since Scamp uses clear silicone around their windows I would assume this is a white version of the same. At any rate, the little mold or mildew spots are annoying. This will be the second time this year I've used Concrobium. It works great, but ugh!


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[rbryan]

Wendy, I would change caulks. Some have a mildewcide and don't mold over time.


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[CampyTime]

Shrimp Scampi is moldy! . How do I get this stuff out of there? Makes me nervous with the belly band and FG gelcoat right there.


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[BatDude]

Same issue with our 2014 Scamp that sat outside between trips.

I used a mild solution of beach 1:6 part to water, let sit 15 minutes or so then hosed it all off. Initially it was fairly heavy so used a DT (discarded toothbrush) to lightly scrub some these areas.

More than a bit concerned with the oxidation cased by the chlorine and it may damage the silicon.

I need to look for and try the Concrobium

In any case this adds a whole new meaning to the "Molded" part of the fiberglass trailer forum LOL

[Captleemo]

GE Silicone II now has a 7 year mold-free version of their silicone caulking. I bought a tube at Walmart.

[CampyTime]

Ha ha! Very funny pun, Batdude. If you have a Home Depot near you, Concrobium Mold Stain Eraser is there. You mix it in a pail with hot water. Directions say pump sprayer but I just used a hand pump bottle I recycled from another use. Has to sit 3 hours out of direct sun. Then rinse and wash again.

I just finished the treatment for now and after washing and drying I'm going to put the cover back on to see if it helps for now. As I said earlier, I rarely have help so putting cover on between camping trips would be a pita. I'm hoping somebody with experience teaches me how to get that caulk out without damage. Replacing with a caulk that has a biocide/mildewcide might be the ticket.

I did everywhere this time as it's all around my windows and fantastic fan caulk outside. I googled for some type of paint on sealant that would close the pores of the caulk, but I obviously made it up in my head as no such product exists. 😬


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[emij]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Hi FGRV Friends,

I do have a cover, but live alone and it's hard to put on without some help. I'm going to do the Concrobium tomorrow and give her a little bath. If the cover will work for now I'll put it on with someone's help, but I camp frequently when I do so it would be kind of a pita to keep putting on and taking off. Is there some type of sealant that would sort of "close the pores" of the caulking?

Much obliged,
Wendy


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I'm no help on the mold, but I did read somewhere that an easier way to get the cover on by oneself is to use a step stool and a push broom. You hook the cover on the hitch and then get the broom up under the back end of the cover and walk around to the back, dragging it across the top. A step stool can aid in getting it over the middle part. My husband uses a broom without the step stool when I don't go with him to take the Scamp back to storage

[CampyTime]

Thank you, Emij. I'll try that today by myself after she's washed and dried. I am not going to get at the silicone removal this season as work is upon me now, but again, if someone has ever done this I'd be willing to try it.


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[CampyTime]

Thank you, Captleemo. I read about that GE 7 year silicone this am. Sounds like fabulous stuff. Now if we could only get Scamp to use it so new trailer buyers won't have to fuss with this issue! 😬


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[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by emij

I'm no help on the mold, but I did read somewhere that an easier way to get the cover on by oneself is to use a step stool and a push broom. You hook the cover on the hitch and then get the broom up under the back end of the cover and walk around to the back, dragging it across the top. A step stool can aid in getting it over the middle part. My husband uses a broom without the step stool when I don't go with him to take the Scamp back to storage

I've managed to do something similar without a step stool or a broom, but I'm using a slick nylon rainfly set up as a temp awning for shade. Tie or hook or bungie one corner to one side or wheel well or nearby tree or fence, then tie or hook or bungie another corner with a line to hold onto as you walk around... the middle should slide up and over. Then the individual corners can be pulled out and down (in my case pulled out to tent poles and staked down).

Your cover would be a bit more complicated to get over your vent, so a broom and step ladder would probably be necessary there, but I bet you could do the rest from the ground by yourself. If your cover doesn't have grommets to hook or tie onto, these little guys would help. (I use them to stretch out and stake down a strip of outdoor carpeting so no one trips over the edges.)

Good luck with your mold problem! I hope you're able to sort it out.

Best,
LP

[Captleemo]

I have had good luck using Tilex to remove those mold spots. I try to treat it when I'm washing the RV and use an old toothbrush to scrub it a little bit before rinsing it off.

[CampyTime]

Well I tried the broom strategy to get cover over Shrimp Scampi and I just didn't have the strength to hoist it over as it kept sliding back down toward the front with every turn.

So then I got mad and frustrated and got on a stepladder. I laid the cover directly over the top of the trailer in correct front to back orientation and kept walking around to adjust, pull down, etc. That worked.

If I'd have had beer in the house I would have consumed a few. 😄.

Maybe I'll try tilex next year as Concrobium is a bit more work than I want to do on a regular basis. If I could just do that with a toothbrush I probably wouldn't mind so much.

I put a great deal of my time into taking care of my Scamp. Always seems like there's something to do...wash, wax... Today I also inspected rivets under many snap caps and replaced several snap caps due to UV I guess, or otherwise looking crummy. Green like algae around the edges of several so I cleaned that up too. Then used 303 protectant on fan mate and some other stuff. Put a new Damp Rid container inside and other than fully closing little window when rain is expected, she's winterized and ready for sad, sad storage. Weep.


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[Terranovafox]

Originally Posted by rbryan

Wendy, I would change caulks. Some have a mildewcide and don't mold over time.


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For what it's worth, the white caulking that Scamp uses is SilaSeal RVT caulking. You can check it out in their parts store.

https://www.scamptrailers.com/produc...con-tube-white

[Terranovafox]

I was hoping for a "solution" & fixing this recurrent problem, myself, without having to replace caulking to achieve it. Alas, recycled toothbrushes, elbow grease and non-bleach or chlorine based moldicides will prevail. Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho...