Resealing roof vent seams? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-28-2011, 06:08 PM   #1
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Name: Don
Trailer: 17.5 Bigfoot
Ontario
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Resealing roof vent seams?

The seams around the roof vents on my 2005 Bigfoot are starting to flake off and I'd like to re-coat them to prevent problems down the road. The original coating isn't the usual self leveling caulking that's put on most trailers.....more of a thin, white paste that looks brushed on. Can any one tell me what to use to re-coat those seams? Best way to remove the original
coating? What about using that tape [Eternabond?] that some recommend?
Thanks. Don
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Old 09-28-2011, 08:04 PM   #2
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Dicor rubber roof sealant/caulking. It's self leveling and works well on fiberglass.
John
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Old 09-28-2011, 08:06 PM   #3
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The best way to seal a vent (or window) is to pull it out and seal between the body and the vent with butyl. Blobbing stuff on the outside is a temporary fix. Temporary can be from one to ... (whatever) years, but eventually it will fail. Butyl lasts 15-20 years...
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Old 09-29-2011, 09:35 AM   #4
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Hi Don, We have the same problen with our 2003, 17 footer. Apparently the original sealent is Plasti-Cote (?sp), the alkyd formulation with fibers. This is what I have used because it was locally available and I needed to get it done sonner rather than later. On the Bigfoot forum they have used this, Eternabond tape, Dicor (501 LSW self leveling), and 3M Fast cure 4000UV solutions. The forum is not very active, so I don't know how they compare. The Eternabond would seem to be the best solution, on the face of it. As to how to remove the old material I didn't have much success, I just removed what I could with a plastic putty knife, taped it off and applied more. Seems like it would need to be done every three years or so. This was discussed on this forum within the last three months, but can't find the thread. Can you help us Donna?
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Old 09-29-2011, 06:09 PM   #5
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Hi: Don Dunsmore... I never like to use something that may inhibit the future removal of trailer parts. I had to replace my roof vent cover for the stack and had a devil of a time to remove the sealer used by Escape. I used Butyl Tape and new rivets to hold the new stack cover in place. Usually a quick fix is just that... and really requires a complete job for better performance. Pictures would help but sounds like Tony Nowack has nailed the products used on your trailer.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
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Old 09-29-2011, 06:24 PM   #6
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I vote for Donna's and Alf's suggestion. Pulling the vent really is not that big a deal. Clean up the vent and suface and use Butyl. Problem with adding something over what is already there is that its not likely to bond well and not likely to last all that long either.
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Old 10-07-2011, 10:00 AM   #7
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Eternabond

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Originally Posted by Carol H View Post
I vote for Donna's and Alf's suggestion. Pulling the vent really is not that big a deal. Clean up the vent and suface and use Butyl. Problem with adding something over what is already there is that its not likely to bond well and not likely to last all that long either.
My sister and I have a 23 yr old "stickie" that has sprung some leaks. (I have an Escape). A well-respected rv repair and supply place in Santa Rosa, CA (Marlo's) has been using Eternabond for a couple of years and Allied trailer supply also recommends its use. Roof Leak Repair Products & Sealing Tape | EternaBond® This might be a solution for an easy repair for those less talented. (Like me). Since it is pricey and we aren't going to keep it, and we recently caulked the roof, we haven't tried it. The leaks are around the windows, so we are going to caulk. One warning re: eternabond-apparently it will not stick to silicone, so that would have to be removed. According to their video clip, it will adhere to previously "repaired" places.

I am considering usage around my square or rectangular vents as preventative maintenence, and wonder if any fgrv owners have used it and wih what result. It is supposed to last for > 15 years.
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Old 10-11-2011, 10:20 AM   #8
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Name: Ronnie
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Im using eternabond on the aluminum roof of an old camper I'm restoring. this roof had holes in it and eternabond has stopped the leaks!

As mentioned, eternabond will not stick to old silicone. (Ask me how I know?) The surface you place it on has to be clean! Take the time and clean down to a bare surface. In my case it took many many hours. And wipe the spot down with acetone before applying eternabond.

I'm sold on eternabond and it's worth every penny. You can buy it on ebay very reasonable, in a couple of different widths, and you can buy it by the foot.

I plan on using it on the Scamp I bought 2 days ago.
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