what kind of caulk on roof?

[garycarolyn]

We are trying to keep rain from rolling off the roof of our Casita and into the windows, the eyebrows aren't wide enough and the eyebrow over the door causes the runoff to run over the porch light and down the vents.
We want to install a strip of vinyl between the roof and awning housing to catch the water and run it off to the side of the trailer past the windows.
We have heard of leveling caulk. What is best to keep the vinyl in place to do its job?
We have tried noodles and other stuff stuck in the crack but nothing works. We installed a fan cover that does the trick to keep rain from coming into the camper from the roof.
We would really love your suggestions. Thank you

[tractors1]

Flexible RV gutters come in various lengths and apply with VHB tape - not caulk. One example:


https://www.campingworld.com/eze-rv-...xoCOhIQAvD_BwE

[Casita Greg]

Good luck with creating your dirt, leaf and tree debris rooftop frog pond. You'll find that it not only traps all manner of nasty stuff, a lot of which will actually stain your trailer, but you'll also find that it will be ridiculously difficult to clean as well. To the point that I actually removed and sold my Fiamma awning. If I had it to do over again, I would have never bought it. I now have a slide in Keder rail awning which I remove and fold up between campsites. And I don't have to seal any gaps because there aren't any.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

Good luck with creating your dirt, leaf and tree debris rooftop frog pond. You'll find that it not only traps all manner of nasty stuff, a lot of which will actually stain your trailer, but you'll also find that it will be ridiculously difficult to clean as well. To the point that I actually removed and sold my Fiamma awning. If I had it to do over again, I would have never bought it. I now have a slide in Keder rail awning which I remove and fold up between campsites. And I don't have to seal any gaps because there aren't any.

The idea of plugging the space between the awning housing and the trailer body looks good on paper . We had a trailer where the previous owner glued / caulked a piece of foam in place to stop water from running down the side of the trailer
As Greg describe he created a Dam which collected leaves , dirt , tree pollen and water . If you didn’t constantly clean the area behind the dam it leads to mold , rotted vegetation and stains in & damage to the Gelcoat
I’d either remove the awning as Greg said or leave well enough alone
You are just trading one problem for another IMHO

[thrifty bill]

I have this stuff on my Escape and also had it on my Casita. I have never had any come loose.

They even have gutter spouts that you put on each end that will drain water away from the side of the trailer.

It comes with its own self adhesive tape on the back. Some reviews state it didn't stick at all, others raved about how well it sticks. Wonder if they have a bit of a quality control problem?


https://www.amazon.com/Trim-Lok-Drip...gateway&sr=8-7

[floyd]

15 years ago I dropped a 97¢ length of PVC pipe into the gap between the camper and the awning.
I then sealed it from above using Kitchen&Bath silicone caulk.
Still works fine as a gutter.

[Donna D.]

This is the mess that can be made that Steve and Greg are talking about if you close the gap.

[Casita Greg]

Thanks for the picture Donna. Just what I was talking about. A picture is worth a thousand words.

[Captleemo]

Sealing the awning housing from the top is obviously asking for trouble but what if you installed a drip edge like this below the awning housing so when it rain and flows down the side of the trailer this drip edge would channel it away so you could enjoy the outside under the awning drier than a popcorn fart.

[Captleemo]

Forgot the website. https://www.amazon.com/Trim-Lok-Drip...ZR9ZE48HCJ6WAP

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Captleemo

Sealing the awning housing from the top is obviously asking for trouble but what if you installed a drip edge like this below the awning housing so when it rain and flows down the side of the trailer this drip edge would channel it away so you could enjoy the outside under the awning drier than a popcorn fart.

I was not asking for trouble nor have I found any.


1] The gutter tends to clear itself while underway, if any debris even accumulates.


2] First good rain clears it out both ends.


3] Washing the trailer is part of maintenance.


4] About the only way to accumulate debris is while the Trailer is in storage under a tree, then you may have to clean birds nests and bird crap anyway.


5] I have tried the self adhesive drip edge molding and found it marginally effective at best.


I have never had significant debris on the roof but then I do wash and wax the trailer at least once a year.


Here's an image taken a year or so ago, It had not been cleaned in months prior to taking it.

It drains well and is self cleaning when it rains or is towed at speed.
I suppose each application would yield different results, and drainage should be a consideration.

[stude]

We used Dicor Self Leveling Lap Seal to hold down our 200W solar Panel and it has never come of any of our units. I used to install hundreds of galvanized and stainless steel troughs to move water away, so think of using clear Silicone to stick something to the wall to move the water away. The Silicone is a good Glue they also make is called No More Nails once stuck in about 4 seconds, Gorilla Glue is supposedly good to and fast drying.
stude

[The Minimalist]

Go down to Lowes or Home Depot and get some vinyl j-channel that matches your trailer. Remove the nail strip, cut to size and affix with HD double sided tape, as in this picture. You could mount it under the awning as some have suggested.