Forum Discussion

dave17352's avatar
dave17352
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013

eternabond or dicor self leveling caulk

Here is my situation. I recently bought a 98 lance Truck Camper. It is in great shape. Never any water damage as it was stored inside most of its life. The roof is the aluminum with the white baked on enamel and looks close to new. The seams and around fixtures has some sort of sealant over the top of the screws and flanges. Anyway the sealant on top has yellowed and has tons of hair line cracks visible but none of it has pulled away from screws etc. In other words I don't think it would leak through the sealant that has the hair line cracks. But you never know! I am pretty sure there is sealant under all the flanges and seams,?? as well as this stuff on top.

So I went to the local RV store and told them what I had going on. They gave me a couple options.

1. Do nothing it isn't going to leak unless it has separated.

2. Clean it real good and put dicor self levaling caulk over the seams. This would seal it up.

I threw out the option of Eternabond over the seams. Daryl said I would not use it. I asked why and he said if you ever get a leak trying to get that stuff off is a real PIA. That is why he would use the Dicor.

I watched a youtube video on eternabond and it sure looked good to me. What do you all think about it. Opinions please.

What do you think of option 1. Doing nothing. I will also store inside so it won't be out more than a month a year.

Thanks
  • tenbear's avatar
    tenbear
    Explorer
    Jul 10, 2013
    I just resealed my rubber roof with Dicor. Seemed easy enough to do.

    You probably won't be aware of leaks until internal damage shows up. With a '94, even stored indoors, the sealant could have dried out and possibly have some leaks. Are you willing to bet that it doesn't?

    I wasn't and mine is a 2005.
  • BarneyS's avatar
    BarneyS
    Explorer III
    Jul 10, 2013
    In my opinion, option #1 is not an option.

    #2 is ok.

    The best option, and the one you mentioned, is to put Eternabond tape on all the seams. It is a bit more difficult to remove than the Dicor caulk but not impossible. It DOES give you much more protection that you will not have to worry about for a very long time.
    I did my whole roof seams with it shortly after I purchased my new trailer. Now, about 9 or so years later, it is still in perfect condition with no leaks or cracks.

    In my opinion, it is better to be proactive in preventing leaks rather than waiting for them to develop. I would spend the time putting the Eternabond tape on.
    Barney
  • dave17352's avatar
    dave17352
    Explorer
    Jul 11, 2013
    Well I like the eternabond tape option myself and that is what I will go with. One of the fellas at the rv store said use windex to clean with. What did you folks use. Also where the gutter edge meets the aluminum roof would you run eternabond just past the seam between the gutter and aluminum roof. One other question, seems like with eternabond all the way around you are going to make a puddle on the roof. Should you leave a couple inch openings to let water out every three or four feet. Or just tape her up tight?

    thanks
  • BarneyS's avatar
    BarneyS
    Explorer III
    Jul 11, 2013
    Well I like the eternabond tape option myself and that is what I will go with. One of the fellas at the rv store said use windex to clean with. What did you folks use.

    I used soap and water followed by a wipe over with Acetone. See the instructions recommended by the manufacturer here.



    Also where the gutter edge meets the aluminum roof would you run eternabond just past the seam between the gutter and aluminum roof.

    Yes, I would remove the gutter if possible and sandwich the Eternabond between the gutter and the aluminum roofing material. You might find a lot of the screws holding it on very rusty which indicates that water has been in there. The other option is to run it over the edge of the roof and bottom it in the gutter.



    One other question, seems like with eternabond all the way around you are going to make a puddle on the roof. Should you leave a couple inch openings to let water out every three or four feet. Or just tape her up tight?

    No. It will not cause water to pool or puddle on the roof. Most RV roofs have at least a little bit of slope and are not perfectly level. I would not worry about that at all. Even if it did puddle, unless you have a leak it would not make any difference except be a place for mosquitoes to breed. :W


    Barney
  • dave17352's avatar
    dave17352
    Explorer
    Jul 11, 2013
    BarneyS wrote:
    Well I like the eternabond tape option myself and that is what I will go with. One of the fellas at the rv store said use windex to clean with. What did you folks use.

    I used soap and water followed by a wipe over with Acetone. See the instructions recommended by the manufacturer here.



    Also where the gutter edge meets the aluminum roof would you run eternabond just past the seam between the gutter and aluminum roof.

    Yes, I would remove the gutter if possible and sandwich the Eternabond between the gutter and the aluminum roofing material. You might find a lot of the screws holding it on very rusty which indicates that water has been in there. The other option is to run it over the edge of the roof and bottom it in the gutter.



    One other question, seems like with eternabond all the way around you are going to make a puddle on the roof. Should you leave a couple inch openings to let water out every three or four feet. Or just tape her up tight?

    No. It will not cause water to pool or puddle on the roof. Most RV roofs have at least a little bit of slope and are not perfectly level. I would not worry about that at all. Even if it did puddle, unless you have a leak it would not make any difference except be a place for mosquitoes to breed. :W


    Barney


    Barney thanks for the info. I do have one other question. When lance puts on their aluminum roof do they fold it over the aluminum siding and then attach the molding then the gutter, or do they just run it to the edge then put there molding on top which catches the edge of the siding and then caulk that and then attach the gutter?
    In other words if the gutter seam against the camper leaks will the water run down the outside of the camper siding or in the inside. Now I do realize every screw penetration is a possible trouble spot. I did remove one screw from the gutter and it looked new and shiny. Also someone has silicone caulked the gutter on the top and bottom. Now that has to be really a bad idea caulking the bottom of the gutter doesn't it?
  • dave17352's avatar
    dave17352
    Explorer
    Jul 11, 2013
    Well I stopped in to the service dept of the RV dealer. They have sold lance truck campers for years. I talked to their lead RV tech and he said yes the aluminum roof is folded over the siding (which of course makes sense)then the gutter is put on over the descending edge of the aluminum roof.
  • 93Cobra2771's avatar
    93Cobra2771
    Explorer
    Jul 12, 2013
    On a new camper installation, what works best - 2" width or 4" width? I'm planning on leaving the existing Dicor and applying directly over it.
  • BarneyS's avatar
    BarneyS
    Explorer III
    Jul 12, 2013
    I used 4" wide. You can always cut it if you need narrower. I went right over the existing caulk also.
    Barney

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