Brob wrote:
Thanks for the reply regarding the adhesive use. I think I am going to give the Chemlink a shot. I used a few different kinds of construction adhesive to varying degrees of success and I think having something that will remain somewhat pliable would be a good thing.
One thing that seemed to be a pervasive situation for me was not being able to spread the adhesives quickly enough; I'm in Florida, so I attributed some of that to humidity on the moisture cure adhesives. That's where the water based contact adhesive was good as it took almost too long to tack.
Looking forward to seeing how your roof gluing goes. I remember the day I finally coated my aluminum roof. I spent countless hours prepping the aluminum, removing old coatings, some of which clearly weren't properly applied. Once I had all the old coatings removed and everything cleaned and ready for the two-part liquid EPDM roofing, and I had a good weather window, I barely slept the night before. I was both excited and nervous as I'd never used the product before. I was so relieved once I finished. It came out well and best of all, it stayed dry inside.
Like you, I looked at all the leaks from the perspective of wanting to go back together in a manner that wouldn't encourage similar issues down the road. I do still have the roof penetrations, but I sealed all the layers so that if a vent or A/C gasket did fail, it would be unable to get inside the roof system and would have to just fall to the floor where it would quickly be noticed. I did the same to all the windows as well, now if there is a sealant or gasket failure, water won't make its way into the layers, it will have to run inside where it will be much more easily noticed. Once you have torn into a RV wall that's been water damaged it certainly gives you a perspective on how to prevent future leaks, and a sincere motivation to keep the water out of your hard work!
I used one of these to spread the ChemLink. Worked pretty well for larger areas like covering the insulation or plywood.
I agree, once you see the mass of destruction that wayward water causes, it leaves an impression, and trying to make sure it never enters again becomes a top priority.
Sounds like you're doing a good job of making sure that never happens again to your motor home!
