Sealing on the sides

I have never had silicone break down from UV but it is a problem if you need to remove something and re-seal it. Nothing sticks to a surface that has had silicone applied, not even more silicone. The only way to get anything to stick is to remove the surface until all silicone is gone. Think sanding. Chuck

I'm not sure where all this info about silicone breaking down from UV is coming from, but that's not what I am reading or have experienced.

Dow Corning

Stockwell

Chamberlin

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy

I have used only butyl tape to seal all outside openings, including lights, etc. I have also always used this on my boats. Never had anything leak, always easy to remove if necessary and easy to reseal when I need to remove anything. Not all butyl tape is alike, so use a good quality. Chuck

DrewE wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:
I like to use the CLEAR urethane caulking. This is used on most windows and seems to adhere and last longer than silicone. It is available at Home Depot, Lowes, or any hardware store. I clean the surfaces with denatured alcohol first.

This is generally what I use as well. In particular, I've had good luck so far with OSI Quad, and particularly the "Max" variant which is a good bit easier to apply neatly. The times I've had trouble with it, it's been due to poor or incomplete surface preparation.

Silicone seals well, but is very very hard to deal with when you need to renew the seal as basically nothing will stick to cured silicone, so it's essential to remove all traces of it before resealing.

For things like baggage compartment holdback latches or clearance lights or other small items bolted on, I've used plumber's putty with decent results.

Thanks guys I see the quad and the quad max but the max doesn’t come in clear only white and color.

I think the major issue (form me) with silicone is that it breaks down in UV. It works great behind clearance lights, etc where it's protected.
It is awful hard to get off later though.

rgatijnet1 wrote:
I like to use the CLEAR urethane caulking. This is used on most windows and seems to adhere and last longer than silicone. It is available at Home Depot, Lowes, or any hardware store. I clean the surfaces with denatured alcohol first.

This is generally what I use as well. In particular, I've had good luck so far with OSI Quad, and particularly the "Max" variant which is a good bit easier to apply neatly. The times I've had trouble with it, it's been due to poor or incomplete surface preparation.

Silicone seals well, but is very very hard to deal with when you need to renew the seal as basically nothing will stick to cured silicone, so it's essential to remove all traces of it before resealing.

For things like baggage compartment holdback latches or clearance lights or other small items bolted on, I've used plumber's putty with decent results.

I've always used silicone for sealing joints and windows on RV's and boats with great success. The only issue is to be sure to remove all the previously installed material. Although it adheres well to fiberglass, metals and plastics, it will not bond to previously installed cured silicone. Good luck.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy

I like to use the CLEAR urethane caulking. This is used on most windows and seems to adhere and last longer than silicone. It is available at Home Depot, Lowes, or any hardware store. I clean the surfaces with denatured alcohol first.