2003 Bigfoot Reseal

You really don't need to have a heated and covered space to work in. You need some dry weather so you can start with a camper that is dry. You need moderate temps. I don't know if there are specs for Dicor but I have worked in 50 degree weather with no issue.

There really is little or no "drying" time needed with Dicor. It merely needs to skin over in order to handle rain. It will not wash off even if applied just before a rain.

It sounds like you have not worked with Dicor or a similar sealant. I recommend starting on the roof with leveling Dicor. You can experiment with techniques to get a smooth, professional looking application. Get some mineral spirits, disposable gloves, and LOTS of cheap paper towels. You can use blue painters tape to achieve clean edges or just use a finger dipped in mineral spirits to smooth the Dicor. On the roof I usually do a complete application and then a second coat. Take your time and exam and deal with every square inch of the camper. This is pretty much a one time job. Dicor sealant can last for a great many years or even decades.

notsobigjoe wrote:
Your way sounds good to me. I too am presently doing a complete reseal and am using Dicor self leveling on the roof and dicor cap sealant everywhere else. It's not a very hard job but it can be a pain in the neck job. Takes time. I'm doing one thing at a time as I'm using the camper as well. So far so good. I did the center exhaust fan hatch and completely removed it, replaced with SS screws one size bigger Cleaned everything up real nice. I also got the two lower doors to the underside compartment as well as the front top of the nose right over the bed. I live in Florida so my curing temp is great, the rain on the other hand not so great.

Another vote for Dicor. Not having a heated / covered space to work makes things interesting.

Lwiddis wrote:
I use Heng’s and Eternabond on the roof and Dicor caulk on the sides. Provided your temperature is high enough, you’ll do a better job than many “pros” IMO.

Have heard good things about eternabond. Heng’s hasn’t come up in my research though.

rexlion wrote:
I've read (on fiberglass rv forums) that window resealing usually involves removing the window, scraping off all old material, and putting them back in using butyl tape. Takes some time and patience, but not technically difficult. Avoid silicone like the plague, by the way.

Filling screw holes with epoxy sounds odd; won't the epoxy harden and made future screw removal impossible? Maybe I'm not getting the right mental picture though.

Sorry, I said the bit about the epoxy in a weird way. I meant fill holes that are stripped out with epoxy, let it cure, drill pilot hole, then screw. If the screw still fits tight and the replacement has the same diameter/pitch, I would just put it back in.

JimK-NY wrote:
My first concern would be any previous or current leaking. Did the service center find any damaged leaking areas or are they just recommending resealing based on the age/appearance of the sealant? Typically any leaks turn into major structural damage quickly. I hope that is not the case.

If there is no damage, then after all these years you should be able to wait a couple of months for warmer weather and do the job yourself. Unless you need to do structural repairs due to leaking, there is no reason to try to remove the fixtures. The butyl sealant should be fine and is best left undisturbed.

I recommend doing this job yourself for a couple of reasons. First it is slow, tedious but not difficult work. It will take a lot of hours and the cost for a service tech can be substantial. Second if you do it yourself you should have confidence that the job was done right without any areas missed.

The biggest issue for a reseal is often dealing with the old sealant. Try to avoid using any metal scrapers and use plastic instead. Odds are you will never get off all of the old sealant and if it is still sealing well, there is no reason to try. Prior to resealing, you need to thorough clean the area and any remaining sealant. The old stuff is likely to be dirty and moldy. After thorough washing you can get most of the old dirt off with mineral spirits.

Before resealing, I would check with Bigfoot to see if they are emphatic about using a specific material. Otherwise I prefer Dicor. For a neat job I have used painters tape on vertical surfaces. I let the Dicor dry for half an hour or so and then remove the tape. I don't bother on the roof.

They didn’t say anything about structural damage or I wouldn’t have bought it. The reseal was based on the cracked/dried appearance of the seal. How would you even know you had such damage without removing the fixtures? Soft floor? Smell? So basically unless you have a leak or are replacing the vent/fan/widow, best leave it be. I am ok with that too. Just wanted to make sure it isn’t a “everybody knows your supposed to...” thing. I figure I will wait until it warms up and give it a go myself. I can always punt the remaining work to the shop.

My first concern would be any previous or current leaking. Did the service center find any damaged leaking areas or are they just recommending resealing based on the age/appearance of the sealant? Typically any leaks turn into major structural damage quickly. I hope that is not the case.

If there is no damage, then after all these years you should be able to wait a couple of months for warmer weather and do the job yourself. Unless you need to do structural repairs due to leaking, there is no reason to try to remove the fixtures. The butyl sealant should be fine and is best left undisturbed.

I recommend doing this job yourself for a couple of reasons. First it is slow, tedious but not difficult work. It will take a lot of hours and the cost for a service tech can be substantial. Second if you do it yourself you should have confidence that the job was done right without any areas missed.

The biggest issue for a reseal is often dealing with the old sealant. Try to avoid using any metal scrapers and use plastic instead. Odds are you will never get off all of the old sealant and if it is still sealing well, there is no reason to try. Prior to resealing, you need to thorough clean the area and any remaining sealant. The old stuff is likely to be dirty and moldy. After thorough washing you can get most of the old dirt off with mineral spirits.

Before resealing, I would check with Bigfoot to see if they are emphatic about using a specific material. Otherwise I prefer Dicor. For a neat job I have used painters tape on vertical surfaces. I let the Dicor dry for half an hour or so and then remove the tape. I don't bother on the roof.

I've read (on fiberglass rv forums) that window resealing usually involves removing the window, scraping off all old material, and putting them back in using butyl tape. Takes some time and patience, but not technically difficult. Avoid silicone like the plague, by the way.

Filling screw holes with epoxy sounds odd; won't the epoxy harden and made future screw removal impossible? Maybe I'm not getting the right mental picture though.

Your way sounds good to me. I too am presently doing a complete reseal and am using Dicor self leveling on the roof and dicor cap sealant everywhere else. It's not a very hard job but it can be a pain in the neck job. Takes time. I'm doing one thing at a time as I'm using the camper as well. So far so good. I did the center exhaust fan hatch and completely removed it, replaced with SS screws one size bigger Cleaned everything up real nice. I also got the two lower doors to the underside compartment as well as the front top of the nose right over the bed. I live in Florida so my curing temp is great, the rain on the other hand not so great.

I use Heng’s and Eternabond on the roof and Dicor caulk on the sides. Provided your temperature is high enough, you’ll do a better job than many “pros” IMO.