Forum Discussion

Hemi_Joel's avatar
Hemi_Joel
Explorer
Nov 05, 2018

Caulking question

When a camper is originally assembled, there is caulk inside the joint between the pieces.
For maintenance, does everybody just apply caulking to the surface?
Or is there a way to somehow penetrate the joint with caulk? Thanks, Joel
  • There are 2 caulks that work well, Big Stretch which won't crack and comes in a lot of colors and Lexel which is clear. Lexel will stand up to anything. make sure the surface is clean when applied.
  • Butyl tape as that one fils wide space between the trim and flex without cracking.
    Caulk on the top is more patch and sooner or later will crack.
    I did not succeed to find a could who would hold well on camper - especially rubber roof. The $20 /tube for marine caulk would look good, but pull away with finger.
    Looks like PO of my Lance redid butyl tape under all trim. It look ugly when the overflow created "drops" and attracted dust, but 18 years old camper has no leaks on upper trim.
  • Windows etc can have a foam seal or butyl putty tape. If there is squeeze out over the summer (common with butyl) then using a plastic scraper and carefully clean the squeeze out back to a sharp edge. Then, using the correct product apply a small bead around the edges. Remember if your doing windows only do the top and sides. Leave the botton unsealed to allow any moisture thst might by a place to drain out.
    Most people say either Dicor or Proflex for RV caulking choirs. Tried Proflex once. Hated it, so I always use Dicor. Remember there are two Dicor products. Use the correct one. For roof seams lota of people swear by eternabond. Roll it on once, seal the edges and its done for years.
  • I wouldn't just indiscriminately go around caulking joints. The stuff does get dirty and turn gray. Find a place that does SealTech leak test and caulk the places they find. I don't think you'll save enough in caulk to pay for the SealTech, but it's worth it. If it's a window, it would be worth removing the window and refreshing the butyl tape, but the roof etc Dicor or ProFlex is you best bet.