Dicor maintenance question

[winnietrey]

Which method do you use for Dicor maintenance.

First I am familiar, with Eternabond tape, But my question is not about its use.

In the past I have always removed the old Dicor after a few years and replaced it. This is what RV shops tend to recommend. However in the last few years I have gone to more a clean and re caulk the cracks method.

On the Dicor website, how to videos, they state the following;
(unless the Dicor has lifted or separated and can be easily removed, It is Best to LEAVE IT ALONE, and just seal the cracks). That sort of surprises me. I would have thought it would be best to R@R it.

Just sealing the cracks is of course very easy, R@R the Dicor, that is a whole different deal.

Any thoughts or comments?

[winnietrey]

In the last few days, following my last post. I have chatted via e-mail a number of times, with Dicor.

To quote them "if is sticking to the roof, it is doing what is supposed to do, leave it alone, clean the voids with rubbing alcohol, and fill with more Dicor".

Which means, in the last few years, I have spent a good deal of time R@R perfectly good Dicor. On advice of our local dealer. ( Oh Well)

Cleaning and filling is like a 30 minute easy job. Also thought is was interesting they recommend rubbing alcohol, as the cleaning agent

[fourthclassC]

Agree. IF stuck good (good bond to substrate) clean and fill any cracks/increased shrinkage. Something to consider- Proflex. I like it better then Dicor and I believe it will cover/stick just fine to maintainence of dicor.

[winnietrey]

Thanks guys, for the reply's so far. What do you clean the old Dicor with. Some say mineral spirts, some say denatured alcohol.

My thought is this, if all it takes, is to fill the cracks 1 to 2x a year, to keep it from leaking that is very easy.

In my mind at least, sort of erases the need for eternabond tape and the need to R@R the Dicor.

Have had the RV 12 years now, no leaks, want to keep it that way.

And on edit I have nothing against eternabond. except I worry about burying a problem and then not being able to get to it

[gbopp]

I agree with the advice on the Dicor website. I only remove the loose caulk, then clean well and apply more caulk.

If it's not broke, don't break it just so you can fix it.

[DutchmenSport]

When I've resealed, I don't remove the old. I simply fill the cracks or cover a larger area covering the original. My thoughts are: it's not leaking, it's just cracking a bit. If I pull it up, I run the risk of the new stuff not sealing good, or worse, pulling on the rubber membrane, potentially tearing or ripping it. No. Leave well enough alone! The more you disturb something, the more likely there is a chance of something getting damaged.

I just washed and treated my TT roof 2 days ago. I inspected the seams and caulking very carefully. I found no noticeable cracks. After 3 years, I would expect something, but not! As tempting as it was to apply another layer of caulk on top of the old, I thought... "And WHY?" No leaks, no cracks, no damage. I'm taking a bigger risk of screwing something up by trying to fix something that isn't broken. Leave it alone. And I did.