Re sealing roof with Dicor

[cm2785]

Hey guys I brought my rig to the local RV repair guy who is a second generation RV repair guy and has 5 star reviews and is absolutely packed all the time.. he resealed my whole roof, putting new lap sealant on all the seams. I’m new to this but I asked him the procedure and he said he cleans the area with just water and let’s it dry and applies the Dicor. He said it stuck very well. I was under the impression you were to clean it with alcohol? He’s just adding the sealant to the already white coated roof so maybe that’s okay, but I wanted to ask you guys as I am absolutely paranoid about leaks. Thanks!

[cm2785]

Hey guys, I called Dicor today and asked if it’s okay to use water to wash the area before applying the lap sealant on an already coated area (not on rubber itself) and they said in a are you seriously even asking this voice that it’s absolutely fine. They even said you could just wipe the area off and be fine as long as there isn’t something on it.. if it’s just dust or dirt you want to wipe it away and you can use water with no problem. Basically either wipe it off or rinse it off but as long as you don’t see anything on it after you are fine!

[cm2785]

ScottG wrote:
If you read the directions for Dicor, it says to clean the area with something like Mineral Spirits. Just using water isn't going to ge it anywhere close to clean and the result will be that the Dicor lets go prematurely. Try it and you'll see. MS will get it MUCH cleaner.
This is too big of a job to do half way and then have to remove the peeling sealant and do it all over again.

I also second the suggestion of Eternabond tape - but you have to prep for it the same way.

I think they are talking about when you are applying it to the rubber roof itself, not the sealing of joints on top of the white sealant on the roof.. I will call Dicor tomorrow just for fun and let you guys know but this guy and his dad have been doing this for over 50 years and he did use the mineral spirits when applying the patch, so he must have a reason for using water on the recaulking of the joints.. he did mention my roof had a weird shine to it, like it wasn’t an actual Dicor brand roof sealant but he said the Dicor stuck to it really well, while the first stuff he tried didn’t. So if it sticks really good I’m thinking it should be fine but I’ll call Dicor to be safe.

[jplante4]

I use paint thinner (mineral spirits, turpentine) to clean the area. This is also recommended for Eternabond tape. I'm on year 3 of my Eternabond seam repair. Still looks good.

[ScottG]

If you read the directions for Dicor, it says to clean the area with something like Mineral Spirits. Just using water isn't going to ge it anywhere close to clean and the result will be that the Dicor lets go prematurely. Try it and you'll see. MS will get it MUCH cleaner.
This is too big of a job to do half way and then have to remove the peeling sealant and do it all over again.

I also second the suggestion of Eternabond tape - but you have to prep for it the same way.

[Two_Jayhawks]

cm2785 wrote:
Thanks guys!

And if you really want a warm & fuzzy feeling go up and try to remove a small sample of his work. I think you would be quite pleased with how hard it is to remove.

[cm2785]

Thanks guys!

[Dale_Traveling]

As John&Joey posted water cleaning will be fine. The idea is to remove dirt and grime. No need for a chemical primer or such. Keep an eye on just how much sealant is on the roof. "The bigger the glob the better the job" long range plan might not be optimal in the long run. At some point you'll need to consider getting the old stuff scrapped off and either tape the seals and be done or restart the process.

[lj2654]

I did my roof this past spring with Dicor. I cleaned the roof with lots of soap and water. I used eternabond on all the seams and covers. I then applied the dicor using a roller with a long handle. I put on two coats waiting 5 hours between coats. Roof now looks brand new. This is on my 2001 Beaver Contessa 40'.

[gbopp]

Next time have him cover the seams with Eternabond.

[John_Joey]

I'm sure others will make you more paranoid with the sky is falling posts, but he did a good job. Dicor does not stick to dirt. If you use water or alcohol it doesn't matter as long as it is clean.

If the prior Dicor was sticking to the membrane, then just a lite application of new stuff to fill in the cracks is all that is needed. There is a reason the guy has 5 stars, and a lot of customers.

You see it's the cracks that cause the damage. Water gets into them and work it's way down to the membrane. That section of Dicor will then lift off the membrane allowing water intrusion.