Check this out & tell me what you think.

[GadgetmanUSA]

I noticed that the tape on the slide-out roof of our new 2018 2604ws was not adhering well. I took it to the Dealer we bought it from and had a tech look at it cause I was concerned about this area leaking. He told me that this tape was not there to prevent water intrusion. It was there to protect that area from the wiper seal. He said that the seam that the tape covers is protected with butyl tape to keep water out. Then I showed him that the screws were run through the tape instead of the tape covering their heads and he said all manufacturers were different on how the install the screws some underneath the tape and some through it. He also said water should not penetrate there either because of the butyl tape. I'm thinking of removing this tape and replacing it with Eternabond tape but I'm concerned about the edge of the Eternabond tape pulling up after a while from the wiper seal brushing over it.
For some reason the pic I supplied is turned on it's side. Not sure why?

[GaryS1953]

I would suggest Gorilla Crystal Clear tape over the edges of the Eternabond. Gorilla Crystal Clear is waterproof and seems incredibly durable and strong.

[GadgetmanUSA]

pnichols wrote:
I don't know about posting photos using smart phones or flip phones, but using this link makes it super easy to post excellent photos from a laptop that are automatically sized to be just right for posting in these forums: http://photoposting.is-great.net/?i=3

FWIW when trying to post photos, I usually (but not 100%) use a real camera to take them and then transfer them unto my laptop for sending ... or (rarely) transfer them from our smart phone or flip phone unto the laptop and then send them from my laptop using the link above.

Thanks for the link it works good!

[GadgetmanUSA]

[d3500ram]

I have professional versions of Adobe CS (Photoshop) as well as BlueBeam Revu for work, but InfranView makes a free user-friendly photo/ image manipulating program. Great for resizing, rotating, minor editing.

[pnichols]

I don't know about posting photos using smart phones or flip phones, but using this link makes it super easy to post excellent photos from a laptop that are automatically sized to be just right for posting in these forums: http://photoposting.is-great.net/?i=3

FWIW when trying to post photos, I usually (but not 100%) use a real camera to take them and then transfer them unto my laptop for sending ... or (rarely) transfer them from our smart phone or flip phone unto the laptop and then send them from my laptop using the link above.

[GadgetmanUSA]

Juzaxadar wrote:
I would think you could do well with Eternabond over the screws and up the side. There will be some peeling maybe, but if there is a big overlap maybe it won't be so bad. I thought most slideouts had awnings?

The fact that the current black tape has ripples in it is a little disconcerting. Any pro or semi pro should have a roller to apply this stuff.

I'm planning on removing the tape that's come unstuck. I may have to take the screws out first. Then put screws back and apply the Eternabond tape over the screws then butting it up against the vertical trim.
I'm going to clean up the area after I remove the loose tape with denatured alcohol. Hopefully that will clean up the area to be taped. I want it squeaky clean!
Final step is running a tiny bit of polyurethane caulk along the Eternabond edge and smooth it out creating a "ramp" effect for the wiper seal to glide over.
What do you think about my installation procedure?

[Juzaxadar]

I would think you could do well with Eternabond over the screws and up the side. There will be some peeling maybe, but if there is a big overlap maybe it won't be so bad. I thought most slideouts had awnings?

The fact that the current black tape has ripples in it is a little disconcerting. Any pro or semi pro should have a roller to apply this stuff.

[mgirardo]

GadgetmanUSA wrote:
For some reason the pic I supplied is turned on it's side. Not sure why?

This is an issue with your smartphone. When Apple introduced the iPhone, it had one problem that still has not been fixed. The metadata for photos taken Portrait is stored incorrectly. When Samsung ripped off the iPhone, they also ripped off the incorrectly written metadata, so photos taken with Samsung phones that are portrait have the same problem. I believe there are other Smartphone makers that write metadata incorrectly as well.

It's not an issue on all web sites. With RV.net, photos are not processed at all by the web site, they are just displayed. The web browser sees the incorrect metadata and takes it at face value and assumes the photo should be displayed the way the metadata has it listed. A lot of web sites that allow you to upload photos and store them there, like Facebook and a lot of photo sharing web sites, process the photos as they are uploaded and strip the metadata off so the photo is displayed as it was taken.

Using a photo editing application, like say Photoshop, the metadata gets re-written so that photo is displayed properly. I encountered this years ago when I first started building web sites for clients where they uploaded their own photos. Took some time to figure that out back then.

Either stop taking photos with your smartphone Portrait style (if you plan to share them online) or process the photos with a photo editing application that rewrites the metadata. Or just ask d3500ram to correct it for you 🙂

-Michael

[DrewE]

I think most caulking compounds would rub or peel off just as much as the Eternabond tape. I'd look instead for some other tape to bridge and protect the Eternabond edge; foil duct sealing tape (not the silver-colored fabric stuff often called duct or duck tape) might be a good option to try.

I would also look at the construction under tape. It may in fact turn out that the tech was telling the truth, and the tape not adhering well is not a serious issue. It could also be that he or she was simply avoiding unpleasant work, of course.

[GadgetmanUSA]

I've decided I'm going to fix it myself. I have black Eternabond on order. My only concern is I have heard that the wiper seal will eventually start pulling up the edge of the Eternabond. I know I want to apply some type of caulk to the edge of the tape but what type of caulk to use is the question?

[catkins]

Looks like something is seriously wrong. Take it back and tell them they need a proper fix. Under warranty - do NOT let them blow you off. Contact the manufacturer if you get so satisfaction as some will stand behind their product.

[bukhrn]

That's better, but I still say your dealer is full of it, that spot I'm looking at is going to leak in a good rain, especially without a topper.

[d3500ram]

[bukhrn]

Sorry I didn't get it to rotate