Total Eternabond Failure!

[solismaris]

In October I Eternabonded one roof seam down over to the side rain gutter, and also the roof/front cap junction. Two days layer I covered the roof and put my trailer to bed for the winter. Yesterday I opened it up, and found a total failure of the side seam job!

Meaning the entire side tape - or at least 90% of it, is completely unstuck; not a trace of adhesion. Interestingly, it still seems to be well-stuck (but I didn't test it very hard) to the metallic rain gutter, even though I only overlapped that by about 1/4 inch or so.

The roof/front gap job looks ok though - at least it is not 100% unstuck. I'll look at this one more carefully tomorrow.

Extremely discouraged. Eternabond is supposed to be THE BEST, the recommended solution to roof maintenance. What could have happened?

On the day I did the job, it was cool, mid-40s, and cloudy (within their recommended temperature range). There was a slight layer of frost on the roof, which I rubbed off with rags. Then I cleaned the roof with acetone. At least 4 times, with fresh acetone and clean rags each time. I made a dam above the job with towels to absorb any water that might drip down to my work from the peaked middle of the roof. I am confident that the roof was completely dry.

While I did clean it at least 4 times with acetone, as we know these roofs exude a chalky substance as they age, and how do I know when to stop cleaning? After 4 times it was looking clean but certainly not like new.

I rubbed hard with a roller - about as hard as I could while balancing on a ladder - and also with my fist pressing down onto a washcloth. I rubbed more than I thought I needed to.

When I finished the job, it looked good. Well adhered and I doubt I could have peeled it off without destroying the underlying roof membrane.

What could have happened? All opinions appreciated. And I'll call Eternabond for help but I'm not going to make them take the blame if it is something I did wrong. But I thought I was following all instructions and felt good about the job back in October.

What a mess. I'll probably have to remove it all, and start over with Proflex. My confidence in Eternabond at this point is shattered.

[solismaris]

352 wrote:

OR. As I said earlier white chalky residue. I had to clean mine 6 times to get the white residue off.

Ok. I'll be sure to get off ALL the residue next time.

[352]

solismaris wrote:

Gjac wrote:
The two main reasons why bond lines fail is contamination and moisture. Acetone is an aggressive solvent you wiped it 4 times and it stuck to the Al well so I would think moisture caused the failure. Relative humidity and dew point are things we don't think too much about when making repairs outside on our RV's.

So I'm going with this theory, and will probably try the job again, on a warm sunny dry day (does anybody remember those?!). I'll post results - but on a new thread because it will probably be much later.

The only part that is still bothering me is why it worked on the metal, and also the front/roof junction. Maybe the explanation is:

- The rubber, unlike the metal, could absorb and retain moisture, which then comes to the surface after I have dried it.

- The front/roof junction was frost-free when I started, so there was no moisture retained to come back out.

OR. As I said earlier white chalky residue. I had to clean mine 6 times to get the white residue off.

[solismaris]

Gjac wrote:
The two main reasons why bond lines fail is contamination and moisture. Acetone is an aggressive solvent you wiped it 4 times and it stuck to the Al well so I would think moisture caused the failure. Relative humidity and dew point are things we don't think too much about when making repairs outside on our RV's.

So I'm going with this theory, and will probably try the job again, on a warm sunny dry day (does anybody remember those?!). I'll post results - but on a new thread because it will probably be much later.

The only part that is still bothering me is why it worked on the metal, and also the front/roof junction. Maybe the explanation is:

- The rubber, unlike the metal, could absorb and retain moisture, which then comes to the surface after I have dried it.

- The front/roof junction was frost-free when I started, so there was no moisture retained to come back out.

[Gjac]

The two main reasons why bond lines fail is contamination and moisture. Acetone is an aggressive solvent you wiped it 4 times and it stuck to the Al well so I would think moisture caused the failure. Relative humidity and dew point are things we don't think too much about when making repairs outside on our RV's.

[wa8yxm]

I too suspect one of two things.

Either the cleaning was not good enough,, There are several cleaners.. but the number of cleaners that will remove EVERYTHING,,,, is precisely zero.. This is why when I made a mirror for an expierment in Physics class I used a series of different cleaners, Alcohol, Acid, and base, Between the three of them you can get glass so clean that water WILL NOT BEAD on the top of the glass (What makes water bead is oil by the way)... But no one cleaner will do the job. Not even acetone.


Suspect #2 is the water you dammed.. Some of it may have gotten past the dam or more water may have condensed before you applied the tape.

[BFL13]

Lately , with yet another roof repair job ( I am a spaz among trees), I decided to try this new White Gorilla Tape, hoping that it is way better than the usual white duct tape. It claims it is good for UV etc. I think of it as a "poor man's Eternabond" for a longer term but still not permanent repair.

It will be some time before I have a verdict on it. Fingers crossed.

I have tried using white duct tape for temporary small roof repairs and it is ok for a while, then UV etc gets it. I end up putting Dicor on that but the Dicor turns black and looks dirty, won't bleach white.

Hoping the White Gorilla Tape stays there for a while and I don't need to put Dicor on it, maybe just another bit of the same-- say once a year?

[Almot]

solismaris wrote:

While I did clean it at least 4 times with acetone, as we know these roofs exude a chalky substance as they age, and how do I know when to stop cleaning?

Yes, "as they age", and this process begins from the day one. 1-2 year old EPDM roof is already shedding a whitish powder when you wash it, even with just a fresh water.

I didn't try Enternabond, but here is how I clean it before applying any adhesive.

I clean/rub it with water first, and then with Methyl alcohol. Acetone evaporates too quickly so it doesn't clean well.

I stop cleaning when a clear Scotch tape (packing tape) doesn't pick up any whitish substance, or almost doesn't. This whitish substance is the paint that is oxidizing and crumbling out with time. Basically, during the cleaning you remove top layer of the paint up to the point when black spiderweb "cracks" start showing up on the white surface (that is, if they were not there before).

[MrWizard]

Although you are hi making the thread
Steel wool should not be a problem
When I did the sky roof on a previous RV
I used a drywall sanding stick/broom?
Then dusted and cleaned with clean rags using alcohol
Eternabond the cancer holes, then used liquid roof, worked great
Everything stuck and stayed

[ralphnjoann]

Are there any opinions on using #0000 steel wool to clean an aluminum roof?

[Tvov]

jolooote wrote:
Is this a Rubber roof? Some, on here, say Eternabond will destroy the rubber.

Umm... what?!

What exactly do you mean by "Rubber roof"? Seems like vast majority of travel trailers have rubber roofs. Is there a specific type of rubber roof you are referring to?

[westend]

The fact that it is totally stuck on the metal rain gutter and not on the roof membrane would indicate that there is something amiss about the membrane surface and not the fault of the tape.

[mobilefleet]

no way i'd apply it under 60 degrees temp and with any kind of frost on the surface to be applied. I've never had any issues with it and have done lots of trailers

[fpresto]

I agree that while the air temperature was in the 40s the fact that you had frost tells me that the actual roof surface was well below 40 and that was probably your problem.

[solismaris]

I'll keep you posted. I've contacted Eternabond for advice but haven't yet heard back.

The news about Acetone not being a complete cleaner was news to me, and is a possible factor. But I cleaned the areas 4 times. Maybe it didn't remove All the dirt, but surely this can't explain a complete 100% failure? Still, Eternabond recommends Acetone as a cleaner and makes no mention that other cleaners must be used as well (although they do recommend their own Eterna-Clean foremost).

I did say it was a cold day and there was frost on the roof, which I removed and thoroughly dried, before cleaning with acetone. I guess it is possible that the air was humid enough - and the roof surface cold enough - to cause moisture to re-condense before applying the tape. But I didn't feel any such moisture. And as I said, it sure seemed well-stuck right after finishing the job, and a day layer when I put the cover on for the winter.

Defective tape is a possibility but very unlikely. This was bought last year. We'll see what the company says.