caulk is cracked

[campn4walleye]

I'm sure this has been discussed but thought I would ask anyway.

The caulk that runs the width of the back of the TC is cracked. DH discovered it while washing. How should we repair? Should we remove the caulk and re-caulk or use some sort of Dicor that we've heard of. Anyone have this happen?

It's supposed to rain for 2 days so will be parking it in the neighbor's shed. Hopefully he'll get it repaired as we are supposed to leave on Sunday for a week.

[Tamnative]

I am not trying to hijack this thread but I would like to know how you all would compare Dicor with 3M 4200(removable) or 5200 (permanent) it is not cheap but it is readily available and so far I have been very happy with it. The 3M 5200 has very good adhesion.

[campn4walleye]

Thanks so much for the assistance.

DH used the Dicor and was very pleased with the results. It went on surprisingly easy and really covered the area nicely. Now we have peace of mind that we'll have no leaks (in that area). There aren't any other cracked caulk areas that we've seen.

It's nice to know that our roof is in good shape.

[bobndot]

gbopp wrote:

Super_Dave wrote:
Bob, I like belt & suspender kind of guys. 🙂

If it stops the leaks, I'll wear a raincoat over the belt and suspenders. 🙂

:B like an umbrella policy .

[Super_Dave]

Christl,
The tape is wide enough to bridge from the fiberglass cap to the rubber roof. With proper preparation before installing, this stuff is pretty bulletproof.

[Christl]

Super_Dave wrote:

gbopp wrote:
I just remove any loose caulk. Then I clean the remaiming caulk before applying the new caulk over the old.

Is it possible to cover the seam with Eternabond?
That's a much better repair.

I did my front and back cap seam with Externabond tape shortly after I bought the camper and have had peace of mind ever since.

Super Dave: When you did the front seam, did you cover it completely with eternabond tape including the metal strip and its screws that cover the front cap seam? I am not sure my question makes sense to you without a pictures so I will get one. cheers christl

[Camper_Jeff___K]

Clean out the old and put on new caulk. Dicor's good.
If you can't do it right away, I've used white electrical tape with great success. It spans the gap, deals with flex and shifting. Is easily removed when you are ready to do the rapair. Will last over a year.

[Joe417]

Just because there are cracks in the caulking doesn't mean it will leak when it rains. The crack may not go completely through the caulk. There should also be a layer of putty or butyl under the seam that the caulk is protecting.

Cracks in the caulk become a problem when there are gaps or there is no butyl putty in a seam or when the crack is allowed to collect moisture and go through enough expansion/contraction cycles to open the seam.

With that said, it's always best to re-caulk at the first sign of cracking.

[towpro]

But if its not rubber of the roof, I would use Geocell

[gbopp]

Super_Dave wrote:
Bob, I like belt & suspender kind of guys. 🙂

If it stops the leaks, I'll wear a raincoat over the belt and suspenders. 🙂

[Super_Dave]

Bob, I like belt & suspender kind of guys. 🙂

[bobndot]

I agree as said. It might be a little more work , I clean it,then cover with a thin coat of self leveling caulk like Dicor . I don't overdue it, I just spread it on using a flat plastic tool . After it dries for a day or so, I cover it with Eternabond tape .
When I put the tape on, I cover the edges of the tape all around with a bead of Dicor. It lasts a long time and never had a leak since doing it this way.

[Super_Dave]

gbopp wrote:
I just remove any loose caulk. Then I clean the remaiming caulk before applying the new caulk over the old.

Is it possible to cover the seam with Eternabond?
That's a much better repair.

I did my front and back cap seam with Externabond tape shortly after I bought the camper and have had peace of mind ever since.

[gbopp]

I just remove any loose caulk. Then I clean the remaiming caulk before applying the new caulk over the old.

Is it possible to cover the seam with Eternabond?
That's a much better repair.