Caulking and maintenance

[nwbearcat1998]

Hello, I'm a newbie to maintaining my new TT.

I previously owned an older trailer; I'll admit didn't take care of as much as I should've and took a loss on it to sell it.

I did maintain the roof by filling cracks with self leveling dicor is all.

I don't want to make that same mistake again so before winterizing the trailer in the next two weeks what are the best maintenance item to review?

For example, the places where the corner molding is attached and old caulking is cracked on the outside of it should be scraped off and replaced??

[JBarca]

westend wrote:

John,
I've not had a problem with the 3M caulk remover lifting or dissolving paint. I haven't used it on EPDM.

Snip....

Basically, John, if my BMW had a bead of silicone on it, I wouldn't be afraid of using the caulk remover.

Thanks a million Westend.

John

[nwbearcat1998]

After reading numerous reviews, I ended up getting ORANGE-SOL 10022 Contractor Solvent
along with some Lexel and I plan on working on this tomorrow or Sunday.

I will post a review of how well the ORANGE-SOL 10022 Contractor Solvent works.

[Ralph_Cramden]

ken56 wrote:
No silicone on your trailer.

If it's a Keystone it very well could have Tremco Trempro 645, a neutral cure silicone.

There is a misconception on RV forums about silicone sealants. There are plenty of great silicone sealants that will go up against anything in the adhesion, flexibility, and longevity columns. You wont find them at ACE or the big boxes. Proper preparation is the key with them like anything else, as is a neutral cure product opposed to an acetic cure.

Tremco Trempro 645, Dow Corning 790, GE Silglaze II, CRL 95C, are all great silicone sealants.


Geocel Proflex RV or 2300 (not silicone) are also great and used a lot by Forest River. They are however hard to work with.

[westend]

JBarca wrote:

westend wrote:
3M Caulk Remover will soften and loosen any silicone caulk. Follow up with a rag and a solvent or very strong butyl soap. Usually, I will apply the caulk remover and cover with plastic wrap to sit over-night. The next day, the remaining caulk can be removed with a rag or plastic tool.

Hi Westend,

Will the 3M caulk remover soften and lift paint on aluminum or fiberglass surfaces? Or even rubber roofing for that matter

Thanks

John

John,
I've not had a problem with the 3M caulk remover lifting or dissolving paint. I haven't used it on EPDM. A research of the material safety data sheets would turn up any petroleum distillates in it's formula (although I don't believe there are any).

In it's most typical use, as a remover in baths and kitchens, I haven't seen any deleterious effects on interior latex paint. On my own RV, I used it without bad effects over the factory paint and over new DTM primer. It only softened the caulk.

As with all anecdotal information, use caution and research. I'd hate to be the guy that recommended the product and your $100K RV now needs a paint job. I'd certainly not use it on top of decals and graphics. I'd bet it is close to the same product used to soften those for removal.

The caulk remover shines when softening beads of silicone caulk. It makes it virtually painless to remove a bead. In some parts of my day-to-day work, I remove old caulk on exterior residential siding. Typically, that is done mechanically as we are concerned about time and it is done with a variety of scrapers prior to repaint.

Basically, John, if my BMW had a bead of silicone on it, I wouldn't be afraid of using the caulk remover.

[ken56]

Yes, this is a major issue you should be worried about. Water intrusion is death to an RV.....same as your home. Leaks equals rot.

[GrandpaKip]

nwbearcat1998 wrote:
Thanks everyone for the help. I called around the local RV shops today and I was somewhat surprised how they all said that they just use straight silicone to seal the corner trim pieces.

After further inspection today I can push against the side of the trailer and see the gaps where the front trim is not connected so I'm going to order some proflex online and use a plastic razor along with some acetone and get the gaps sealed this weekend

Is this a major issue I should be worried about??

Hopefully, there is sufficient butyl tape under the trim to prevent any major water intrusion. I have had the same situation and I cleaned the silicone off, then put a bead of Lexel in the joint. So far, the Lexel has remained adhered and flexible.

[JBarca]

westend wrote:
3M Caulk Remover will soften and loosen any silicone caulk. Follow up with a rag and a solvent or very strong butyl soap. Usually, I will apply the caulk remover and cover with plastic wrap to sit over-night. The next day, the remaining caulk can be removed with a rag or plastic tool.

Hi Westend,

Will the 3M caulk remover soften and lift paint on aluminum or fiberglass surfaces? Or even rubber roofing for that matter

Thanks

John

[nwbearcat1998]

[nwbearcat1998]

Thanks everyone for the help. I called around the local RV shops today and I was somewhat surprised how they all said that they just use straight silicone to seal the corner trim pieces.

After further inspection today I can push against the side of the trailer and see the gaps where the front trim is not connected so I'm going to order some proflex online and use a plastic razor along with some acetone and get the gaps sealed this weekend

Is this a major issue I should be worried about??

[westend]

3M Caulk Remover will soften and loosen any silicone caulk. Follow up with a rag and a solvent or very strong butyl soap. Usually, I will apply the caulk remover and cover with plastic wrap to sit over-night. The next day, the remaining caulk can be removed with a rag or plastic tool.

Proflex RV or any of the other Geocel polymer sealants will take days to dry in typical ambient conditions. After drying, the polymer sealants are impervious to dirt and dust. Sikaflex, AFAIK, is a urethane sealant. It cures in the presence of water vapor. It dries much faster than the tripolymer sealants, has less flex, and less adhesion.

[LVJJJ]

Have used ProFlex for years but don't like that ProFlex seems to attract a lot of dirt and always looks dirty. I have switched to Sikaflex 221. It goes on smoother, lays down better and is easier to smooth out with paint-thinner-covered-finger. It's also staying put over formerly silicone areas.

[Baja_Man]

Since it is a new trailer, I believe what can be seen in your posted pic is crumbling butyl tape. Butyl tape can crumble at the edges as it dries out. Just clean up all loose pieces and place a bead of ProFlex clear. I would be very hesitant to use any sharp tool to remove loose caulk/butyl tape. Plastic tools with a dull and thick edge....like plastic body panel tools should work well

[ken56]

The problem with silicone is that if a seal goes bad nothing will stick to it again, not even more silicone over it. It will lift off after it is cures. There is a cleaner out there but at this moment I don't know what it is to clean old silicone off so that the surface will accept another bead of sealant.

The ProFlex that is clear LOOKS like silicone when cured but it is not silicone. You are going to have a couple of different tubes of sealant around, one for the roof seams (EDPM,TPO compatible) and one for side pannels, non sagging for verticle seams. Your RV parts dealer can direct you to the proper stuff if you ask them.

[nwbearcat1998]

Wild Card wrote:
Most mfg use silicone or a siliconized caulk. Make sure you do the propper prep before applying new.

What's the best way to clean off the old stuff?? Scrape with a plastic razor blade??
Please see picture posted earlier and zoom in to determine if silicone??

[Baja_Man]

EPDM roof.....Dicor self-leveling in your choice of color.

For vertical items on trailer side walls such as windows, handles, vents, etc....use the Geocel Proflex RV as already mentioned

Just clean up/remove any loose/dried out pieces and apply sealants as recommended by manufacturer