Caulking, sealing, weatherproofing

babamartha wrote:

KMP44 wrote:
You want to use a caulk made for RV's - not household caulk like silicone.

I'm curious - why not silicone?

On a flat surface, you need the self leveling sealant, and silicone doesn't adhere to the original lap sealant very well.

KMP44 wrote:
You want to use a caulk made for RV's - not household caulk like silicone.

I'm curious - why not silicone?

I inspect twice a year, spring and fall.

As the caulk and seals get old its often better to remove the old stuff and start over. For example on my old hybrid which we had for 10 years I had to remove the cord box and the outside power outlet and put in new butyl tape. We did this on my dad's '77 Jayco windows also. They are very easy to remove and put back in.

X2 on the Eternabond! I used that on one seam of our old HTT. Done right that stuff is fantastic.

Wax at least twice a year. Use a good quality car wax like Meguiars NXT or one of the Mothers products.

You want to use a caulk made for RV's - not household caulk like silicone. Dicor is the big name, but there are some others. You want the self-leveling product for the roof. But make sure you don't use the self-leveling stuff on vertical surfaces - just the standard Dicor.

Eternabond tape is also an option for your roof seams. This is more expensive and requires chemical prep, but if you plan to keep the Kodiak a while, Eternabond is a one-time application. Once you cover the seams, you shouldn't ever have to do it again.

I check our ROO early spring before starting the camping season. First I wash down the entire rig so as not to hide any defective caulking. Then any that I find that is loose or cracked, even slightly, then I repair that area. It takes a little time but well worth the effort. I didn't do that right off and ended up with a large repair bill. Since that expense three years ago I've done that procedure and as of today the rig is like new. I have used DAP products mostly but I make sure that it is flexible so it will not tear loose while traveling.