GE Supreme Silicone Sealant for sealing around roof vent

[PapillonOne]

Hello. I am fairly new to this site AND to camping in a travel trailer. I wonder if anyone can tell me if I can use the product GE Supreme Silicon Sealant for sealing around the roof vent and the fridge vent on the roof of my 1972 Shasta Compact? I noticed some water damage once the camper was delivered to me but as we are leaving for a few weeks, wonder if there would be any harm in sealing it with this product that has everything you'd want in a sealant; freeze proof, flexible, paintable, elastic, sun proof, 50 year warranty, etc. I could not find any sealant at any of the hardware or big box stores that has the words RV on it and the sealant that is around the vent definitely has cracks in it.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Janet, Colt & Honey (Papillon & Pomeranian traveling companions)

[badboy368]

vermilye wrote:

badboy368 wrote:
i am a firm believer in the PRO-FLEX....:)

Me too, however it is not recommended by the manufacturer for rubber roofs. Works great on fiberglass.

AHHHHH ok. thanks for the info. i was not aware that it is not recommended for a rubber roof. learn sumthin new everyday. its a beautiful thing

[PapillonOne]

opnspaces wrote:

Peel the silicone up. Clean the residue as best as you can. Maybe try some of this stuff. Link Apply Dicor to seal the cracks.

Thanks for bringing this product to my attention....my ignorance astounds me but I am learning!

opnspaces wrote:

Buy a 50 foot roll of 6 inch wide Eternabond tape and tape right over the old caulking.

SO IF I UNDERSTAND YOUR great suggestions... I can actually not bother to remove any of the old caulking both what was applied previously AND the silicone I applied and just put this Eternabond tape over the entire mess? That sounds like the way to go to me!

Thanks to all of you for this discussion. I especially appreciated hearing that silicone is a death knell to my little camper. I feel better that the choice I made isn't a total loss especially as I am sitting here at 1:40 am in Central FL and it is raining cats and dogs AND is suppose to storm till 1 pm Thursday. If I did a good job, I may have at least minimized additional damages for now and as you mentioned can address the "re-do" once my trip is over. :C 🙂 You all ROCK!

[opnspaces]

PapillonOne wrote:
Thanks for the advice. Can anyone tell me what the lumpy ugly whitish blackish material that the POS used previously to seal the vent might have been?
Janet

I hate to say it but that ugly whitish blackish material is probably old Dicor which is what most are recommending. It can get dirty, but most people are not looking at your roof anyway.

At any rate you needed it sealed right now and it is sealed. It will hopefully (probably will) last for the trip and then you can deal with it when you get back. Here's your basic options at least based on the group condenses of this forum.

Peel the silicone up. Clean the residue as best as you can. Maybe try some of this stuff. Link Apply Dicor to seal the cracks.

Peel the silicone and Dicor up and clean with acetone. reapply with Dicor.

Buy a 50 foot roll of 6 inch wide Eternabond tape and tape right over the old caulking.

Peel the silicone and Dicor up and clean with acetone. Buy a 50 foot roll of 4 inch wide Eternabond tape and seal the roof.

[LarryJM]

BarneyS wrote:
Dicor self leveling Lap Sealant is the product to use for your application.

The above posters are all correct in that you should not use a silicon product on the rubber roof.

If it were my RV, I would use Eternabond Tape around the vents and any other seams on the roof. I did this on our RV about 9 years ago and it still is holding and looks like new. Many others here report the same results. It is a permanent fix for most applications.


If you are looking for a short, temporary repair then the Dicor caulk would be the answer.
Barney

X2 on the Eternabond and like Barney used it for everything on my roof almost 7 years ago and looks as good as the day I put it on. Nothing wrong with Dicor, but it's caulk and needs inspections and periodic maintenance and like Barney said the Eternabond is a permanent solution and is as maintenance free as you can get.

Larry

[Arn]

In all my years of RV'ing I've been told by 3 reputable dealers that silicone is fine as long as it is 100% silicone & not a blend. No, it doesn't flow like Dicor lap sealant but it does seal. I personally wouldn't use it or recommend it as my sealant of choice but in a pinch it works fine. Only problem I've ever encountered is some discoloring. True it might cause a bit of grief down the road because not much will stick to it, but again, as a quick fix it will prevent leak damage. That being said, get the Dicor Lap Sealant.

[4X4Dodger]

Bumpyroad wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:

PapillonOne wrote:
Hello. I am fairly new to this site AND to camping in a travel trailer. I wonder if anyone can tell me if I can use the product GE Supreme Silicon Sealant for sealing around the roof vent and the fridge vent on the roof of my 1972 Shasta Compact? I noticed some water damage once the camper was delivered to me but as we are leaving for a few weeks, wonder if there would be any harm in sealing it with this product that has everything you'd want in a sealant; freeze proof, flexible, paintable, elastic, sun proof, 50 year warranty, etc. I could not find any sealant at any of the hardware or big box stores that has the words RV on it and the sealant that is around the vent definitely has cracks in it.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Janet, Colt & Honey (Papillon & Pomeranian traveling companions)

I often wonder why the RV products dont seem to be as good as those used for Marine applications.

I would use a really good Polyurethane Hatch Bedding Compound for boats like the 3M 5200 or 4200 or Sikaflex 292 or 291. These can be used BELOW the waterline. On the deck of a sailboat you will see more water in an hour than your RV typically sees in several years.

These products are really superior and they work. Given the number of leaks I see in RV's vs Properly fitted boat hatches I will take the Marine stuff anyday.

if you use 5200 on an attachment, it will be next to impossible to remove it without destroying it and the surface it is glued to.
bumpy

While this is true to some extent there are some very clever ways to remove things put down with 5200... Piano wire with two wooden handles used as a "knife" and pulled under the object will cut right through it. There are some other ways too. But basically 5200 is considered a Permanent bond. But it doesnt leak!

[PapillonOne]

Thanks for the advice. Can anyone tell me what the lumpy ugly whitish blackish material that the POS used previously to seal the vent might have been? (I can provide a picture though it will have my white silicone over it, it will still give an idea of what the original seal job looked like.) Reason I ask is I wonder if whatever he used allowed the leaking and subsequent damage.

Also can anyone please give me an idea of what it might cost to have a professional remove the whole thing and reseal.... one of you made mention of making a good living doing this sort of thing....thanks again for all your help.

Janet

[LVJJJ]

DO NOT USE THE SILICONE, IF YOU DID, TAKE IT OFF!

Couple of years ago I bought an 85 Wilderness that I knew had major water damage in 3 corners. The corner studs had been reduced to sawdust. Strangely enuff very little of the water damage was visible inside and not at all on outside. the culprit was silicone seal. The previous owners had put silicone over the original caulking. All it did was separate from the old caulking and from the original aluminum siding and was actually trapping and holding water and sending it inside the trailer. After rebuilding the corners I caulked the whole trailer with Pro-flex. No more leaks.

Years ago I had cut a sunroof into my '65 Chevy Van tow vehicle. After many years it started leaking so I ran silicone caulk around it. It kept leaking and I again discovered that it had pulled away from the sunroof frame and was trapping water and sending it directly into the van. Used Sikaflex 221 (better than Pro-Flex) this time, no more leak.

(I agree that Dicor is a good product and should be used rather than silicone).

[Bumpyroad]

4X4Dodger wrote:

PapillonOne wrote:
Hello. I am fairly new to this site AND to camping in a travel trailer. I wonder if anyone can tell me if I can use the product GE Supreme Silicon Sealant for sealing around the roof vent and the fridge vent on the roof of my 1972 Shasta Compact? I noticed some water damage once the camper was delivered to me but as we are leaving for a few weeks, wonder if there would be any harm in sealing it with this product that has everything you'd want in a sealant; freeze proof, flexible, paintable, elastic, sun proof, 50 year warranty, etc. I could not find any sealant at any of the hardware or big box stores that has the words RV on it and the sealant that is around the vent definitely has cracks in it.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Janet, Colt & Honey (Papillon & Pomeranian traveling companions)

I often wonder why the RV products dont seem to be as good as those used for Marine applications.

I would use a really good Polyurethane Hatch Bedding Compound for boats like the 3M 5200 or 4200 or Sikaflex 292 or 291. These can be used BELOW the waterline. On the deck of a sailboat you will see more water in an hour than your RV typically sees in several years.

These products are really superior and they work. Given the number of leaks I see in RV's vs Properly fitted boat hatches I will take the Marine stuff anyday.

if you use 5200 on an attachment, it will be next to impossible to remove it without destroying it and the surface it is glued to.
bumpy

[4X4Dodger]

PapillonOne wrote:
Hello. I am fairly new to this site AND to camping in a travel trailer. I wonder if anyone can tell me if I can use the product GE Supreme Silicon Sealant for sealing around the roof vent and the fridge vent on the roof of my 1972 Shasta Compact? I noticed some water damage once the camper was delivered to me but as we are leaving for a few weeks, wonder if there would be any harm in sealing it with this product that has everything you'd want in a sealant; freeze proof, flexible, paintable, elastic, sun proof, 50 year warranty, etc. I could not find any sealant at any of the hardware or big box stores that has the words RV on it and the sealant that is around the vent definitely has cracks in it.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Janet, Colt & Honey (Papillon & Pomeranian traveling companions)

I often wonder why the RV products dont seem to be as good as those used for Marine applications.

I would use a really good Polyurethane Hatch Bedding Compound for boats like the 3M 5200 or 4200 or Sikaflex 292 or 291. These can be used BELOW the waterline. On the deck of a sailboat you will see more water in an hour than your RV typically sees in several years.

These products are really superior and they work. Given the number of leaks I see in RV's vs Properly fitted boat hatches I will take the Marine stuff anyday.

[opnspaces]

One of the concerns with silicone is that nothing sticks to it. So when the time comes to re-apply the silicone the new silicone won't stick. On top of that if you do decide to remove the silicone and go with an RV specific product, you will supposedly have a bear of a time getting all the residue off.

[BobsYourUncle]

westend wrote:
Remove the silicone you put on the trailer.

I will absolutely guarantee that the silicone sealer you used will leak and the bond will break. No silicone, please.

X2

[westend]

To get on the roof, place a piece of plywood or other sheet goods on the roof to spread your weight out. Remove the silicone you put on the trailer. 3M makes an excellent caulk remover, apply it on the caulk, place saran wrap on it, and wait overnight. The caulk will come off with light brushing or scraping. Follow up that with mineral spirits to remove the last bits of silicone. Apply Dicor or Eternabond tape.
I will absolutely guarantee that the silicone sealer you used will leak and the bond will break. No silicone, please.

[PapillonOne]

Well unfortunately due to time constraints, (no camping world closer than an hour away nor time to wait on Amazon to deliver,)I did use the silicone today. (Unfortunately, my email system also didn't deliver notification of all the posts either until late this evening - I guess I am just lucky these days!)

May I ask why silicone would not adhere in this application since sealing is what it is made for and the skin is aluminum? It does not make sense that it would cause leaking and not prevent it. The sealant that was already up there was another matter.... very rough and a real mess. I dont' know what it was as I have never seen anything like it, though I did my best to clean it with mineral spirits before applying the silicon.

Feel free to explain and I'll take my lumps.

Oh and please tell me how is one suppose to get up high enough to reach some of these areas on a small compact RV? I had a heck of a time even with a high ladder reaching areas that needed the resealing. Taking it off is gonna be a real chore with no way to sit on the roof.

Thanks for any assistance.
Janet