Need some direction with replacing skylight... please

[mdprowash]

Hi... I have a crack in my skylight that has been patched a couple of times prior to me owning it. It still has a slow leak and drips into the tub. I would like to attempt to replace it myself.. because I'm pretty handy and don't want to spend $160 for someone else to do it. I have watched a few videos and one made it look real easy.. lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYXFwCOT0Iw

When I pealed off one side of the sealant on the skylight it looks different than the ones I'm seeing in the videos and pictures of a replacement skylights. Mine has a rolled over lip for an edge.. opposed to just laying flat.

My questions are... do I want the same kind with a rolled edge? And... how much of the build up do I need to get up? When I try to lift it off.. it seems to lift what little layer of rubber roof is there when I do...

[mdprowash]

Well... we had our first rain storm since install of new skylight. Happy to report.. no leakage 🙂



Thanks for your help!

[mdprowash]

Thanks. I'm not the type to cut corners. I bought all new marker lights a couple of weeks ago.. bought stainless screws separately and put a dab of silicone in each hole.

Do it right (to the best of my ability) the first time.. so I don't have to get up there again....

[RedRocket204]

You can probably get away with only cleaning the area where the Eternabond tape is going to patch the hole. The rest of the skylight area would be up to you but I would probably try and get it cleaned up really good. RV roofs, or any roof for that matter, is not something you want to cut corners on.

Do it right, not over is my motto.

[mdprowash]

I was afraid you were going to say that. Fun... 😞

[RedRocket204]

it's the word c r a p embedded that is getting filtered. A poor filter at best. Also does it to Gr a p evine.


This Eternabond link has instructions for cleaning. But yes, you will want to remove all of the existing Dicor sealant as well as clean it as best as possible so the Eternabond can have the most secure bond possible.

https://www.eternabond.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/eb_hvac_tips_install.pdf

[mdprowash]

Not sure why it put *** for S C R A P E D ???

[mdprowash]

Okay... By clean.. Do you mean clean the surface of what I already s****ed off? Or do I need to s****e more? I fear going any lower and cutting into the roof... 😞

[RedRocket204]

It looks like that cut is on the edge of where the skylight cover was as there must have been a tree branch, or similar, impact that broke the skylight and punctured the roof element. I would independently patch that cut first.

Clean that up really good and use Eternabond tape as a patch using the Eternabond recommendations for prep. Also, this is assuming SB140 will not harm Eternabond. Once it is patched, proceed on installing the skylight cover as normal.

[mdprowash]

Okay... got the skylight off. Here is the crack and patch...





There was gobs and gobs of I'm guessing Dicor on the side with the crack. Once I got most of it off I found this little hole slice in the rubber and it lined up right where the crack is on the skylight.



How do I fix this? Use a patch similar to what is on the skylight? That patch was sticky as all heck! had to use gasoline to get off my hands 🙂

Does anyone know if I can use that SB140? It looks like it would work better than the butyl tape...

[RVhiker]

mdprowash wrote:
okay... the video says use sb140. Is this the same as Dicor?

SB140 is a special sealant that is compatible with EPDM and with plastics. Instead of an acrylic skylight, consider getting one made of polycarbonate (Lexan); much stronger and not much more expensive. I bought my replacement skylights from Rvskylights (link)

[RedRocket204]

Double_Haul wrote:
Wow, 10 minutes! I should have had you do mine.

I get the feeling donn0128 was thinking this thread was about replacing a vent lid, not an actual shower, non-venting, skylight.

[mdprowash]

okay... the video says use sb140. Is this the same as Dicor?

[jvowell1]

Mine was just leaking and I used a heat gun to soften all the putty and removed what I could. Removed the screws, heated all around with the heat gun lifted the skylight off, cleand the area real good. Bought a roll fo buytal tape from Camping World reinstalled then put dicor around screw heads and all around edges of skylight. Took probally 2 to 3 hours

[Double_Haul]

Wow, 10 minutes! I should have had you do mine. It took me about 4 hours to get the dicor and butyl caulk off the roofing material to a nice clean surface without destroying it and about 30 minutes to put it all back on and seal it. When I purchased my new skylight it came with a tube of butyl caulk which will be used between the skylight and the roof. Then you'll need Dicor self leveling to seal the screws and edges. I built up the dicor so as to not create a dam to trap water against the skylight.