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MicahDD's avatar
MicahDD
Explorer
May 16, 2013

Sealing a leaky seam on my epdm roof.... what should I use?

Hey everyone, recently bought a small Sun Valley Roadrunner 160 for a trip across America this summer. You guys have been really great helping me with figuring out a few things already and I have another question.

We bought this TT used and it has a small leak at a rear corner of the roof where the roof meets the rear "bezel" of the trailer. In the picture below my finger is pointing where I think water got in, an area in that corner about the size of my hand feels soft, the wood has definitely gotten wet in the past though it's dry now. No time to fix the wood right now (do I even need to?), will have to fix when I return.... but....

For our trip I'd like to seal up that leaky spot, what should I use? Roof has a membrane on it, with a very thin coat of (I think) EPDM liquid over everything.

I'm inclined to clean up the area and just caulk the heck out of the whole corner with clear or white exterior silicone caulk, which in my (non-RV) experience is easy to work with, seals everything very reliably and lasts ages.

Will that be ok? Or is there some special RV roof sealant I should use instead? I hate to have to order some special something-or-other, but I definitely will if I have to...

Any advice appreciated!

  • MicahDD's avatar
    MicahDD
    Explorer
    May 16, 2013
    oldtrojan66 wrote:
    Don't see it in this thread, but elsewhere I have read NOT to use silicone. I also use it for everything under the sun, but people here say it is not the way to go. I have used the Dicor self-leveling sealant in a tube (like caulking gun) and it does a great job, but not too pretty. But then its on the top, so you're the only one who sees it!


    Thanks oldtrojan66, I seem to think the same thing, that I read somewhere that normal silicone caulk isn't the right thing for this application, but I'm not sure.

    I'm going to go with the Dicor sealant, better safe than sorry.
  • oldtrojan66's avatar
    oldtrojan66
    Explorer
    May 16, 2013
    Don't see it in this thread, but elsewhere I have read NOT to use silicone. I also use it for everything under the sun, but people here say it is not the way to go. I have used the Dicor self-leveling sealant in a tube (like caulking gun) and it does a great job, but not too pretty. But then its on the top, so you're the only one who sees it!
  • MicahDD's avatar
    MicahDD
    Explorer
    May 16, 2013
    Pauljdav wrote:
    Dicor self leveling sealant. Clean the area according to the directions. The self leveling sealant is super easy to use.

    Paul


    Sounds promising, I'll look into it thanks.

    powderman426 wrote:
    If your not going to fix the damage right away, you really should do all you can to dry the area so more damage or mold wont begin.


    Unfortunately I don't have time between now and when we leave to tear into the roof and fix whatever's in there. The trailer has been sitting outside in Modesto so I'm fairly certain it's dry in there, it was a really dry winter here in Cali and I know for sure no moisture has happened in the last few weeks.
  • powderman426's avatar
    powderman426
    Explorer
    May 16, 2013
    I really like the Eternabond tape, but this looks like the Dicor would work better. If your not going to fix the damage right away, you really should do all you can to dry the area so more damage or mold wont begin.
  • Pauljdav's avatar
    Pauljdav
    Explorer
    May 16, 2013
    Dicor self leveling sealant. Clean the area according to the directions. The self leveling sealant is super easy to use.

    Paul

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