Front cap roof leak and Eternabond

baraff · 10-22-2011, 05:50 PM

Hi All - on a recent trip to Ocracoke Island, we encountered 20 hours straight
of extreme wind and driving rain. We also had a leak in the ceiling (passenger
side, above speaker) and the carpet was damp under the small vertical window.
(Winnebago Aspect 26A). On the ferry ride back to the mainland I was able to get a good look at
the roof cap joint from the upper deck. The caulk appears to have deteriorated
and it has seperated from the roof. Last year I had sealed this with some Dicor,
shortly after we bought it.
I have ordered some Eternabond tape:
RV Leak Repair Tapes & Sealants | EternaBond
From forum sites I have discovered this stuff offers a permanent repair.
Re-caulking this seam seems to be a waste of time; the caulk Winnebago
recommends is the factory stuff and it hasn't held up so I am going to try
something new.
Has anybody had any experience with leaks in this area and what did you use to
solve the problem?

docj · 10-22-2011, 06:00 PM

We had Eternabond put on our front and rear cap seams this summer. So far, so good.

smlranger · 10-22-2011, 06:05 PM

I think any of us who have owned any kind of RV for any time has had to deal with leaks. While I can't comment on your specific coach, I have used Eternabond on mine and have been pleased with the results. I used it to seal the front cap-to-roof joint on my Journey, around a newly-installed roof vent and skylight, and along the entire roof-to-sidewall joints on both sides of the coach. Just make sure you remove any silicone or silicone-based sealant before using the tape as Eternabond will not stick to silicone.

Wizard · 10-23-2011, 07:13 AM

Same on my Journey, Eternabond on both caps and down both roof to sidewall seams.

No problems since, fairly easy job if you take your time and clean really good.

Marinelender · 10-23-2011, 10:05 AM

Used it on front and rear caps of our Journey last Spring...6 months and 6K miles later we are dry as a bone. Easy to use, just clean with recommended product before installing.

John Hilley · 10-23-2011, 10:41 AM

The leak may be coming from the windshield.

baraff · 10-23-2011, 12:12 PM

Thanks all, I am planning to do this tomorrow, will try to post some photos of the job.

CharlieTwo · 10-23-2011, 01:20 PM

I just put Eternabond on a few months ago. I believe it is the answer to leakage problems.

baraff · 10-24-2011, 02:02 PM

Here are some photos of my Eternabond project. The old caulk was a pain to remove, until I got out my trusty heat gun, came off like butter after that. I cleaned the surfaces with acetone, then mineral spirits using a green scrub pad. The entire MH is filthy as we just got back from a trip.

RTegarini · 10-25-2011, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baraff

Here are some photos of my Eternabond project.

Thanks, baraff, for posting some photos. Do you happen to have a side-shot of the front cap? I'd like to see what it looks like, especially looking up from ground-level, along with a close-up.

Thanks in advance if you happen to have and can post a couple more pictures. -RT