Sealant issue

[HarryJ]

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

wstalker,
Well, the subject of whether or not to use Silcone on any section/parts/areas of RV roofs has been discussed just a few thousand times. But, I won't go into any detail here other than to say, we have a coach, almost a sister ship to yours. It's a 2004 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT. It "had" some cracking of the roof-to-gutter seams, about 4'-5' from the front cap, towards te rear, on each side.

I contacted a company called 3 Ts, here in Lake Havasu City AZ about what product to use to re-seal that area. Yes, I know all about the Winnebago call out sheet for all the sealants. Got it in my documents. 3Ts is and has been, in very close ties with the Winnebago factory for years. So, I figured that since they're that close to the factory heads of state, I'd rely on what they recommended for that area question.

So, I asked. They're recommendation: SILICONE!!!! I said, "are you sure"? "Yep, Silcone". I didn't bother getting into any form of details of "but, ........", I just said, thank you and headed out to Home Depot. Now, if I may suggest, you look at this video from Lichtsinn RV. If you don't know them, is an RV repair and sales outfit, about one city block away from the Winnebago factory. They too work extremely close with the factory on repair. In this "Roof cove maintenance" video, you'll see what they use, that's told to them by WINNEBAGO for the various applications of roof-to-gutter seam.

I'm suspecting that, if your coach is as ours is, A FULL BODY PAINT coach, you'll see what they recommend. It will interest you.
Scott

Roof Cove Maintenance, Recorded with my Android Mobile Phone. LichtsinnMotors on USTREAM. How-to

Sorry because this thread is so old. But, my old RV is new to me, and I found the thread because I need to "re-seal" my '08 Aspect.
I found it humorous to watch the Lichtsinn video. Winnebago explicitly, specifically, repeatedly says to NOT use silicone on the roof-to-sidewall seam. It seems that the main reason is because the (urethane) sealant they specify acts as a much better...glue...to hold that little bit of roof material in that tiny channel, so the roof won't blow out. In the video, the quiet, experienced technician IS holding up the proper material (NOT silicone--you can easily see the tube labels are for the material in the Winnebago callout sheet. You can't read the labels, but the tubes are very recognizable). But, the much louder salesman keeps calling it silicone. If I'm not mistaken, the tech eventually caves in and starts calling it silicone, too.
Anyway, I'm not going to second-guess the Winnebago engineers, and use what they recommend (NOT silicone, lol). Wish me luck.

[Jim_HiTek]

I'm using 2" Eternabond on the edges of the roof. Winnie used it as a warranty repair a few years ago when they made a bunch of roofs slightly too small. If it's good enough for the Winnie engineers, it's good enough for me.

With the added bonus that I never have to deal with trying to caulk a thin bead in a straight line. I've not the talent or the patience for doing much further then 3 feet so it looks good.

Spent years researching this question and I'm sticking with Eternabond. Have used it for 12 years on my rubber roof, and 3 years on my fiberglass roof with good results. Do it once with Ebond and likely never need to do it again.

Here's a link to my blog articles about doing that job: Roof and roof items...

[HarryJ]

Originally Posted by Jim_HiTek

I'm using 2" Eternabond on the edges of the roof. Winnie used it as a warranty repair a few years ago when they made a bunch of roofs slightly too small. If it's good enough for the Winnie engineers, it's good enough for me.

With the added bonus that I never have to deal with trying to caulk a thin bead in a straight line. I've not the talent or the patience for doing much further then 3 feet so it looks good.

Spent years researching this question and I'm sticking with Eternabond. Have used it for 12 years on my rubber roof, and 3 years on my fiberglass roof with good results. Do it once with Ebond and likely never need to do it again.

Here's a link to my blog articles about doing that job: Roof and roof items...

Thanks.
You must have made a dent in the discussion in the past, because I've actually seen links to that post before, and have read it. The only "drawback" I've read about Eternabond is that "you can see it". In the case of my RV, it may be the best-looking part that you see (the paint is... less than perfect). I'm definitely keeping a big roll with me in my travels. It looks much better than a blown-up roof edge!

[BobC]

And, never use Dicor for this purpose. It has minimal adhesive properties. Personally I'm a call-out sheet plus Eternabond fan.