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Old 07-11-2005, 06:45 AM   #1
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On inspection of the driver side roof to J -channel, I found that the calking was loose on the J-channel side in two places. I also found that the calking was lite in one place and that there was water intrusion, but no damage as the coach is garaged 98% of the time! Also where the calking was loose the fiberglass roof can be pushed in at least 3/8 to 1/2 of an inch.
The passanger side I have replaced and found it to be good! Tenn.Vol.
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Old 07-11-2005, 06:45 AM   #2
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On inspection of the driver side roof to J -channel, I found that the calking was loose on the J-channel side in two places. I also found that the calking was lite in one place and that there was water intrusion, but no damage as the coach is garaged 98% of the time! Also where the calking was loose the fiberglass roof can be pushed in at least 3/8 to 1/2 of an inch.
The passanger side I have replaced and found it to be good! Tenn.Vol.
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Old 07-11-2005, 08:41 AM   #3
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Below is all the info I've collected on this subject. Hope the guys that originally posted this info are ok with this. I did what these guys did and solved the problem for good. Also "Capt Bill" has some good info to.

Hope this helps, Ken, 2000 Brave

JoeK and Eternabond
There's been a lot of discussion concerning the method to apply Eternabond to a Winnebago roof, so I tried to take some pictures the last time I did a roof. As previously mentioned, Eternabond tape is a great product, and I also found the best place to buy it online is Roofers Tools Online They have the best price, but be sure to order it about 2 weeks before you plan to need the material. It seems it takes them about a week to ship the material, then the actual transit time.

The tape is a white material with a thick soft grey adhesive on the back of it. The adhesive layer is covered with a clear peel off backing strip. Once the backing is removed, the adhesive will stick to anything it is touched to.

In order to cut the tape, it is suggested to freeze the tape for several hours or overnight. If you are going to cut it with scissors or snips, freezing them as well is suggested to keep the adhesive from sticking as bad. Following those instructions, I found cutting the tape difficult, as each snip of the shears found them coated with sticky adhesive.

I ended up cutting a couple pieces of scrap melamine material I had (although any wood would do) and making a table and guide. Very similar to using a table saw and fence arrangement to cut the tape.

In this picture, you can see the tape being fed from the roll into the left side of the guide. A guide block is nailed to the cutting surface and a razor blade is inserted into a slot exactly 2 inches from the guide block. By holding the tape straight against the guide, and feeding it through the blade, you quickly cut the tape into two 2 inch wide strips. When I cut the tape, I employed 2 helpers (my kids) to roll the two narrow strips up as I fed the wide tape through the cutter. Only took a few minutes to cut the whole length of tape I needed.


Once the tape is cut, I would also suggest using two persons to apply the tape. When I've done motorhomes, I found it most convenient to set up a scaffold so I can walk at a comfortable height the whole length of the motorhome. Although it takes several minutes to set up, the scaffold enables the tape to be applied in one smooth application without any pausing to move and re-climb ladders. Applied in any manner, two persons really helps as it allows the tape to be held straight by one person while the other actually applies it.

The reason to Eternabond the roof is to insure the integrity of the seal between the fiberglass roof material and the gutter flange which the fiberglass is inserted behind. By keeping the material sealed and adhered to the gutter, you prevent any chance of the fiberglass from pulling out or the seal cracking and developing a water leak.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures with the tape partially applied as my hands were full of a really sticky tape roll, but this last photo shows the tape inserted into the gutter. Again, the tape is applied to the fiberglass roofing sheet, and the internal edge of the gutter. I've found it easiest to insert the tape into the gutter first pressing it down into the bottom corner of the gutter as it is applied. I apply the tape the whole length of the gutter, then go back and fold it up so it contacts the roof. When applied in this way, you keep the tape bonded down as deeply as possible into the gutter where there is a smaller contact area. As the tape is folded up over the existi

Important item to remember, the tape should go all the way down into the bottom of the gutter, and be pressed in well there. Then lay it up over the gutter onto the roof. After Eternabonding the gutter to roof joint, as an optional item, applying a 4 inch wide strip of tape covering the joint of the front cap to roof is a good idea. In this photo, the front cap is not yet taped, but was done so after the photo was taken. The front cap tape comes down on each side and coving the end of the tape we already applied and ends right at the lower edge of the previously applied tape.

I should mention that the tape in the photgraph has what looks like vertical lines in it. These lines are from wrinkles in the tape when it is spooled in tight rools by the manufacturer. You can actually see one of them on the tape in the first picture when it is being cut. Those lines are not wrinkles in the applied tape, and will fade once the tape is applied. You do not want to get actual wrinkles in the tape adhesive when you apply it. While it shouldn't cause a leak, the appearance may not meet your expectations if you get actual wrinkles in it.

After applying the tape, unless specifically looking for it, the tape is not noticable. It blends in well with the white gutter and white roof.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Joe-K, November 11, 2004 09:50 AM November 11, 2004 10:50 AM


Eternabond:

I think this is the site for the lowest price on Eternabond:
http://www.rooferstoolsonline.com/etrosewh.html
This product is white with UV protection and does not need painting. You can cut the 4" roll in smaller strips, it will seal very well as long as you have 1/4" clean surface with no Silicone in that area. It takes 2 people to cut it because it wants to bond back to itself after the knife passes!

Don Harris
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1999 Winnebago Adventurer, 35C, Class A, Ford V10, 20,500 GVWR chassis. Sleeps 2 Senior Citizens only!
1995 Saturn SW2 Toad, Blue Ox Aventa towing system, SMI Toad brake.
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Old 07-11-2005, 09:46 AM   #4
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KCL, being a neat freak, I cant deal with the large ETERNABOND,so I went back with the 5200 Dupont! But I do have some concern that it is not as plyable!! Tenn.Vol.
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Old 07-11-2005, 11:46 AM   #5
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I went through the same thoughts as you as I am a "neat freak" also. I've used 3m 5200 many times on the sail boats we had before the RV.
My thoughts are that the 5200 might be to stiff and would not flex enough in hot and cold weather and once it cracks again it is a bear to get off. 5200 is a good product and I hope it works for you.
I'm very happy with the Eternabond. I followed JoeK's instructions to the letter and he looked at my job at the Lancaster PA Rally in June and said it looked good. You really have to look hard to notice, it blends in real good with the roof.

Let me know how your's holds up as I am very interested in your progress with the 5200.

Ken
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Old 07-13-2005, 08:46 PM   #6
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by KCE:
My thoughts are that the 5200 might be to stiff and would not flex enough in hot and cold weather and once it cracks again it is a bear to get off. 5200 is a good product and I hope it works for you. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I did my rig with polyurethane back in 2002; not with 3M, but the cheap $5 per cartridge commercial grade, above-waterline stuff from Home Depot. It took less than a cartridge to do the entire perimeter. How much does the same job cost with Eternabond?

So far the polyurethane is showing no signs failure. It would be reasonable to assume that 3M stuff will outdo the cheap stuff, by a wide margin.

As for your concern that it might be a problem to get off *if* it cracks, I don't envision that as being a problem, since unlike silicone, polyurethane sticks to polyurethane. Whatever material might have to be removed, can be easily trimmed away with an knife.
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Old 07-14-2005, 01:25 AM   #7
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Tenn. Vol., I am curious as to the age of your coach and how often have you inspected the roof joint and sealants. I have an '05 Minnie and I see that Winnebago requires an annual inspection be performed to maintain the warranty, which I will have done by my dealer each fall.
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Old 07-14-2005, 09:32 AM   #8
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Minnie, sorry bout that, as it makes me upset
when one does not give pertant info.
02 adventure, on a WH chassie. And get this
the chassie has a born on date of 9-11!
This is the first and last inspection, I hope! OH there it is Winn.Fiberglass Roof!02 Adven!
TENN.VOL.
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Old 07-14-2005, 11:14 AM   #9
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How much does the same job cost with Eternabond?
-----------------------------------------------

I paid 41.00 for the Eternabond + freight + My labor.
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Old 07-15-2005, 09:33 AM   #10
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I just completed installing Eternabond tape to my Winn. Adventurer. It is 2 years old and while cleaning the side I found one place where there was a hair line crack. I didn't see it until it was pushed it. I have always kept the roof clean so I cleaned it with windex glass cleaner. Under whe water channel there was algae build-up and it couldn't be seen only if you got low and looked up. I used a screw driver to get the algae out. After cutting the tape into 2 2" pieces I rolled them up onto tin cans and put the outside of the tape toward the can and it rolled off better that way to install it. I had 2 ladders and did this myself. I done about one foot at a time. The hard job was getting the tape down into the bottom of the channel. I used the material that doesn't slide to set the cans on top of the roof and just unrolled it a little at a time. Also before cutting the tape, put into the freezer over night and it will not stick to anything. I done this on a hot day and I had every little tapes that was sticking on to anything but the roof. I placed 4 photo under "Modifications and Repairs."
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Old 07-15-2005, 10:42 AM   #11
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A little trick a fellow member found when applying the eternalbond was to use popcicle sticks(flat ones) to push the tape down in the gutter and give it a smooth finish there.
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Old 07-15-2005, 11:25 AM   #12
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I used a old tooth brush handle. It was sort of rounded on the end. I had to cut a notch in it to fit flat while appling pressure to the tape. Seem to work ok.
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Old 07-17-2005, 03:19 PM   #13
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I just checked our 2002 Adventurer and found a 6 foot place above the driver's door that was loose. We were going on a long trip and I just cleaned it with scraper and stainless brush, recaulked it with Camping World "ProFlexRV" caulking. It is super stuff. It does such a neat job and looks like the factory. I try to check it often, especially before going on a trip. I would never use the Eternabond on my Winnie, it just don't look good enough for me. Nobody really knows the future of the eternabond and bet it would be problem to remove if it did have problem down the road. Happy RVing!!!
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Old 07-18-2005, 02:18 PM   #14
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I also would not do the enternal bond treatment on my'05 Suncruiser. And I would not buy a used coach that had this alteration.
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Old 07-18-2005, 04:29 PM   #15
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">recaulked it with Camping World "ProFlexRV" caulking. It is super stuff. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hey ron? I used the same stuff on my roof joint and it has held up for about 7 months now, how long has your caulk job lasted, I bought the almond color by mistake but it turned out well as I could see where I had applied it easely and you really can't notice it from the ground.
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Old 07-18-2005, 08:35 PM   #16
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....every roofing supplyer has a product called "peal and stick" with a white or aluminum top coat-works as well as eternabond but s 1/2 the price....also used for cracked boat bottoms to stop the water from coming in so you can enjoy your weekend.....geofkaye
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