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Old 11-06-2019, 01:16 PM   #1
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Roof sealant only lasts nine months?

I was on the roof of my 2019 Adventurer (delivered in February) to inspect the caulking. I was surprised to see a crack in the roof to rear end cap sealant. It seems to go through the thickness of the material. My prior RVs with Dicor on the roof lasted years. Am I stuck with resealing the seams every six months or can I cover the silicone caulk with Eternabond?
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Old 11-06-2019, 04:42 PM   #2
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This isn't typical and it should last like your previous RVs. That's a terrible caulking job, Winnebago should be ashamed. It looks like there's two thick layers which is strange for a new rig. If it's covered under warranty I'd take it in. If not or if you'd rather fix it yourself, I'd remove all or as much as possible, clean thoroughly, re-seal it with Winnebago's specified sealant and cover the joint with Eternabond.

Winnebago doesn't use Dicor on it's fiberglass roofs and although many owners do, I prefer to use what's specified in the sealant call out sheet for my MH. You don't want a potential warranty argument for not using the specified product. And, I don't think the product is at fault here, it's poor application. Thicker and wider isn't better.

Your's may be different but, on my 2002, the caps overlap the roof with a 1/8" or more vertical gap between the underside of the cap and the fiberglass roof, into which I could squirt a bead of sealant. That's the sealant that's going to do most of the work. Hopefully, if your's is similar, that sealant is still intact, meaning there hasn't been any leaks.

After re-sealing, I covered mine with Eternabond.
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Old 11-07-2019, 02:05 PM   #3
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This isn't typical and it should last like your previous RVs. That's a terrible caulking job, Winnebago should be ashamed. It looks like there's two thick layers which is strange for a new rig. If it's covered under warranty I'd take it in. If not or if you'd rather fix it yourself, I'd remove all or as much as possible, clean thoroughly, re-seal it with Winnebago's specified sealant and cover the joint with Eternabond.

Winnebago doesn't use Dicor on it's fiberglass roofs and although many owners do, I prefer to use what's specified in the sealant call out sheet for my MH. You don't want a potential warranty argument for not using the specified product. And, I don't think the product is at fault here, it's poor application. Thicker and wider isn't better.

Your's may be different but, on my 2002, the caps overlap the roof with a 1/8" or more vertical gap between the underside of the cap and the fiberglass roof, into which I could squirt a bead of sealant. That's the sealant that's going to do most of the work. Hopefully, if your's is similar, that sealant is still intact, meaning there hasn't been any leaks.

After re-sealing, I covered mine with Eternabond.
I didn't notice the light color material before, maybe it's something that's higher strength than the silicone that they put on first. They also messed up when they attached the cap to the roof. They left a buckle in the center which popped the caulking open (see picture). I just had it at the dealer for a jack replacement. I wish I had noticed this problem before. Did the Eternabond stick okay to the silicone caulk? Are there interlocking edges on the cap and roof or just flat?
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Old 11-07-2019, 04:23 PM   #4
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On mine, I removed all the caulking except for that between the cap and the roof, so my Eternbond is sticking to the fiberglass roof and plastic cap. Mine doesn't overlap but your's is much newer. Even if the Eternabond will stick to what you have, you'd just be putting a bandaid over the real problem. Think about the caulking in your bathroom at home. There's a small bead in the crack that does all the work. You'd never keep gooping on inches of more caulking to stop a leak. It's the same with your MH.


If you're going to DIY, I'd remove all of it and start over from scratch. If the caulk between the two is sound, no need to dig it out but, if it's failed, most will probably come out if you pull on it.
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Old 11-07-2019, 08:37 PM   #5
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On mine, I removed all the caulking except for that between the cap and the roof, so my Eternbond is sticking to the fiberglass roof and plastic cap. Mine doesn't overlap but your's is much newer. Even if the Eternabond will stick to what you have, you'd just be putting a bandaid over the real problem. Think about the caulking in your bathroom at home. There's a small bead in the crack that does all the work. You'd never keep gooping on inches of more caulking to stop a leak. It's the same with your MH.


If you're going to DIY, I'd remove all of it and start over from scratch. If the caulk between the two is sound, no need to dig it out but, if it's failed, most will probably come out if you pull on it.

I called the dealer today to make an appointment. He asked if I could bring it in today...I could and they fixed it with an additional screw and another layer of caulk. We shall see...
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Old 11-08-2019, 09:30 AM   #6
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I hope it works but, keep in mind that additional layer after layer is a lousy way to do things.
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Old 11-08-2019, 10:00 AM   #7
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I hope it works but, keep in mind that additional layer after layer is a lousy way to do things.

It's bound to get some additional shear strength from the additional material. They also used white caulk instead of the black (no black in stock) so that shouldn't get as soft as the black in hot sun.


Did the silicone caulk come off easier than Dicor? Did you EB the side joints also? How far did you go down into the channel?
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Old 11-13-2019, 04:18 PM   #8
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My original factory caulking is now 10 yrs old and has turned into this grey, chalky, cracky mess. It's caused a 2ft sq bubble to appear on my TPO roof. The heat, then cold, then heat, then cold and the UV just kills caulking stretching/contracting, heaving and cracking.


I think I'm going to go with the Flex Armour rvroof.com people. No more caulking and good riddance.



Am I crazy, thoughts ?
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Old 11-13-2019, 04:43 PM   #9
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What in H E double hockey sticks is THAT

The black junk. It looks like the white sealant failed and the dealer or factory laid that black stuff over the failed areas.

Looks like a lemon to me. It will ALL have to be removed. Fix the roof to wall attachment (the screws probably drilled into nothing) and reseal the entire perimeter of the roof.

Winny junk
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Old 11-13-2019, 04:59 PM   #10
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Winnebago uses the black stuff to seal the rear cap and shower skylight. At least on mine. Caulking is not covered under warranty as it is considered a maintenance issue. They recommend quarterly inspections. As soon as you drive it off the lot the caulking is your problem.
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Old 11-13-2019, 05:08 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by winniethepoo View Post
My original factory caulking is now 10 yrs old and has turned into this grey, chalky, cracky mess. It's caused a 2ft sq bubble to appear on my TPO roof. The heat, then cold, then heat, then cold and the UV just kills caulking stretching/contracting, heaving and cracking.


I think I'm going to go with the Flex Armour rvroof.com people. No more caulking and good riddance.



Am I crazy, thoughts ?

Unless your coach is stored indoors and you rarely take it out no caulking will last ten years. Eternabond tape is the only material that stands any chance.
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Old 11-13-2019, 05:36 PM   #12
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....the screws probably drilled into nothing).....

Winny junk

Yep. Most likely.
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Old 11-13-2019, 06:34 PM   #13
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That rear cap caulking job is absolutely terrible. Like others have said, remove all, and re-apply. I would steer clear of the usual batch of silicone materials.

The fiberglass roof (by design) will move slightly under the cap, thus the need for a flexible caulking (not much, but a little). You definitely don't want any screws through the joint, that will be a point of failure.

My rear cap joint has a dicor looking caulk material spread out about 3 inches across the joint. Factory applied. I look at it whenever I get up on the roof. It is now over 9 1/2 years old, lots of years in the sun, and it is still holding great, and looks great.

The front cap seems to move a bit more, and I remove and recaulk some small sections of the original joint material every three years, it seems. I use 3M 5200 sealant. Its all in the surface prep. Do a good job there, and the sealant will last.
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Old 11-13-2019, 07:27 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by murphy55378 View Post
Winnebago uses the black stuff to seal the rear cap and shower skylight. At least on mine. Caulking is not covered under warranty as it is considered a maintenance issue. They recommend quarterly inspections. As soon as you drive it off the lot the caulking is your problem.
Getting a Winnebago checked quarterly is a fantastic idea. For the five years I owned mine I had it into the dealership at least 3-4 times per year for leaks. They never did find the problem and it is probably leaking to this day.

Winny crap.
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Old 11-14-2019, 12:05 AM   #15
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That really needs to be cleaned up and done over. With the buckle like that it might even be considered a warranty repair. With the two colors of sealant one might even wonder if the dealer had a mishap backing it up and did a haphazard repair to quickly patch it up.

As far as Eternabond goes it does not stick to silicone and if silicone of any kind be it caulking, wax, aerosol spray or protectorant was used it will need to be scraped off and all traces of it completely removed as even a trace of silicone will prevent Eternabond from creating a good lasting seal.
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Old 11-14-2019, 06:47 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by winniethepoo View Post
My original factory caulking is now 10 yrs old and has turned into this grey, chalky, cracky mess. It's caused a 2ft sq bubble to appear on my TPO roof. The heat, then cold, then heat, then cold and the UV just kills caulking stretching/contracting, heaving and cracking.


I think I'm going to go with the Flex Armour rvroof.com people. No more caulking and good riddance.



Am I crazy, thoughts ?

I went with the Flex Armour RVRoof and couldn't be happier. Fixed my leaks, I don't have to caulk anymore, they have a lifetime warranty.
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