Roof Cleaning went well. The bad news....the sealant! - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 01-10-2019, 06:10 PM   #1
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Roof Cleaning went well. The bad news....the sealant!

Nice 70 degree day on Tuesday, got half the roof clean with Dawn and some bleach. Kept rinsing the sides and all is good.


EXCEPT!


The trailer is barely 15 months from date of manufacture.
Last time I checked and washed the roof was last spring. No problem. Is this normal for such huge cracks to develop so soon?


No leaks. Yet. So, I guess I need a recommendation for what to use to plug up the cracks.



Thanks
Bill
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Old 01-10-2019, 06:25 PM   #2
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Usual? That’s kinda hard to answer... as a lot depends on location, amount of sun exposure, hot & cold cycles which expand & contract materials, etc.

I have my roof checked every 6 months or so... cracks usually filled with DICOR, provided nothing more serious involved.
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Old 01-10-2019, 06:28 PM   #3
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The DICOR website has LOTS of videos concerning that sealant.

Video Gallery | The Dicor Corporation | Official Website

Look under DICOR PRODUCTS, REPLACE. I have a powered caulking gun which is REALLY handy for this stuff since you will use several tubes of this stuff. Order it on-line, much cheaper.
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Old 01-10-2019, 06:34 PM   #4
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Thanks, I understand. Heat/cold/ expansion.
Just seems kind of fast.



Alas! Welcome to the world of RVs ughhh.


I think if I had know what a pain they were hahaha


I would be camping in a pup tent.
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Old 01-10-2019, 06:35 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by franktafl View Post
The DICOR website has LOTS of videos concerning that sealant.

Video Gallery | The Dicor Corporation | Official Website

Look under DICOR PRODUCTS, REPLACE.

Thanks, Dicor it is.
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Old 01-10-2019, 06:42 PM   #6
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I am not normally anal retentive.....hahaha


But looking at this roof makes me want to tear all the old "adhesive" off and replace it.



In this day and age you would thinks something better in roofs exists???


Bang! That was me falling off my soapbox
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Old 01-10-2019, 06:50 PM   #7
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getting the old sealant off will not go well and you will most likely tear something. Follow the instructions on the video and be well. I have heard some folks take that sealant off and utilize ETERNABOND in place of the sealant. BUT, with eternabond, hope you never need to remove it because it is true to it's name.

https://www.eternabond.com/

I keep a roll of the stuff because I put my solar panels up on the roof with it (I have the flat flexible ones).
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Old 01-10-2019, 06:51 PM   #8
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https://www.eternabond.com/articles.asp?id=148
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Old 01-10-2019, 06:53 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by franktafl View Post
getting the old sealant off will not go well and you will most likely tear something. Follow the instructions on the video and be well. I have heard some folks take that sealant off and utilize ETERNABOND in place of the sealant. BUT, with eternabond, hope you never need to remove it because it is true to it's name.

https://www.eternabond.com/

I keep a roll of the stuff because I put my solar panels up on the roof with it (I have the flat flexible ones).

Yeah, I kind of figured that. I'm just venting.
Have to check out that tape.


Thanks
Bill
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Old 01-11-2019, 10:34 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by ArmyVeteran View Post
I am not normally anal retentive.....hahaha


But looking at this roof makes me want to tear all the old "adhesive" off and replace it.



In this day and age you would thinks something better in roofs exists???


Bang! That was me falling off my soapbox
They do but the RV industry is too cheap to use it, and it weighs more. I know that I will be replacing the roof on my motor home sooner or later. I have already sourced commercial roofing material from my work place. It is probably 10 times thicker than what the RV industry uses, much more puncture resistant and will last longer than I will be on this earth.

Aaron
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Old 01-11-2019, 11:24 AM   #11
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This past year I had a crack in one of my skylights so after replacing it, I decided to use Eternabond instead of Dicor to seal it. While up there I also removed several other areas where the dicor was and replaced with eternabond. It was fairly easy to replace it.


At the end of the year before winterizing it, I inspected the areas I used the eternabond and all was well. I also went ahead and removed more dicor areas (specifically the roof/front cap seem and the rear seem) as well.


Eternabond is great stuff!


One suggestion for removing the old stuff is to use either a blow dryer or heat gun to loosen it up but be careful as to not overheat the sealant under the roofing material. I did have to apply some glue under the roof material in a few areas before installing the new tape because of heating the roof too much. Chalk it up to experience!
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Old 01-11-2019, 02:59 PM   #12
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Probably why I preach nonstop about checking your roof 3 times a year. The fun part is wondering how much water has leaked in. Don't treat this like your caulking a tile job in a fancy house, Dicor likes to be blobbed on, and it will spread some from the original bead width.
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Old 01-11-2019, 04:27 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by ArmyVeteran View Post
Thanks, I understand. Heat/cold/ expansion.
Just seems kind of fast.



Alas! Welcome to the world of RVs ughhh.


I think if I had know what a pain they were hahaha


I would be camping in a pup tent.
The thing that sets you aside from lots of (un)happy campers is at least you checked your roof!
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Old 01-11-2019, 05:03 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by wahoonc View Post
They do but the RV industry is too cheap to use it, and it weighs more. I know that I will be replacing the roof on my motor home sooner or later. I have already sourced commercial roofing material from my work place. It is probably 10 times thicker than what the RV industry uses, much more puncture resistant and will last longer than I will be on this earth.

Aaron

I hear you. But some of us may be wiling to pay a bit more for a better roof. If I had seen the roof of any RV while we were shopping, I would probably thought twice. It is disturbing to me to see the shoddy workmanship. Just gob on more stuff and hope for the best. ughhhh
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Old 01-14-2019, 05:10 PM   #15
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If you think that is bad, go walk on the roof of your house and check the areas where the roofing tar was applied! Surprisingly enough, it just looks bad, but is still sealed enough to keep water out, only the surface cracks and spreads as long as the sealer is thick enough.
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Old 01-14-2019, 06:28 PM   #16
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If you think that is bad, go walk on the roof of your house and check the areas where the roofing tar was applied! Surprisingly enough, it just looks bad, but is still sealed enough to keep water out, only the surface cracks and spreads as long as the sealer is thick enough.



Not sure that there is any traditional roofing tar on our roof. Or any roof that I have lived under in my 70 years. There may be some "goop" up there somewhere around vents.



Nevertheless, I get your point. The problem is that if you don't address the "none issues" as you see them. You void your roof warranty. And you just never know. So, I have decided on DICOR products for the "repairs" and future maintenance.


For fun, here is a video from about 200 feet. You can spot the house roof and trailer roof, barely



https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Nw...gnlyo3qL7lOKwJ



Enjoy.
Bill
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Old 01-14-2019, 06:40 PM   #17
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Not sure that there is any traditional roofing tar on our roof. Or any roof that I have lived under in my 70 years. There may be some "goop" up there somewhere around vents.



Nevertheless, I get your point. The problem is that if you don't address the "none issues" as you see them. You void your roof warranty. And you just never know. So, I have decided on DICOR products for the "repairs" and future maintenance.


For fun, here is a video from about 200 feet. You can spot the house roof and trailer roof, barely



https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Nw...gnlyo3qL7lOKwJ



Enjoy.
Bill

No doubt. Just stating that it isn't as bad as it looks in most cases. Just make sure the cracks are dry and give them a fill once in a while. I do the same thing on mine twice a year, and a look over before it goes in the barn for the winter.
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Old 01-14-2019, 07:05 PM   #18
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No doubt. Just stating that it isn't as bad as it looks in most cases. Just make sure the cracks are dry and give them a fill once in a while. I do the same thing on mine twice a year, and a look over before it goes in the barn for the winter.

Gotcha, Thanks for the input.

Have fun.
Bill
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Old 01-16-2019, 10:14 PM   #19
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Nice 70 degree day on Tuesday, got half the roof clean with Dawn and some bleach. Kept rinsing the sides and all is good.


EXCEPT!


The trailer is barely 15 months from date of manufacture.
Last time I checked and washed the roof was last spring. No problem. Is this normal for such huge cracks to develop so soon?


No leaks. Yet. So, I guess I need a recommendation for what to use to plug up the cracks.



Thanks
Bill
Wouldn't expect it to look like that after only 15 months
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Old 01-16-2019, 10:48 PM   #20
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I used eternabond on the leading and trailing edge of my fiver roof as well as anything attached to the roof.
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