UPDATE: Sealant "leak" on front of trailer - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 03-23-2022, 11:55 PM   #1
Cat
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Join Date: Jan 2021
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UPDATE: Sealant "leak" on front of trailer

Well, I'm back! I purchased Dicor non-sag sealant in Black to match the trailer trim. I've cleaned the trailer front cap, spent a few hours removing the old silicone/sealant from the front rub rail, and my husband replaced all the screws across the front with ones that were a bit bigger, and they seem to be holding well.

Here's my problem: the Dicor sealant is VERY thick; much thicker than any other sealant I've ever used. And, over the years I've used a lot! I applied a bead, and tried to smooth it out. I wet my gloved hand with a soap & water solution (I've read that this keeps the sealant from sticking too much to your finger - and it worked for that), and ran a finger down the sealant. It looked HORRIBLE.

The sealant wasn't really smooth, like when you rub a finger on silicone, almost like it has fibers in the mix. It really spread out alot. And, wasn't really sticking much to the trailer. I'd wiped it down after cleaning it with Denatured Alcohol as I'd read this was good for removing any grease, etc, off the trailer. I'm guessing my bead was too big, but the sealant is so thick it's hard to get out of the tube. Any idea if this is normal?

I ended up wiping down the entire area again, removing all the sealant I'd just placed. My husband has cut a new tip for my Dicor sealant, and I saw a video that used painters tape, to make sure the sealant didn't spread to far. I'm going to try that too.

I've tried to find videos showing the application of Dicor's non-sag sealant to try and compare thickness, but all the YouTube videos seem to address roofs and self-leveling sealants.

I'm still concerned that this tube of Dicor might be bad or old because of it's thickness. I've got to get it done in the next two days as we're traveling on Sunday.

Any additional advice on best ways to apply this non-sag?
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Old 03-26-2022, 06:39 PM   #2
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I saw your previous post about sealing the diamond plate fiberglass to the smooth fiberglass on the front of your trailer. I read a few of the many confusing posts.

That joint is designed to use butyl tape. Butyl tape is available at hardware stores that sell metal roofing. It comes in roles with a paper tape cover.

Butyl tape is also used to seal many window and door flanges. You may be able to see it where it squeezed out between window flanges and the fiberglass siding.

Unroll the tape and press it to the surface to be sealed. Peal off the paper. Screw the metal strip down over the buytl until it squeezes out the edges a little.

I checked the Dicore website. They have lots of videos, but none for the non-sag product. It may be designed to work like buytl tape. Squeeze a bead onto the surface and screw the metal strip down until the product squeezes out the edge.
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Old 03-27-2022, 03:11 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by persistent View Post
I saw your previous post about sealing the diamond plate fiberglass to the smooth fiberglass on the front of your trailer. I read a few of the many confusing posts.
Thanks for responding - I truly appreciate how helpful everyone on these forums are!
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Old 03-30-2022, 09:23 PM   #4
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I'm sorry I didn't see your previous post are you talking about the area where the roof meets their front cap? If you are you should be using self-leveling dicor in this area.

Non self-leveling dicor should be used on vertical surfaces and from my experience manipulating it once it's put on does not usually come out well. Self-leveling dicor should be used on horizontal surfaces.

I prefer to use Eternabond tape over old dycor sealent.
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Old 03-31-2022, 06:17 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1l243 View Post
I'm sorry I didn't see your previous post are you talking about the area where the roof meets their front cap? If you are you should be using self-leveling dicor in this area.
It's where the front cap meets the metal rock guard, so it is a vertical surface.

Thanks for taking the time to reply!
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Old 03-31-2022, 09:54 PM   #6
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I just checked the front of my toy hauler where the front aluminum paneling meets the diamond plate rock guard the aluminum paneling overlaps the diamond plate rock guard then they just sealed it with clear silicone.
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