Roof Sealants, repair and replacement options

[TrixTret1]

Sent: 8/8/2006

I finally got on my roof to see the brand of bathroom vent cover I needed, after a giant hail storm destroyed my other vent cover.

As I got on the roof i noticed it to be mildewed and had some holes just on the top layer (looking like split leather or plastic).  We have had a few hard rains since the hail storm and my inside roof is not leaking.

Am looking for a solution to fix these tears, or should I just leave them alone since I am not having any leakage inside the coach. 

Thanks,

Brenda

[Oz]

Sent: 8/8/2006

You may not have any visual leakage inside the coach now, Brenda, but your roof coating is beginning to deteriorate and it is likely it won't be long until you do.  It's time for a strip and re-coating as soon as possible.

[TrixTret1]

Sent: 8/8/2006

Thanks Sob,

I will check out the message boards to see what the process may be.
Wow.................any buddie wanna come to San Antonio and help?  I will be happy to pay the expenses.
Huggs and thanks again.

Brenda

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Sent: 8/16/2006

If your aluminum is in decent shape and its only the coating that is bad, its a long hard process, but easy enough!

First, you need to get up on the roof with a scraper and a gallon or two of iced tea...and scrape all the old coating off, at least as much as you can get off without damaging the aluminum...it took me DAYS to get all the old aluminum colored fibrous crap off the Ark's roof and down to painted aluminum!

Next, take Kool Seal seam sealer, it comes in a caulking tube, and seal all the seams, around the vents, etc.  You might have to remove your AC unit too if you can't get underneith it...just unbolt it and unwire it, and move it to the side...when you put it back on you'll need a new AC seal from an RV dealer...you shouldn't try to reuse the old one.

Finally, coat your whole roof, after cleaning it with TSP and rinsing it thoroughly, with Kool Seal Elastomeric coating, available at Lowes in 5 gallon buckets...you'll need the whole 5 gallons, since you need to put down at least 6 coats the first time you do it.  You can get the cheaper brand of Kool Seal.  The more expensive kind says you don't have to recoat for 5 years, but that's crap...I have to recoat the Ark's roof after just a year with the expensive stuff, so the cheap stuff is just as good.  You will have to recoat with a single coat in a year, and each year.

For the AC unit, you might want to coat it 6 or more times all around the hole, letting it dry between coats, and then do the rest of your roof once the AC unit is back in place with a new seal.

Remember to clean the roof off really really well with TSP before coating it, and let it dry between coats...use at least 6 coats.

Kool Seal goes on like thick latex paint, and it is bright white, which means it will keep your rig a lot cooler in the summer time!  Only use Kool Seal...never use that dark aluminum colored fibrous crap...yuck!

Have fun!

Kev

[Scorpionbmw99]

Sent: 10/27/2006

I've been following various threads on rook repair and I'd like to get a few things straight in my head.
My roof is leaking considerably in the rear. It seems to be leaking the most at the seams where the roof meets the side walls.

On the outside the PO laid a thick bead of silicone along the aluminum side trim ti try and seal the edges.

Should I strip off all the silicone, remove the metal trim, and then use eternabond tape over the edges? Then replace the metal trim screwing trough the tape? that doesn't sound right.

[Slantsixness]

Sent: 10/27/2006

Scorpion,

You concept is correct, if you use the Eternabond brand tape. I can't vouch for other brands.

So yes, the concept is correct. Etrnabond stays pliable, so when you screw through it, the adhesive will leach up through the hole and seal, indefinately. So far it's been 2 years on my roof to wall connections, and I have no evidence of leaks whatsoever.

Be sure to check the sidewalls for damage and try to use different scureing holes than the originals, or use oversize sheet metal screws, like #10's instead of the original 12's. You can find 10's with 1/4 hex heads, but they're more expensive. Use aluminum screws if you can get them. Zinc and steel screww will rust, and cause the aluminum to corrode over time.
Re-use the original trim if you can (I used all new gutter trim)... but a good way to ensure that you don't use the original holes is to mount the left side to the right and vice-versa the trim is almost never uniform in attachment points on both sides. This works well as long as you don't have an original awning, as that trim has the awning fabric bead extrusion on it..

By the way, the edge trim, gutter molding and awning rail is not expensive, and comes in up to 40 foot sections, but you have to get it from an RV dealer who can accept long packages, most likely they'll stock it in 16 foot sections (what I have) so there's a break in my trim, 4 feet from the edge (D20). The front and rea trim are 7'6" or 7'9" depending on the year and model.

Tom

I bought the 4" wide eternabond. then I cut it into 2" wide strips for the wall to roof edge. my roof is modified and not thermopanel, and the aluminum skin is new, so I didn't need a 4" wide swath of sealer, I just needed enough to cover the damged sidewall edge and old screw locations.

[BigSarge]

I have a leak so I undertook this task yesterday...... ugh.  Lowe's has replaced Kool Seal with Black Jack. Same white elastomeric stuff though. 5 gallon bucket was $69.99. They do not sell Eternabond. I have some ideas and am going to try something less expesive Ill post up when Im done.... if it works lol. The cheap silver tape is what I ripped off my roof yesterday. It was worthless except to keep water under it and soak the wood lol. It looked as if whoever did my roof last only applied one coat of coating! Pics to follow.....

[BigSarge]

scrubbed with bleach and water to kill mold.....letting roof dry today. Kinda humid here. =(

[Oz]

LOL!  I went to Lowe's the same day you did, looking for the Kool Seal.  Yup, don't have it anymore.  Neither does Home Depot.  They didn't have the Black Jack in the white either, just the patching compound.  Too thick.  The Black Jack they have is the silver stuff.  I'm kinda hesitant about it.

Anyone have any recommendations for the Black Jack silver roof sealant?

[BigSarge]

Black Jack Roof Gard. My Lowes had tons of 5 gallon buckets but no 1 gal. either.....There is an aluminum backed, self adhesive, flashing. Company called Grace. "Vycor Aluminum Flashing. For Leak Prone Areas"  this seemed common sense to me lol. 6in X 25ft was 15 bucks. It stuck great. Was easy to trim.....any reason it would fail after a few coats of Roof gard? Im going to let it set in the sun tomorrow and then coat it.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Run from the silver stuff like the plague!!!  It isn't meant for a moving flexing roof...it will seal for a while, and then it will leak...and it won't look like its leaking anywhere!  Its fibrous and if it cracks in one place, water can travel from that place to anywhere else and leak in or get held against the aluminum eventually pinholing it.  Get the white elastomeric, even if you have to pay more at an RV dealer.

Kev

[BigSarge]

The silver fibrous stuff is what I pulled off. Yes it was useless and rotted some wood. =( I already placed the other stuff so I hope it works lol. Ill put pics up in the other thread. I think it will work great. Its more like a tar on one side I guess....... Live and learn hehe

[moonlitcoyote]

Quick question for all of you redoing or recoating your roof. Are you actually getting up on the roof or working from a ladder? I just bought my 85 Winny and so far have been too scared to walk on the roof to check it out. Didnt know if it would hold my weight. There hasnt been any leaks that I can tell and no sagging, but would love to really check out the roof to see if I need to re-coat it with something.

[Lefty]

I guess that all depends on the condition of your roof, and how much you weigh...

I weigh about 220lbs...and I've walked on our Georgie Boy roof doing A/C maint. and general roof service. Mine feels as solid as walking on a concrete deck... although I do wear just socks when I'm on it to prevent damaging the rubber roof membrane, just in case.

[Oz]

Tim Daly dances naked on his roof but, he recently replaced the whole thing and it's wood with aluminum.  I believe yours is fiberglass(?). 

Hm?

[moonlitcoyote]

I have no idea what mine is made of. I know just about nothing about this old Winnie or fiberglass. But I plan on taking a trip to the top of it to check out the roof very soon. I'm scared of heights so have to talk myself into first, lol

[Lefty]

Look on the bright side.. if you step on it and fall thru, you found a bad spot that needed fixing anyways.  :)rotflmao

[moonlitcoyote]

LMAO... I did make it up on top of the old winny today and it seems quite solid, it actually has metal on the roof. But I can tell that I should put some new sealant on it, the old caulking around the edges is coming loose. So I will do some research on here to find the how to clean it and put some of the sealer on it. Just hope I dont paint myself into the wrong corner once I start it. lol

[furnguy]

A few years ago I found literally hundreds of tiny holes in my aluminium roof on my '78 Chieftain. I purchased Safe-T-Plex elastomeric coating from polycoatings.com and have had no further problems. It is advertised to flex 180 degrees at -40. In combination with the special fabric tape they sell for joints that may flex, I found it to be a wonderful product and have used it on many other applications. I rolled on 3 or 4 coats on my flat roof.

[LJ-TJ]

 i?? Just another option. I think this is the route I'm going to go.

http://www.polycoatings.com/rvroof.html

[gadgetman]

Be sure to look at the liquid epdm roof coatings, its twice the cost of most other stuff but it sure is tough and dries just like rubber.

[Oz]

Interested in more info & experiences with EDPM?  Just put that in the message search. 

Here's a good start:


http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php?topic=2522.msg4533#msg4533

[LJ-TJ]

Well like so many before me it looks like some little gremlin got up on our roof with a streight pin and put a thousand little pin prick holes in our new/old winnie. So like many before us what to do? New roof, rubber roof, cool seal? Well we went with this product up here in Canada called http://www.polycoatings.com/rvroof.html. Spent the day washing the roof with a product called Spray-Nine. Now when these folks say this is sticky shoot they aren't kidding. This stuff is unbelievable. If the roll on polycoating is anything like the tape WOW! this is good stuff.

I know there cheaper products out there and many ways it can be done however for $382.99 Canadian it seemed to be the best and least of all options. It's a one time deal for 20 years. Not to mention the Company support is incredible. Any time I had a question and called the company they couldn't do enough to help out. Yeah don't see that very often these days.
Here's some of the process. And mark my words when these guys say DON'T let the tap touch it's self! Their not kidding. This is real sticky stuff. D:oH!

Admin edit:  To see the complete info and photos on TJ's project, click here:

http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php?topic=6617.0

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Just bought a 25 foot by 4 inch roll of StickNBond...yep, same as Eternabond and made by the same folks, so I don't know whats up with the name change...at Price-Rite RV for 54 bucks.

Kev

[JDxeper]

I got my eternabond materials from    Best materials   I think they are listed in the resources.