Hello all,
I have a 1993 Holiday Rambler 29' camper. I just towed it home after it was sitting for 5 years or so on our camp.
I washed it, and can actually see the roof now. It helps that I parked it next to my deck, which is 10' high.
After washing it and inspecting the roof, it looks like the roof is fiberglass with seams covered in silver tape (almost like duct tape).
A couple of the corners look like they have cracks in the sealer. How do I fix it and what do I use? Is there something special, or should I just use some good silicon cauking?
Same goes for the areas around the vents. It looks like there was some gunk spread around the edges and I'd like to touch it up.

Thanks!

 

Camping World has some self leveling sealer that works great on rubber roofs and don't see why it wouldn't work on fiberglass. Give them a look and see .

 

Stay away from silicone. A self leveling urethane sealant might work or there are several repair tapes on the market that you could use. Before applying any sealant be sure to wipe down the area to be repaired with something like acetone. That will help in making sure your roof is clean. Even great products don't stick well to dirt. If you go with a repair tape you could get a cheap version at home depot or look online for a better product. I've used Eternabond (www.eternabond.com) on several things and it's stuck to everything except teflon really well.

 

I wouldn't use self leveling sealer for a rubber roof on fiberglass. There is some stuff we use called C-10 Flow seal which is essentially the same thing but I usually only use it on aluminum roofs. Professionally I use a sealer called Dyco 20/20 brush on for the fiberglass. It's a good flexible sealer you can put on really heavy and the thing I like best is there is little prep work involved just knock off the loose stuff.
You can't use it on rubber though it will eat right through it

 

DICOR


-Lap joint sealant. Self levelling, and made for that. It comes in caulk gun tubes, so you need to dump a whole whopping $2.99 for a caulk gun to apply it.



Ummmm.....

I have completely lost count now, someone help me here. How many times have I said GET UP ON YOUR ROOF AND LOOK AT IT????????????????



I wasn't kidding.


Please surf these links: LINKS TO INFO

 

Greywolf - I lost count at 11,238 times, but I don't want to go back to 1 and start all over again.

A attempt at a bit of humor..

David

 

I'm afraid to get up on the roof. I am big.

But I got up on a ladder to clean the roof and got a great view.

How much do roofs hold, anyways?

Thanks for the info, I saw the eternalbond tape and it looked pretty slick. I think that must be what is on the fiberglass roof seams now. I'll check out the dicor.

It looks like there are some cracks at the 4 corners of the seams on the roof.

 

I would use what came on it originally which sounds like Eternabond tape. It is made for your application as well as sealing trailers on 18 wheelers.

http://www.eternabond.com/

Gene

 

Gene W is correct it is a special tape for seams camping world has it. Dont worry about the roof Holidays are usally built strong on top but if not get you a couple of pieces of ply wood to lay down to help spread the weight out you shoud be fine. Good Luck

 

You can order the Eternabond tape directly from the company. I had an email exchange with them a few years ago and if I recall correctly the man's name was Christian that I dealt with.

My memory is that it comes in two colors, white and chrome-like aluminum.

You mentioned that your tape looked like duct tape. I'm not sure if you are referring to the commonly available duct tape or the type that is a very shinny, peel and stick product that is used in the heat and air conditioning industry. The Eternabond is more like the second type but the aluminum backing of the tape is thicker and the glue is more tenacious. A bondo spreader is a good tool to use to press the tape down with.

As Poohbear said, you can get on the roof of most RVs. If there is any evidence of where the supports are like screw or rivet lines try to stand on them. If you are just doing the perimeter roof seems you should be able to work from a ladder.

Gene

 

The more I look at it and read up on the internet the more I think it is the silver eternabond. It runs over the main seams on the roof, right down the middle over the rivits and accross both ends.

At the four corners is some other gunk, which is cracked a bit. Same gunk around the skylights and vents.

 

Dicor lap sealant works on fiberglass . This is what they use around vents,skylights any opening in the roof.

 

Has it occurred to anyone as it has me, that Holiday Rambler may have upgraded their roof seal method over the years?

TAPE I have no confidence in whatsoever.

You might contact Holiday Rambler at their tech service number on their website for info - I WOULD.

 

What color is the backing (sticky part) of the tape on your roof? The eternabond would be gray because it is basically a butyl based tape. If it has a black backing it is asphalt based and will be more prone to crack like a peel & seel product. Butyl based tapes should not show any signs of cracking.