roof seam crack - vertical orientation, which sealant to use?

[MMulcahy]

found a crack in the sealant in the seam where the front cap attaches to the roof. It's not a flat seam like a roof vent, and there seems to be a lot of conflicting info on what sealant to use.

Any recommendations?

thanks for your response.

[doc73]

Geocel Proflex.
I have also used Sikaflex as well to seal some seams. This is for up and down seams. Dicor on the roof seams (self leveling) or eterna bond tape.

[Brian217]

Originally Posted by MMulcahy

found a crack in the sealant in the seam where the front cap attaches to the roof. It's not a flat seam like a roof vent, and there seems to be a lot of conflicting info on what sealant to use.

Any recommendations?

thanks for your response.

I just used 4" eterna bond tape all around the perimeter of the roof. There was plenty of width for the front cap. It sticks really well. It should last longer than using just dicor.

[skylilymd]

Is it on the side of the front cap or at the corner on top ? I only ask because I am currently repairing this on my forester - the front cap is screwed (underneath that vinyl trim piece) into the roof and sides with self tapping one inch screws - they are only grabbing into the thin piece of panel board on the opposite side under the fiberglass - they pull out after a while of use and that lets the seams crack and water comes in. I first noticed the dicor on the front right roof corner kept cracking after a trip and every time I sealed it it would crack again. I finally eterna-bonded the whole roof and all openings but water had got in the front right already. Now I'm almost done repairing it (which I will have videos of) - I took down the front cab ceiling all the way to the fiberglass and added a steel backer to the screws on the right side of the cap to bite in to - they were rusted and the last two were completely loose. This may not be the same issue you are having but if it is I thought I'd share what I found out. I have a 2012 3171 ds - fwiw I have found that if you have a small crack to seal the dicor seems to be more waterproof than eternabond especially on the textured fiberglass roof

[itat]

I use ProFlex RV on vertical seams where you don't want to use a self-leveling sealant.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by doc73

Geocel Proflex.
I have also used Sikaflex as well to seal some seams. This is for up and down seams. Dicor on the roof seams (self leveling) or eterna bond tape.

X2

[MMulcahy]

I'll give the ProFlex a try.

[howie70]

eternabond tape

[Jon S]

Guys, thanks for posting these messages. I am having same issue as Sylilymd. I have a sunseeker 3100 2011 and front cap seal is separating from fiberglass roof. was at dealer today asking what caulk to use there and they had different opinions amongst themselves, kind of frustrating. Ended up with dicor self leveling lap sealant as directed by service tech but not sure if that is right or not. Does anyone have experience with that on fiberglass roof with what appears to be a rubber seal between the front fiberglass cap and the fiberglass roof? Also for vertical seams they gave me Nulex 313 but after I read the tube it says for glass and vinyl, ugh, doesn't seem right. Skyliliymd did you ever take the video of your repair? I would love to see it. Thanks for your help.

[skylilymd]

If you have a soft touch ceiling and you can't see any water stains or smell any musty smell then you are probly lucky - just clean that whole front cap seam on the roof and get some 4" eternabond tape and self leveling dicor. Tape it across the whole seam and what I did (not sure if it helps but made me feel better) is dicor the tapes edges so water can't go under. What I did to attempt to prevent it from happening again was add a thin piece of steel underneath the Luan plywood and screw the cap screws on that side down into it to grab better. You would not be able to do that of course unless you tore down the ceiling inside to get underneath that - which I would not recommend unless you clearly have a leak and water staining on the ceiling. I have roof pictures on the other roof leak thread here - I did take a video of the mold and damage but I didn't take one of the repairs because I was just trying to get it done lol - if u want to see that I can post it

[Jon S]

Thank you skylilymd. yeah no mold smell. I guess I was thinking getting moisture up there and being trapped there would eventually create mold growth, but a friend of mine said he thought that the motorhomes aren't really that air tight up there and with all the heat lately he thought it would dry out. Thanks again for your response, I will go look at your pictures at the other thread too, I am also curious about your video especially since I am not sure how the motorhomes are constructed up there. I would love to see it.

[skylilymd]

Well as soon as I figure out how to upload it to YouTube successfully I will send you the link lol

[shooter2]

see

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ss-108311.html

[Jon S]

thanks Shooter, very informative. I am concerned about what I cant see behind the walls and in between roof / front cap seam area. UGH!