Roof Maintenance Questions

[Superdutymike]

Hi not sure if this goes here or not but my question is i have a new forest river wildwood and i have been reading up on this eternabond tape and was wondering if i need to look at putting this on my new unit i do have a 12 yr warranty on my roof through my dealer just curious this is the first tt i have owned that did not have a metal roof and im still learning thanks

[kenandterry]

A 12 year warranty?

For real?

What’s the fine print say to get that.....
Never heard of a warranty like that before.

[rp53]

like the old saying: an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure
mine is 2 years old no sign of any leaks however i have a 50 foot roll of 4" that i will putting over the seams as soon as it warms up this spring.

[Superdutymike]

Thanks for the replys and as far as the warranty it is through the dealer i have lifetime warranty on unit and 12 yr on roof i just have to take it to dealer once a yr for check up which is no big deal since its only about 25 miles away and it is definitely not camping world it is actully an independent dealer got a grwat deal on the tt and a very fair price on the tradein so my advice is go local those big box rv stores are bot worth the hassle i also have other quandaries with camping world which i wont go into at all

[Mr. Dan]

How much does your once/year checkup cost each time?

[Superdutymike]

118 dollars i think my wife keeps up with that but also we have only had the unit since September of last year so have not had to take it in for one yet the cost of one hour labor for service not too bad and the dealer service department has been great so far had a couple of issues and they have adressed those satisfactorily

[SailorSam20500]

Your 12 year roof warranty is almost certainly on the roofing material (ie. defects in manufacturing) and possibly that it was properly installed. It probably does NOT cover holes in the material (you run into a tree branch, etc) or leakage caused where the roof sealant degrades or comes loose (areas covered with Dicor or other material). Your owners papers should have language requiring regular inspections of the sealant.
There are many folks who support the idea of covering all sealant with Eternabond, I've heard representatives of FR say stick with Dicor or other recommended sealant. Both sides have what sound like good reasons. So you need to decide what is right for you.
One other comment, cleaning the roof does NOT seem to be REQUIRED. I was at a seminar where the manufacturer said that dirt would not impact the material's life. Seems most folks do wash the roof regularly, mostly because they think it looks better and it makes sealant inspection easier. Also a reason to get up on the roof and actually do the inspection.

[MillMitch]

I've got a 2018 Grey Wolf and x2 on the Eternabond. I plan on at least removing sealant, replacing screws w/ stainless (or coated) and then applying Eternabond on the front seam this spring. Sides and back will get a good look, but will do those later (trying to spread it out).
Question for anybody that's already done this- do i need to reapply sealant before putting Eternabond over seam, or can I just put the Eternabond over the seam?

[Superdutymike]

Thanks for the info and will definatly read the fine print on the warranty

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Superdutymike

Thanks for the info and will definatly read the fine print on the warranty

Yep the 12 years warranty is ONLY for the roof material against workmanship and defects.
The caulking around it(where most leaks occur) is NOT warrantied.

[Scrapper]

Per Eternabond's recommendation, there is no need to remove caulking, clean area of application with cleaner or a rag soaked with mineral spirits followed by rag soaked with denatured alcohol, place tape on rear seam, apply pressure with roller, place tape on side seams overlapping the rear tape, apply pressure with roller, place tape on front seam overlapping the side tapes, apply pressure with roller.


Eternabond's warranty is 10 years if properly installed.

[tomkatb]

As a former flat roof guru I have a secret for you.

Roof leaks” are very rare. Almost none. It’s the seams/connections that fail. And plumbers rule #3. Fecal matter goes downhill.

The more stuff on the roof the greater the number of leaks.

Putting 10 solar panels up there is swell idea. No way in hell I would make all those holes. When you get 1000 watts out of a panel, I might think about.

These rubber roofs are not indestructible nor tough at all.

Frequent inspections and repairs are the ticket.

Higher end vehicles often have better, tougher construction. It does make a difference.

[Brand2328]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

Per Eternabond's recommendation, there is no need to remove caulking, clean area of application with cleaner or a rag soaked with mineral spirits followed by rag soaked with denatured alcohol, place tape on rear seam, apply pressure with roller, place tape on side seams overlapping the rear tape, apply pressure with roller, place tape on front seam overlapping the side tapes, apply pressure with roller.


Eternabond's warranty is 10 years if properly installed.

Thanks for the great instructions. This is what I’ve been searching for. On my spring to do list. One question by putting the tape all the way around the roof does it trap water on the roof or prevent it from running into the gutters?

[Pillboxmc]

Following this thread, this might answer my questions also.

[quick83]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

Your 12 year roof warranty is almost certainly on the roofing material (ie. defects in manufacturing) and possibly that it was properly installed. It probably does NOT cover holes in the material (you run into a tree branch, etc) or leakage caused where the roof sealant degrades or comes loose (areas covered with Dicor or other material). Your owners papers should have language requiring regular inspections of the sealant.

There are many folks who support the idea of covering all sealant with Eternabond, I've heard representatives of FR say stick with Dicor or other recommended sealant. Both sides have what sound like good reasons. So you need to decide what is right for you.

One other comment, cleaning the roof does NOT seem to be REQUIRED. I was at a seminar where the manufacturer said that dirt would not impact the material's life. Seems most folks do wash the roof regularly, mostly because they think it looks better and it makes sealant inspection easier. Also a reason to get up on the roof and actually do the inspection.

The reason I wash my roof is to keep the sides of Rv clean.

[CincyGus]

On my project list on one of the next few weekends. I have the tape bought, the roller, the eternabond Cleaner.

As mentioned above, 100% of the Leaks I've either had or seen were in seams. Around the edge of the RV roof, Around vents, AC's, Antenna, other things mounted on the roof. The idea of a solid piece of rubber covering the roof is a good one until we start cutting holes in it and doing a poor job of maintaining the seams.

Dicor is great for what it does but it's not as hardy as Eternabond when it comes to failure. Putting a good cleaning on the roof, put the self leveling dicor to the seams, give it a week to cure somewhat and then clean again and tape that bad boy up with a roller using good pressure.

It won't get you out of doing your inspections but it will very likely reduce the chance you will find anything that needs touch up other than a roof penetration in the actually skin instead of the seams.

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by Brand2328

Thanks for the great instructions. This is what I’ve been searching for. On my spring to do list. One question by putting the tape all the way around the roof does it trap water on the roof or prevent it from running into the gutters?

Sorry for not responding earlier. The eternabond does not trap that much water. My TT sits in the same spot, never towed, all year and I haven't had a problem with pooling water since applying the eternabond 3 years ago.
When you put the tape on the sides you place the edge inside the gutter. I get fewer acorns in the gutter since putting on the eternabond.