Acetone on rubber roof ?

[leefl]

I'm planning to install a MaxxFan to replace the bedroom vent on our Rockwood this coming weekend.

I need to clean off the old Dicor sealant around the vent, and then make sure the roof surface is nice and clean, before putting some butyl tape between the new vent flange/surround and the roof, and then plan to cover the top with Eternabond 4" sealing tape.

My question is whether using Acetone (on a cloth) is ok for cleaning the rubber roof around the vent hole ?
(I know I can't use acetone on the new vent since it'll destroy the plastic)

Second question is how best to handle corners with the eternabond tape ?
Easiest option it seems would be to cut 4 lengths with 45deg inward corners and have simple joins that way, making sure that the tape is mashed together to seal at the corners, rather than using straight lengths and trying to overlap, or trying to bend a single piece around the corners.

I'm planning to use some kind of roller to make sure the Eternabond is really pushed down well.

[Loranimal]

As far as the tape, it is better to overlap the corners. Go along the back side first, than the 2 sides overlap the back, than the front overlaps the sides. That way it will hold better as you drive. Hope that makes sense.

[Timex]

Originally Posted by leefl

I'm planning to install a MaxxFan to replace the bedroom vent on our Rockwood this coming weekend.

I need to clean off the old Dicor sealant around the vent, and then make sure the roof surface is nice and clean, before putting some butyl tape between the new vent flange/surround and the roof, and then plan to cover the top with Eternabond 4" sealing tape.

My question is whether using Acetone (on a cloth) is ok for cleaning the rubber roof around the vent hole ?
(I know I can't use acetone on the new vent since it'll destroy the plastic)

Second question is how best to handle corners with the eternabond tape ?
Easiest option it seems would be to cut 4 lengths with 45deg inward corners and have simple joins that way, making sure that the tape is mashed together to seal at the corners, rather than using straight lengths and trying to overlap, or trying to bend a single piece around the corners.

I'm planning to use some kind of roller to make sure the Eternabond is really pushed down well.

When I put my Fantastic Fan in last summer, I even bought a can of Acetone. Had it in my hand, climbing the ladder and that little birdie sat on my shoulder and said I better check with folks on the forum. The majority said to use mineral spirits on a rag. So I did . Then wiped it all down with a damped rag(water) to wipe off everything, then let everything dry completely.

I didn't use Eternabond on mine. Used butyl tape and a whole tube of Dicor around it. Hasn't leaked yet! We had a whole week of rain on a recent trip and everything held up fine. The reason I didn't use Eternabond was I didn't have any and it was a little more labor intensive. Getting all the old Dicor up was not an easy task. Be ready. The mineral spirits turn the old Dicor from a sticky mess to a gooey mess.

[leefl]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
My trailer was only bought this summer, but being a 2015 model had probably been sitting on the dealer lot for quite some time. I don't know whether that'll make it easier or harder to remove the existing Dicor around the vent.

I'm hoping that I can scrape up most of it, and just use the acetone/whatever to remove what's left. For most other clean-up/de-sticky-fying jobs I use 91% Isopropyl alcohol, but had read that Acetone was better for cleaning up Dicor.

I just found this thread, discussing the same thing, and folks there have suggested that it's ok: -
Motorhome Magazine Open Roads Forum: Travel Trailers: Roof repair - Help... what's next?

But I have read elsewhere that both acetone and mineral spirits can penetrate the rubber roof and cause some lifting of the roof adhesive, tho' I suspect folks must have poured it straight onto the roof, rather than used a rag with just a little on, for that to happen.

[jeff64]

Have you considered isopropyl (rubbing ) alcohol? It nowhere as vigorous of a solvent as acetone or mineral spirits. IMHO you want to clean the surface to enable a bond, not dissolve the base material. Even when I use the Dicor lap sealant, I just do a brief wipe with a alcohol soaked rag to remove dirt, grease etc. Other commenters on lap joints vs. 45 deg joints on the tape, I would concur with. The lap would be my choice

[Bama Rambler]

I used both acetone and denatured alcohol on TPO roof material when I replaced the bathroom vent. The acetone is very aggressive and wrinkles the membrane where it's applied. The denatured alcohol isn't as aggressive and requires more elbow grease but I don't think it does as much damage to the membrane.

I don't know how acetone affects EPDM roofing membrane. According to the chemical compatibility charts I have it shows excellent A+ rating between EPDM and acetone.

[Boso]

Most all the the dicor will come up with plastic putty knife pretty easy to remove at a year or two old

[wnelsonfl]

I doubt the roof is rubber. Probably a calendared co- polymer plastic.I tryed acetone on a sample I had and it attacked the surface.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by leefl

I'm planning to install a MaxxFan to replace the bedroom vent on our Rockwood this coming weekend.

I need to clean off the old Dicor sealant around the vent, and then make sure the roof surface is nice and clean, before putting some butyl tape between the new vent flange/surround and the roof, and then plan to cover the top with Eternabond 4" sealing tape.

My question is whether using Acetone (on a cloth) is ok for cleaning the rubber roof around the vent hole ?
(I know I can't use acetone on the new vent since it'll destroy the plastic)

Second question is how best to handle corners with the eternabond tape ?
Easiest option it seems would be to cut 4 lengths with 45deg inward corners and have simple joins that way, making sure that the tape is mashed together to seal at the corners, rather than using straight lengths and trying to overlap, or trying to bend a single piece around the corners.

I'm planning to use some kind of roller to make sure the Eternabond is really pushed down well.

You could use a J roller for laminate. I would do as one poster said about sealing the rear facing part first, the sides and finally the front. Less edges to get caught in the wind.

[rsdata]

the roof is either EPDM or TPO

find out how to tell here:
http://www.dicorproducts.com/ultrase...very_Guide.pdf

I used mineral spirits on a rag, then wiped thoroughly with IPA to get rid of the mineral spirits.

I left a MS (not) soaked rag on my roof for an hour while I took a cell phone call, and was surprised to see the roof material buckled under the rag. I did nothing but remove the rag and by the next morning it had gone back into shape about 98%... so the word is... wipe off the mineral spirits quickly.

[zeelarry]

You might be surprised how easy it might be to get the putty [or what ever the factory uses] off. I have a 2016 that was produced in April 2015. Anyway, I changed out the fantastic fan this past weekend to a remote control model [wife is only 5' 2"] so the wife can reach the controls.

In taking the old fan out, the outer skin of the putty was dried, but once that top layer was taken off, I was able to just peel the remaining putty off. As such, the putty pulled off real clean from the roofing with little to no residue left to clean up. A lot easier than I thought it would be, and not as bad as the other ones I've replaced, that were several years old.

[Myrle]

Don't think acetone and rubber would be a good mix. Might try experiment put a piece of rubber in a bowl and put some acetone on it to see what happens. I have used acetone as a.paint remover.

[Togger]

Dicor makes a rubber roof cleaner that is a liquid concentrate. You can buy a pint bottle, mix a small amount in a scrub bucket with water, scrub roof area with a soft brush and solution, rinse with water, and the roof will be clean as new. This is how I prepped my epdm roof for caulking. I was too nervous to try the petroleum products.

[Jim34RL]

I installed a Fantastic fan on my old 2010 Cougar in 2011. In the instruction at that time Actone was recommend to soften and scrap the sealant from the rubber roof. What I did was soak a rag and then wipe the seal with it. I than used a plastic scraper to scrap the sealant from the roof. When I traded in the camper this spring I checked the roof and this area was still in good shape.

[wana65stang]

[QUOTE=rsdata;1032967]the roof is either EPDM or TPO


I used mineral spirits on a rag, then wiped thoroughly with IPA to get rid of the mineral spirits.

" IPA " Indian Pale Ale?? was that the spilled beer you used to wipe the roof with

[leefl]

Originally Posted by wana65stang

" IPA " Indian Pale Ale?? was that the spilled beer you used to wipe the roof with

Haha, that made me chuckle. Not an IPA fan myself, so I'd rather spill that than a good stout or porter or a dark ale.

[leefl]

Originally Posted by zeelarry

You might be surprised how easy it might be to get the putty [or what ever the factory uses] off. I have a 2016 that was produced in April 2015. Anyway, I changed out the fantastic fan this past weekend to a remote control model [wife is only 5' 2"] so the wife can reach the controls.

In taking the old fan out, the outer skin of the putty was dried, but once that top layer was taken off, I was able to just peel the remaining putty off. As such, the putty pulled off real clean from the roofing with little to no residue left to clean up. A lot easier than I thought it would be, and not as bad as the other ones I've replaced, that were several years old.

Thanks for the info. My wife is even shorter, but I'm not bothering to change the existing bathroom fantastic fans (not yet anyway), she just asks me to turn the fan on.

Even my wife will be able to reach the fan over the bed, from on the bed

If this goes well, and I think it'll help with heat, I might get a remote model for the ceiling vent near the kitchen (near main AC). Even I can't reach that, and I'm very tall.

[leefl]

Originally Posted by rsdata

the roof is either EPDM or TPO

find out how to tell here:
http://www.dicorproducts.com/ultrase...very_Guide.pdf

I used mineral spirits on a rag, then wiped thoroughly with IPA to get rid of the mineral spirits.

I left a MS (not) soaked rag on my roof for an hour while I took a cell phone call, and was surprised to see the roof material buckled under the rag. I did nothing but remove the rag and by the next morning it had gone back into shape about 98%... so the word is... wipe off the mineral spirits quickly.

I believe the Rockwood ultra-lite's like mine are EDPM roof (I'm using the term "rubber" loosely), but I will double-check.
Thanks for the link to that guide.

I think I'll try with some Isopropyl alcohol first, and only resort to the Acetone if really necessary.
I use Isopropyl to remove sticky labels etc (inc. those obnoxious sun visor safety stickers), and for cleaning flux off solder joints on circuit boards, and for getting stains out of carpet and ... well you get the idea, it's very useful stuff

[leefl]

Unfortunately it doesn't look like the tan color Eternabond I ordered will be here 'til Monday, according to UPS, so the install will probably have to wait until the following weekend (unless UPS deliver early, which has happened on occasion)

[Thurman]

Use a heat gun or hair dryer to soften the old Dicor type material. Don't overheat the area, use trial and error until the old material will come loose with a plastic putty knife.