Roof caulk protection

mikew · 06-06-2017, 10:58 AM

Hi, around a year ago I was regularly looking on the forum and someone used a product to go over all the caulked areas on the roof. It was a brush-on or roll-on product. Have been away for awhile and now that spring has settled in and we are back to camping I was wondering what is the latest and greatest product to do this. The roof is a Dicor Di Flex II TPO membrane. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Jagiven · 06-06-2017, 11:45 AM

Not sure what material your mentioning.

I just applied eternabond over to my caulking, took an afternoon to do the whole roof (excluding the tv antenna). I wish I had done it years ago. I should now only have to clean and inspect for damage. No more touching up the caulk twice a year.

Grumpy · 06-06-2017, 11:48 AM

Eternabond tape is the only thing I would recommend, use it and forget it. Usually lasts 15+ yrs.

bdreinv · 06-06-2017, 12:21 PM

Having my roof replaced this week under warranty. We will Ethernabond everything in the fall.Great idea.

RedHorse1 · 06-06-2017, 04:00 PM

IMO, Eternabond is the best product for protecting that delicate caulking. A good coating of E'bond will protect it for 10-15 years. ��

Tunce the traveler · 06-06-2017, 04:15 PM

What you were looking at is a product made by ProGuard for TPO roofs

Tunce the traveler · 06-06-2017, 04:25 PM

I found this

Marcm157 · 06-06-2017, 04:34 PM

Not to hijack the thread but does eternabond go over existing dicor? Some of my seams are pretty thick. Do you have to trim it flat prior to applying the tape?

Grumpy · 06-06-2017, 04:36 PM

I just clean good and put the Eternabond down. Use a wallpaper roller to get it down tight.

Jagiven · 06-06-2017, 04:38 PM

In general, after cleaning the roof, I put the eternabond right over the existing caulk, no shaving it down. As noted above, I did not do my TV antenna as that caulk will need to be shaved.

Major tip, do not stretch eternabond, if you do it will release from the roof in a few days.

Marcm157 · 06-06-2017, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grumpy

I just clean good and put the Eternabond down. Use a wallpaper roller to get it down tight.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jagiven

In general, after cleaning the roof, I put the eternabond right over the existing caulk, no shaving it down. As noted above, I did not do my TV antenna as that caulk will need to be shaved.

Major tip, do not stretch eternabond, if you do it will release from the roof in a few days.

Thank you - I'm going the eternabond route shortly and you saved me a bunch of work...

Jagiven · 06-06-2017, 05:37 PM

I bought a 50 ft roll of 6" wide, I was really surprised that I used most of up. I guessed I would need about 25-30 ft.

BigJohnD · 06-06-2017, 06:03 PM

That was me that did the coating over the Dicor. ProGuard has since made some changes with that product, but mine is still good as new. Hadn't messed with the roof since other than inspection and cleaning 6-8 times a year.

Just remember, eternabond means eternity, as in you ain't getting it off later if you need to, at least without a LOT of persuasion.

DC8Captain · 06-08-2017, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tunce the traveler

What you were looking at is a product made by ProGuard for TPO roofs

Go the Modification's forum and look under BigJohnD thread. It's a long thread but the roof coating part starts on page 1 or 2 I think. That being said: I called Pro Guard about a week ago as I was going to coat my seams and lap sealant. Polly told me that the Pro Guard Supercoat For TPO roofs has been pulled for use on RV roofs. They were having problems so won't recommend it anymore. She tried to sell me on the Rubber Roof product, it needs a primer too. Too unproven for me so I'm still deciding what I want to do.

mikew · 06-08-2017, 07:52 PM

Thanks for all the input. The Proguard was the product I did see a year ago. Sounds like that is not an option any longer, so I am strongly considering the Eternabond. It sounds like the thing to use, just a little leery of the fact that if a skylight or anything else needed to be replaced, I'd have to deal with removing the Eternabond as well. This may get a few chuckles, but yesterday I bought a pint can of that Flex Seal stuff, and on the can it lists the materials its good for, and TPO is in that list. Has anyone out there tried that? I may try a small test patch for the summer to check for durability.

BigJohnD · 06-08-2017, 08:49 PM

So yes, I'm one of those crazy people who tries and does stuff to RVs that some are not comfortable doing. Understandable. I'll also be the first to admit when I made a bad decision. However, the product has been flawless for me.

I went to their website again, and sure enough the stuff is still there, as seen in the picture here, and still approved for TPO roofs without primer.

SOOOOO, I'm digging deep now to get to the nuts and bolts of what's going on, and I will post back my findings, just to solve the mystery and clear things up (good or bad). Just being told "don't use it" never worked for me. Kind of like roof cleaners. I've used a product for 14 years that will not harm any of the RV roofs when used responsibly, but yet Dicor and Alpha say only use their stuff (for the most part). Ask a dealer what they use to clean roofs next time you're there, and I mean the good trusted dealer. 99% chance it ain't Dicor / Alpha roof cleaners, if they'll even tell you.

I respect Eternabond and what it does, it just isn't for me. I have used it in the past, but only on front / rear caps and such, in other words stuff I don't think I'll be changing out in the near future.

Stay tuned if curious.

mikew · 06-09-2017, 08:27 PM

Thanks I'm with you on the Eternabond, I know it's value for some applications but I don't want to get into a situation where I would ever have to remove it. Could you send me the link for the Proguard? Can't seem to find it out there. Thanks

BigJohnD · 06-09-2017, 08:45 PM

Here's a link to their site:
https://proguardcoatings.com/
If you want Polly's info just let me know and I can send it to you. Hope she doesn't mind.

I contacted them yesterday and here's the reply I received:

"Hi John
Please do not worry. The only reason that we are not currently selling this product is that our regular EPDM works as well and is less
expensive. Supercoat is a EPDM rubber as is Liquid Rubber/Liquid Roof. When we first invented this, it was to be a supercharged EPDM but we found out that it worked just like the regular EPDM. Sometime in the future we will be going back to the Supercoat and do some chemical redesigning with it but at the moment we are working on so many new products that Supercoat is taking a back seat.
It is odd how people hear part of a story and by time others hear it the story has changed to a completely new version.
Your roof is doing exactly what I expected it to do. When you are ready to use the quart that you have, open it and let me know if there
Is any issue with mixing. I doubt it but if there are I will gladly replace it for you.
Glad to hear from you.

Polly"

I've got another question sent to her about having to use the primer on one product and not the other, and I expect a reply by Monday. I have dealt with these people for a good while now. They know who I am when I call. Being I like to experiment, they've even sent me the Moisture Cure for free just to try it. I think that stuff dries underwater. I used this on my full timing cargo trailer, and it's done just as well. I'm not affiliated with them in any way and not trying to sell / promote their product, but I myself have had great results on 2 rigs, so I'm sticking with my methods until I can afford the lifetime sprayed roof. I'll reply back when I receive an answer on the primer. If anybody has heard different than the reply above, then I'm not sure. The stuff has done exactly what they said it'd do for me. I have heard multiple comments and rumors on the stuff on the internet, and it's use on RVs, thus the comment she made.

PonyExpress · 06-10-2017, 12:43 PM

BigJohn,

you seem to be the resident roof expert. I would like to get your opinion on what should be my plan for roof maintenance on my new 2017 264bhw slx.

BigJohnD · 06-11-2017, 07:38 PM

I wouldn't call myself an expert really. I just know there is always a better way, and I am constantly researching the market to see what's out there to make my rig better, or at least more reliable. 95% of the RV industry is not going to offer you the best stuff, although they market entry level rigs like they're 6 figures. I think anybody that's owned one has established that. Thank goodness for the forums.

So, here's my opinion on roof options, in my order of preference:

1) My first and favorite choice. The lifetime sprayed roof. This is the once and done option. Probably the best in my opinion is the FlexArmor at RVRoof | Home of the original sprayed RV Roof, then there is the Pro-Tek one at Home. I don't know much about the second one, yet, but it appears to be the same stuff, and I had the pleasure of speaking with the owner in person at a show and seeing the samples. I've also spoken with the owner of FlexArmor over the years, but, I have actually seen rigs with this one, and know a few others with it. You will never find a dissatisfied customer. The pros, you don't have to do anything, ever. You can clean it, or re-topcoat the color if you want, but it's not really necessary. It is in fact, maintenance free. One of our forum members has had the luxury of having this roof, and he now praises it. The con, cost. It will run you $130-$140 a foot, so for my rig, a little over $4k. Sounds expensive. Well, figure you're out $8k if you let a dealer replace your rubber roof. Just another little note about the stuff. Your insurance WILL pay for it should you incur damage. In fact they'd rather pay for that over what WAS there. It's half the cost, and a 100 times better. I've even seen Forest River go this route with warranty as this was better and cheaper than their junk fiberglass roofs. This is the best option in regards to the best roof, but if you're one that trades rigs every few years, this is not the best option for you. Rhino also has their version of a sprayed roof, but I don't trust it. The 2 companies I mentioned above, ONLY do RVs. Their bread and butter is fixing and making RVs better. Rhino does truck beds and other stuff, so their focus is wide spread. May be a worthless opinion, but we're all entitled to those.

2) Second choice, the seam coat, just as I've done. There are several products out there. Most are just "coat your whole roof" stuff, and that's pretty much what I have. But, there's no need to coat the whole thing. I like the ProGuard stuff, but there are others if you look around. With this method, you still have to clean it, and I myself would keep an eye on it. The biggest achievement of going this route, is covering the dicor, and after that is done, you minimize / reduce the chance of it breaking down. So far, my seam coats have not changed at all. Nothing has broken down, cracked, shrunk or anything, just as I'd hoped. This is an economical route, and gets the job done. Why did I go this route? I don't have $4000 laying around, otherwise I'd have option 1 already. I think I might be out $100, but can't remember.

3) Eternabond. It is great stuff, but it sure makes removing things later VERY difficult. Watch a video of them removing the stuff. Yes it comes off with a heat gun, but the gray microsealant really does not ever come off. I kind of rank this route with #2 / seam coating. It achieves the same thing for the most part. You are covering seams to prevent the break down of the dicor, or do away with the dicor lap sealant. If you're NOT like me and don't ever want to change anything on the roof, then this may be the best option. Me, I may want a different vent, different antenna, different whatever on the roof, and I like to keep my options open. The seam coat will come off with some effort, but it's not as difficult as the Eternabond.

4) Leave it as is. In this case, you'd better be going above and beyond what the manufacturer says do. 6 out of 8 rigs, this is what I did. Once every 6 months aint going to cut it in most cases. Almost every trip, I was on the roof for inspection, every 2-3 trips, I was cleaning it. In 14 years, I have never had a roof leak, but it was only due to the attention to detail. Any slight imperfection, and it was getting touched up or fixed. Heck, on my 2nd rig I think, I removed most of the factory lap sealant and redid it to my liking right off the bat. If you are proactive instead of reactive, and just don't have the money for the first few options, then a good leak free roof can happen with attention to detail.

The pictures here really don't have anything to do with the above, but just in case somebody hasn't seen what roof they probably have (not sure if Jayco has changed anything), this is the Dicor Diflex II TPO roof material. Notice the thickness sitting next to a dime. Sure makes you think twice about that tree limb dragging your roof in a park huh? It's THIN.

You may also like: