Crack in shower dome - advice needed

[MontanaRick]

Doing a roof inspection today on our 195RB, I found a crack in the dome over our shower. We are still within our warranty, and will contact the dealer tomorrow, but I don't expect it to be covered.

Any suggestions on repair? It doesn't seem to be worth replacing it. I have a small roll of emergency Eternabond, and I thought that might make sense. DW was wondering if glue or something clear would be better, but I can't think of anything that would hold up over time. I don't think there's any way to get glue in that crack.

All thoughts welcome. Thanks in advance.

[Grumpy]

I'd go from the inside and use some Gorilla Glue Clear Tape then add some Clear OSI Quad Seal caulk on the outside.

But why don't you think it will be covered?

[RogerR]

If you do replace it or have it done have them use Etearnabond tape instead of sealant for a more durable & leakproof fix.
X2 on why shouldn't it be covered if it was not impact related? Could be a over tightened screw caused it to crack. Or just bad out of the box?

Only bad part of the dealer doing it is you might never see it again ( or at least it could seem that way, LOL). Might be worth the $40 or 50 to do it yourself based just on time lost from camping.

[MontanaRick]

As to warranty, we'll see. We are 1 year 10 months in at this point. I have no idea how it happened. I've been on the roof before and didn't notice it, but I wasn't inspecting, just putting on vent covers. I've been pretty pleased with my dealer on the warranty repairs and efficiency soon after we bought it (Big Sky RV).

As to repairing it from the inside, that would require removing the inner bubble, which I don't think would be a minor matter. This appears to be an outer protective bubble.

[MontanaRick]

Grumpy,

Looking at Clear OSI Quad Seal caulk, looks like a good product, appropriate for this application, thanks. I do wonder if it is strong enough to help prevent further cracking if I don't do anything on the inside.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by MontanaRick

As to repairing it from the inside, that would require removing the inner bubble, which I don't think would be a minor matter. This appears to be an outer protective bubble.

That inner bubble should be part of the interior trim flange. At least everyone I've owned has been. I use to remove it to clean them.

Originally Posted by MontanaRick

Grumpy,

Looking at Clear OSI Quad Seal caulk, looks like a good product, appropriate for this application, thanks. I do wonder if it is strong enough to help prevent further cracking if I don't do anything on the inside.

It's sticky stuff..Just besure you clean the surface good.

[MontanaRick]

Grumpy, looks like you're right as always, inner bubble looks like it will remove just with screws. Thanks.

[norty1]

I would inspect it closely around where the crack started. I have seen them crack like that from a misplaced screw Just time and motion can cause it to start running.

I you remove the flange inside you can see the underside of the outer dome.

[CAG]

I am always of the opinion that broken stuff needs to be replaced. Just me but patched up crap just becomes that "patched up crap"

In this case I would be replacing it with a smoke cover but then I live in Arizona and light colored covers just bring more heat inside. That also gives you a chance to check and repair any other problems.

[Colorado]

FIRST:
DRILL a hole in front of the crack, this should stop the crack from continuing across the entire cover. Take pictures for the Warranty then cover with eternalbond tape until either the Dealer replaces it or you do.

[Flyrotor]

Last spring I noticed a crack in my skylight, trailer is a 2012, but basically it is breakdown of the plastic, so it will only get worse. I used Dicor self leveling caulk on it because it had begun to leak and was causing mildew in between the inner and outer shells. There were several other tiny cracks beginning to form where the screw holes are. I ordered a new skylight and was planning to replace it, however local HOA made me move the trailer And I just haven’t yet fixed it, I keep checking on it in storage and still the Dicor has held up, no leaks, no more cracks so far, hopefully I will get time to find x I in the next couple of weeks, because I anticipate that it will crumble when I start to remove it.

Short story, use Dicor as a temporary fix, remove the inner shell and check for mildew/mold, dry and bleach if needed, and then plan to replace it soon.

Also, I agree with you about Big Sky RV, they are excellent and treated me well when I was living in Montana even though I did not purchase from them, great place

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by Colorado

FIRST:
DRILL a hole in front of the crack, this should stop the crack from continuing across the entire cover. Take pictures for the Warranty then cover with eternalbond tape until either the Dealer replaces it or you do.

Tiny hole, 1/8" or smaller, will stop the crack.

I do not see any physical signs that the top was physically damages, so it looks like a material or workmanship issues. So the warranty should cover it.

If you can get it in for repair in a reasonable amount of time, I would just use some cheap Gorilla like duct tape. Take lots of pictures before cleaning the surface to prove it was not hit and damaged. Your dirt, shows that nicely.

[RAurand]

Clear awning repair tape will work great as well.
By daughter lost her balance one time when we had our 26BH and put her hand thru the clear shower skylight. Repair guy put clear awning tape on it until the new replacement came in.

[michael.g]

It does look like it could have been caused by an over tightened screw from the factory. A little flexing could have initiated the crack. As has been mentioned, drilling a small hole at the end will stop the crack. Then you can seal it.

If it were me, I'd replace it. It is relatively cheap and it is an easy job. I replaced one in a HTT we owned many years ago. I'm not a huge fan of skylights since they are easily cracked from a falling tree limb, but closing up the hole and covering it up on the roof seemed like too much work for me.

-Michael

[ranchosinvacas]

An additional idea that was not yet mentioned has to do with preventative efforts.
Here in southern Arizona, the sunshine is brutal.
The shower sky light on our 2014 145rb began to change color from clear to almost yellow after just 9 months in the sun. We don't use a full cover on the TT unit, but after each camping trip, I cover/re-cover the skylight with a section of "blue tarp" material held in place with small weights. this has kept the skylight plastic from getting really brittle from the sunshine

[MontanaRick]

Thank you all again for your great advice and suggestions. I have an appointment set with the dealer (6 weeks out), and they also agreed with the suggestions here regarding drilling the hole and using some temporary tape until then.

I'll provide an update after it's fixed.

[jloco]

These are paper thin. I worry about mine every time I'm on the roof.. I'm thinking of coating mine with flex seal paste as a preventative measure..

[muckinfuss]

I'm old school I guess. Replace Replace Replace. And when you replace, use a better product. If you are handy, the best option in my opinion is to dump the Plexiglas domes all together and replace with Lexan. A far superior product for the application. I replaced both of mine by buying replacements on the auction site for less than half the cost of a dealer replacement of the smaller one if out of warranty. Plexiglass will always cloud and become brittle because it does not contain any UV technology in the resin. Lexan does. It's thicker. I can stand on mine and they don't flex, let alone crack. I guarantee that you can push on any of yours with your finger and they flex, and depending on age, might just crack then and there. Lexan will not change clarity or color from UV either.

Good luck with whichever choice you make.

[RAurand]

Muckinfuss, where can we get Lexan Skylights to replace whet is on our trailers now?

[muckinfuss]

I buy mine on Ebay. There are two sources I use, one is a guy in Texas and the other is a company in Elkhart. Both are excellent. The one in Elkhart sells theirs with install kits as well. Both make theirs pre-drilled.
Ikon makes them also, but they seem to come in around twice the price for the same thing.

Do a search on Lexan RV skylight and add your measurement to the search and you should be good to go.