Resealing roof

[Rielan]

Hello. I purchased a 2007 Jay Feather 213 recently. It appears that the roof has a leak. The ceiling cover is sagging inside the camper and it has a small water stain. What is the best roof sealer to use? Thank you for your help!

[Jagiven]

Welcome aboard!

Have you been on the roof yet? If not, head up. They are walkable roofs. They do have a lot of flex in them (this is normal). Being a 2007 and you mentioned there appears to be water damage so be a little more careful, just incase out of view under the membrane there is a lot of rot and a weak spot.

Is your roof the older flat style or the newer arched roof structure (Magnum trusses)? The arched roof structure has a good joist every 24". The flat roof, there is less structure. They are known to sag near the AC unit. Water pools here and sometimes leaks past the AC gasket.

I would start off with a roof cleaning and inspection. Cracks in the caulking will lead to water infiltration. If the previous owner was good at maintenance, you will see lots of caulking touchups (visible by various color of aging white caulk).

To clean, I just bring up a 5 gallon bucket with some dish soap in it. A carwash brush and my garden hose, that I wrap around the AC unit to keep from sliding off the roof. Fill the bucket, and scrub it down, and rinse.

Look for tears in the membrane, and cracks in the caulking. Personally I like to fix these issues once and not have to do it again. So I use Eternabond, it is a super sticky sealing tape, made for this job. Just do not stretchy it, or it will self release. You can use Dicor self leveling caulk. Clean and dry the cracks really well. Apply over the existing crack. Or use a plastic putty knife and remove some of the existing caulk. Never use anything with silicone in it.

There really is no need to roll/brush any type of sealer on the membrane. Just touch up the caulking. The roof should be inspected twice a year.

I would look at the AC unit too. From the inside, remove the cover. Inspect the exposed framing. Do you see any signs of water? There are 4 bolts (1 in each corner) that secure the AC to the roof. These bolts should be just a little tighter than finger tight. If they are loose, water could get in. If someone fully tightened these bolts, the the seal has been fully compressed, and water could leak past. 14 years old, it might be time for a new gasket. It is fairly cheap item. Hardest part is removing and disconnecting the AC. This is a good project to have a helper.

Any location where there is a roof/wall pentation is a good place for a leak. A spot often missed when looking for leaks is the marker lights. Remove the lens, and the mounting screws. If the screw looks rusty, water has gotten in. Apply some new sealant around/under the light. Apply a tiny thin coat that goes over the base and lens interface. This will help seal, and keep the lens from falling off.

FYI, wrap the ladder with a couple old towels were it touches the TT and put your stabilizers down when you go up on the roof. Lastly wear clean soled shoes and remove objects from your pockets. Them membrane is very thin, and tears easily.

Have fun with your new TT

[Rielan]

Thank you Jagiven!! I am very new to the world of travel trailers and your advice and recommendations are very much appreciated! Your detailed and descriptive maintenance steps are extremely helpful. I will be working on the roof this weekend.and now know what to be looking for.

Thank you!!

[RogerR]

X2 on wrapping the latter. I now have a 2 foot section along the edge where the ladder made little rips.

I completely replaced all my Dicor sealant with Etearnabond this summer as I am 74 and don't want to face it in the future. One test is to try to pry up what looks like good Dicor sealant with your fingernail. If it comes up then water will go in. You may want to do that even before you wash it. No point in adding more water damage.


Near the area that is showing water inside be very careful as there may be rot under the rubber. No point in putting your foot through the roof. Press down with your hand firmly in areas that are good then try in nearer to the bad spot. Hopefully you don't have rot and it is just a sealant job.

Many youtubes out there on replacing Dicor, adding Etearnabond, etc. Watch a few. Until you find and fix the leak you may want to tarp the roof to prevent further damage.


Good luck and keep us posted on what you find and what more advice you need.

[Rielan]

Thank you RogerR! That is good advice. I will keep you posted.

[Lorelei56]

I'm ready to do the roof tour myself. Why not use anything with silicone in it, just out of curiosity? Will Flex Seal work, or is it an over-hyped product? Thanks!

[RogerR]

Silicone is really great till it fails. Then it is impossible to get all of it off. New stuff will not stick to silicone. Many posts on this and why, also a some on youtube. Several products including Dicor, Proflex and Geocel, work much better and are possible to remove. Think having to replace a vent, skylight, etc.

Watch some youtubes on Etearnabond as a replacement and permanent fix around everything on your roof.

[16WhiteColly]

Flex Seal could work as an emergency repair, but I would not recommend using it. They make correct resealing products specifically for this, why not use them?

[kirkelli]

If you don't have the membrane you can buy good quality roof re-sealer from any RV Supplier, they sell it by the gallon. You just roll it on. If this is your case, you will want to remove all the side molding and tape it off at the molding edge and so the seal overlaps the sides where the molding attaches. If you have the membrane, you'll have to pull it up, since you have leaks you will have to replace membrane. I did the latter to re-glue a factory pisspoor job. Took myself and a helper 3 days.. Pretty tiedius. .