Sealing fiberglass roof

[Lunatic]

So I plan on doing some preventive maintenance on my Seneca roof this spring. The RV is still in storage so I can't really go and have a look and cannot seem to find a consensus searching the net. What is everyone using on these roofs, self leveling sealant such as Dicor? Are you scraping old caulking off or just putting more on over any cracks you find? I understand that Dicor makes some different colors of their self leveling sealant. Are they a decent match? Any tips or experience on this would be appreciated.

[spoon059]

So you can either scrape off the old caulk, or simply add new caulk on top of the old. Either way, I would clean the caulk first to make sure the new caulk isn't trying to adhere to dirt. My personal preference though is Eternabond tape. Clean the seams well and apply Eternabond and you don't have to maintain it ever again (just inspect yearly).

[DonkeyFluffer]

I used a combination of Dicor self leveling sealant and eternabond tape. I may have went overboard, because I used the tape on every seam and opening, and also on my flexible solar panels, then sealed the tape edges of the tape with Dicor. Where previous Dicor existed i did not remove it. I followed the YouTube video that Dicor made that only showed them inspecting and cleaning the old Dicor with mineral spirits (I used denatured alcohol to make sure no residue would interfere with the eternabond). If any of the old Dicor had been bad (cracked/peeling) I would have removed it.

I am very confident that my roof won't leak anytime soon. This was preventive, as I didn't have any signs of a leak in my 5 year old fiberglass roof Class C, but it really makes me feel good to know I did everything I could. My knees took a pounding though.

[jd99336]

I use a brush to clean out and cracks or areas of interest, then just use Dicor as it is self leveling therefore fills in the gaps pretty well. My roof is 3 years old and never leaked, but I clean, inspect and touch up annually. If it ever gets to where it is looking really nasty (my dad's 20 year old RV for instance), I would then go to scrape and reseal, but that will be a chore.

[Lunatic]

Thanks for the tips. I'll likely end up using the colored self leveling sealant so it at least somewhat matches the painted roof colors.

[Jopopsy]

I still don’t know if Eternabond will stick to that popcorn textured fiberglass roof I have on my Greyhawk. Does your Seneca roof also have this texture?

[DonkeyFluffer]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

I still don’t know if Eternabond will stick to that popcorn textured fiberglass roof I have on my Greyhawk. Does your Seneca roof also have this texture?

Mine is a dimpled roof and Eternabond sticks well. I use a roller to apply it.

[Lunatic]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

I still don’t know if Eternabond will stick to that popcorn textured fiberglass roof I have on my Greyhawk. Does your Seneca roof also have this texture?

Yes, mine also had that texture. The thing about the eternabond is, I'm pretty sure it's all white also so I think it would look out of place on a painted roof.

[JDooley]

Eternabond makes tan. White and black tape do not stretch when installing and be sure to clean and if needed use eternabond primer. Roll it also

[Camper_bob]

Is the roof surface itself actually colored? Most of the units I've seen, the paint goes up over the "lip" of the roof, and the bulk of the roof surface itself is white.

Besides that, it's a roof. IMO, it's FAR less important how it looks aesthetically than how well it's sealed. I wouldn't care if if looked like a rainbow up there, so long as it's sealed well. I'll only ever see it when I'm working up there, which is once or twice a year. Plus, the more white, the better, to reflect heat. Heat is a constant battle for me, and anything I can do to reduce any kind of heat load is a secondary goal to effectively sealing the roof.

[JDooley]

Yes eterna-bond will stick.

[JDooley]

There are thousands of shades of white. The roof (fiberglass is an off white. You can use the white tape and after it ages the dirt will have it looking acceptable. Tan is also available. I use black on the front and rear caps and white for the rest on the roof. Remember nobody else will see the roof except you

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by JDooley

There are thousands of shades of white. The roof (fiberglass is an off white. You can use the white tape and after it ages the dirt will have it looking acceptable. Tan is also available. I use black on the front and rear caps and white for the rest on the roof. Remember nobody else will see the roof except you

Or you can buy the WEBSEAL version which is paintable.. Been there done that.