What do I put in my roof?

justlb33 · 10-05-2018, 08:42 AM

Looking for some opinions as to what I put on my roof and when. My TT is only a few months old. I believe the dealer does the dicor. Not sure when I should reseal it or what maintenance needs to be done to prolong life and prevent leaks.

Magnolia Tom · 10-05-2018, 09:00 AM

Dicor is the recommended sealant. How often you go up on the roof to check is up to you. I believe every 6 months is ok but I personally check more often. I would check at least 2 times a year

2edgesword · 10-05-2018, 09:22 AM

I'm pretty sure the warranty agreement mentions a roof inspection twice a year. Any gaps or areas where the sealant is cracked or broken should be resealed.

justlb33 · 10-05-2018, 09:58 AM

So is the sealant the white thick goop around the skylight, fans, A/C, etc....? Or are you referring to the white vinyl type covering across the whole roof?

GHen · 10-05-2018, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justlb33

So is the sealant the white thick goop around the skylight, fans, A/C, etc....? Or are you referring to the white vinyl type covering across the whole roof?

The self leveling sealant most use is a brand called Dicor. Our local hardware store even stocks it. Comes in a tube like caulking. It’s available in different colors, tan and white are most popular. The white vinyl tape may be a product called Eternabond. Both are available on Amazon, if you look them up and you can see the difference.

justlb33 · 10-05-2018, 10:25 AM

Thanks GHen. Now that I understand the difference between the two, I still have a noob question and that is what is it that I walk on when up on the roof. The whole roof is covered with like a vinyl type material. Is that Dicor? Then, around the fan,vents,skylight is a thick 3 inch caulk type sealant. Is that called something else or just regular caulk?

GHen · 10-05-2018, 11:25 AM

The roof on mine is a sheet of vinyl or rubber. If I get a tear in it from a tree branch, I use the Eternbond to put a patch on it. It comes in rolls like 4” by 10’. The Dicor is caulking and used to seal items like the vents. I recently put a 4”x4” Eternbond patch on a small hole, I then used some self leveling Dicor around the edge of the patch so it would not come loose.
Hopefully that makes more sense.

spoon059 · 10-05-2018, 02:00 PM

Eternabond tape! Dicor is a temporary fix. I think my manual says to check it 4 times a year. That stuff shrinks and cracks easily, hence the constant need for maintenance. Eternabond tape will last longer than your trailer, and you don't have to climb on the roof every 3 months...

Jagiven · 10-05-2018, 02:37 PM

I go up twice a year, spring and fall. Wash the roof with dawn soap. While up there I inspect the caulking. Last year, I went over all the caulking with eternabond. No more potential caulking issues.

PlayersZ28 · 10-05-2018, 02:42 PM

The roof itself is covered with a sheet product that will be either EDPM or TPO.

The white stuff that looks like caulking is the Dicor, the one I use is a self-levelling that flattens out. If you see a clear sealant (I have it around lights and trim) then there's ProFlex for that.

I'm going to cover the Dicor that's on the side roof trim with Eternabond tape as th Dicor keeps failing. The Dicor around the roof vents will stay and I'll just touch it up a couple of times a year

Siamese · 10-05-2018, 02:57 PM

I got my 26bh new in 2017, and immediately upgraded the roof. As you've now learned, your roof is a big sheet of rubbery/vinyl material, with all the edges and holes sealed with Dicor brand sealant.

The roof material will be good for a decade or more, but anywhere it has a hole in it for hardware or at it's edges, it's sealed with Dicor.

When I got my trailer, I immediately scraped off the Dicor with a plastic putty knife, and replaced it with Eternabond tape, which is a MUCH better product than the Dicor. IMO, you should do the same. Job one with a trailer is: Keep the water out.

Let Youtube be your friend, and do a search there for Eternabond tape and how to install it on your roof.

Why doesn't Jayco use Eternabond? Because it costs more than the Dicor sealant, and it takes longer to apply than Dicor. They build these trailers very quickly, and seconds count.

P.S....a lot of Eternabond users put it right over the existing Dicor sealant. I opted to remove the Dicor so the Eternabond would be a cleaner installation. When the Dicor is new, it comes off easily. I just got done installing Eternabond on my friend's motorhome roof, and I removed the Dicor that had been on there for 30 years. That came off easily too, although I used a sharpened, metal putty knife and used extra caution not to puncture the roof material. Oh, and some people put on the tape, and then seal it's edges with Dicor. To each their own, but I don't do that and after thousands of miles my tape still looks like I applied it yesterday. I figure it the tape works, then it works, and doesn't need the Dicor.

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