Sealing this camper is not on my list of things I want to spend the hours of my life doing...

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

Now, don't get me wrong. I like going up on the roof and doing the sealants. Perhaps it's the ease of the self leveling stuff. But sealing all the openings, of every edge, along the sides and back? Having to scrape and remove old stuff, not being able to effectively reach and have to stand on a ladder to work?

I love tasks, I love doing lots of things others consider 'work.' There's some things that take a lot of time which is fine, but when those tasks do not bring me 'zen enjoyment,' that's when I'm ready and willing to pay someone else to do it.

Anyone know a typical, ballpark price quote on a sealant job, for a 28' travel trailer? Perhaps hearing the number might snap me into learning to enjoy the job.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

I feel your pain. But just think about how much you are saving in money and the time that is takes to go at gym and the membership to get that kind of workout. J/K of course, I know a lot of people struggle to take care of these things. But if any owner does most of the very important stuff like sealing a roof, they know the condition first hand of what is lurking overhead. I think we all can sleep better sometimes when we do not farm out a lot of the critical and important stuff like our roofs.

The last time I priced out the roof job it was close to 500 bucks, just for the dicor job. On my last one I personally did the job with Gaco, and to date its lasted five years now for the new owner without a problem. I used it right across the Dicor after cleaning the roof with Dawn dish soap.

 

[Grumpy]

I never removed the old stuff on the roof, cleaned it up and applied the ETERNABOND. As to the other openings (windows etc) you only need to inspect and touch-up.

 

[OnTheGo]

I never removed the old stuff on the roof, cleaned it up and applied the ETERNABOND. As to the other openings (windows etc) you only need to inspect and touch-up.

About 15 years ago there was a picture on the web of a TT roof that was sealant-on-top-of-sealant. It was 20 years old and had never leaked. (... can't find the picture now.)

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

The roof is actually (for me) the easy part. I'm talking about the SIDES of the camper; doors, windows, every single, stinking' zillion cutout, hole RANDOMLY all over the outside camper walls, Jayco LOVES to cut vs. putting most of them in one convenient spot on the outside of the camper, in a common area.

So many videos I see these people are scraping off old sealants, cleaning and rubbing with mineral spirits or alcohol, then resealing.

I went around some of the camper last season with the GeoCel Flex stuff. I think I did an 'okay' job, but I know I can do better and I think some of it needs to be considered for a touch or re-do. Speaking of that stuff. Do you guys who use it run a finger along after you set a bead, or do you leave it? I left it on some portions and ran a finger on others. The bead I think, untouched, is a bit bulky IMO.

Jayhawk, you're right. The thought of having someone else do it makes me nervous, because I know they might not take the care that I would. I just really hate doing stuff I can't seem to convince myself to enjoy.

Okay fine. I will do it this year, but if I don't feel that I despise the job by the time I'm done vs. finding that It's not all that bad and I can eventually get better at doing it, then I'll stop considering taking it in to be done.

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

I feel your pain. But just think about how much you are saving in money and the time that is takes to go at gym and the membership to get that kind of workout. J/K of course, I know a lot of people struggle to take care of these things. But if any owner does most of the very important stuff like sealing a roof, they know the condition first hand of what is lurking overhead. I think we all can sleep better sometimes when we do not farm out a lot of the critical and important stuff like our roofs.

The last time I priced out the roof job it was close to 500 bucks, just for the dicor job. On my last one I personally did the job with Gaco, and to date its lasted five years now for the new owner without a problem. I used it right across the Dicor after cleaning the roof with Dawn dish soap.

BTW, I'm glad for me, it's no (yet) a true struggle. I love to work...even with some of the tedious stuff...but for whatever reason, my love for this work is not 'blooming.'

 

[OnTheGo]

I don't think any of us get excited about caulking. It does get easier, and better, each time you do it. Then one day you become the old pro.
A small bead is easier to work with, and only a small amout is needed to fill the gap. Try working in shorter sections and fininshing with a wet rag.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

Okay, I think you have been warned before. Since you are now working your way around the edge and side parts, away from the roof, you are close to working your way out of having anything to do. Looking closely into my crystal ball I see you restarting your search for a new model the end of the season.

Anyway all dependent on the type of caulking, a usable method I use to smooth a bead of caulking is a wet paper towel. One big exception is when I have used the GeoCell silicone. For some reason I have found this brand to skin over in nano seconds and next to impossible to create a good looking seam. The lumps comes into the seam almost a blink of the eye.

I know there are several types. But that stuff created a new vocabulary for me. I hate ugly beads. I have found the method of a wet paper towel to be favorable on some of the mineral spirit polyurethane caulks though. But the labor intensive job of taping to create a pretty seam can add a lot of work to the job.

Using the correct type of caulk for these jobs do come with some searching on the base of the caulk and the possible downsides from UV exposure. Of course the further north that you reside this is not always a problem. But you have another problem, and that is the frame deterioration from your leftover salty roads and potholes.

So the rvs comes with a different set of problems , as they age. Potholes create leaks no matter how well your caulking jobs are done.

 

[gunafulltime]

I choose 2-3 tasks for fall and 2-3 tasks for spring. That keeps me in the game with the tedious but necessary RV tasks. I sealed every exterior nook and cranny over three fall seasons. This included the roof, cap, and all of the walls. I did the full perimeter of the roof first (Eternabond). Then I worked my way around the walls and cap over the following 2 years. Next is the underbelly. I have to take it in bites; otherwise, I feel overwhelmed and irritated. You've got this, JudyK!

​

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

Okay, I think you have been warned before. Since you are now working your way around the edge and side parts, away from the roof, you are close to working your way out of having anything to do. Looking closely into my crystal ball I see you restarting your search for a new model the end of the season.

Anyway all dependent on the type of caulking, a usable method I use to smooth a bead of caulking is a wet paper towel. One big exception is when I have used the GeoCell silicone. For some reason I have found this brand to skin over in nano seconds and next to impossible to create a good looking seam. The lumps comes into the seam almost a blink of the eye.

I know there are several types. But that stuff created a new vocabulary for me. I hate ugly beads. I have found the method of a wet paper towel to be favorable on some of the mineral spirit polyurethane caulks though. But the labor intensive job of taping to create a pretty seam can add a lot of work to the job.

Using the correct type of caulk for these jobs do come with some searching on the base of the caulk and the possible downsides from UV exposure. Of course the further north that you reside this is not always a problem. But you have another problem, and that is the frame deterioration from your leftover salty roads and potholes.

So the rvs comes with a different set of problems , as they age. Potholes create leaks no matter how well your caulking jobs are done.

Yeah That Geocel is pretty...but sticky and not 'wet finger' pliable. Last season, I cut the tip for a small bead BUT then I couldn't pierce the inner seal with the calking gun built in piercer, because the hole I created was too small. In order to pierce the foil seal, I had to make the opening bigger. It doesn't have a removable tip! So, the bead I ended up with was, I think, too big.

I was looking at that Sikiflex stuff, but it only comes it white, gray or black. If it's available in clear, I can't find it.

New model with better sleeping arrangement is always coveted...but then I get hit with the trade value of mine and it brings me straight back to loving my camper, exactly as it is.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

Small holes and longer than the built in pierce wire requires calling upon a metal coat hanger. They come in a variety of lengths for just the job that you are talking about. and just the right size for running the smallest of beads of caulking. Then when you are done you break off a piece of the coat hanger that fits down the length that was needed to puncture the foil with some length extra, with enough extra to bend a loop around 180 degrees that will stay outside. This loop will lay loosely against the small tip for hopefully another job in the future. I like to go as deep as possible, depending on how much I have used in used tubes.

Then I take a small piece of duct tape and reverse it snugly around the tip and the wire, without the loop so that the caulking will not stick to the sticky surface. Then I put another small piece around the sticky surface.

If there is nothing really wrong with your second hand camper,, which is what it would be when trading it in, sell it yourself. Never trade, unless you know your camper will not pass inspection by yourself, if it was you buying. Remember dealers sell junk, even new junk without blinking an eye. They have all the opportunity to inspect it and even fix what they think may be broken before selling it to someone else. So don't feel guilty by trading something that you cannot sell yourself.

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

Metal coat hanger...wow. Haven't had one of those in the house for a long time. I can get on of them from work. As far as the job. I have to break it down into small tasks. Either one side at a time OR all windows, all cutouts, all vertical seams, all horizontal seams. etc.

Speaking of work, I'm left these days with little to no time on my days off. We are smack in the middle of negotiations with the State of CT regarding $$ for nursing home wage increases. I am on the negotiating committee and all my free time is spent in meetings with legislators from CT as well as DC, as well as organizing our looming strike. On a positive note, our Governor called our union office the other day, asking us to delay our strike for a week (from May 19 to the 27th.) We voted to allow the delay, but warned him he'd better not come to the table with a couple nickels. What's interesting about our new date? It's my scheduled day to go on vacation, for my first camping trip of the season.

I figure some day, if I'm going to get into anything different, I might be selling myself AND buying used on the private market, IF ever the model I'm considering comes up for sale somewhere near me.

 

[OnTheGo]

Metal coat hanger...wow. Haven't had one of those in the house for a long time. I can get on of them from work. As far as the job. I have to break it down into small tasks. Either one side at a time OR all windows, all cutouts, all vertical seams, all horizontal seams. etc.

Speaking of work, I'm left these days with little to no time on my days off. We are smack in the middle of negotiations with the State of CT regarding $$ for nursing home wage increases. I am on the negotiating committee and all my free time is spent in meetings with legislators from CT as well as DC, as well as organizing our looming strike. On a positive note, our Governor called our union office the other day, asking us to delay our strike for a week (from May 19 to the 27th.) We voted to allow the delay, but warned him he'd better not come to the table with a couple nickels. What's interesting about our new date? It's my scheduled day to go on vacation, for my first camping trip of the season.

I figure some day, if I'm going to get into anything different, I might be selling myself AND buying used on the private market, IF ever the model I'm considering comes up for sale somewhere near me.

First, Happy Mother's Day!

Metal coat hangars are a staple in my workshop. A universal tool if there ever was one.

Back in the early 70's I was active with the IAM. Railroad workers could not strike because the language in the injunction said we were vital. We might have been seen as vital by some, but we were considered useless at the negotiating table. Good luck.

And work does have a way of interfering with family / recreation time. Good luck with that too.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

Dry cleaners have buckets of coat hangers mostly for free. House insulation hangers from construction outfits lay all over the ground, I am a serious recycle guy, or lets just say in some areas I tell the bride that I am keeping some stuff from making it to the landfill to the risk of overcrowding my corners of the wood shed . I have a dedicated lean to that's filled with wood lumberyards cannot sell because there may be a corner split off or a bit warped from not being stacked correctly. Free in most cases,


Everything I do requires taking straight and expensive wood and cutting it up and twisting and curving it. I know it sounds crazy. But I even use toothpicks to fill screw holes instead of the hardened fillers, which does not season well under 200 dollar a quart paints.
Sorry, did not mean to get off track, but I hate spend money when I see stuff for free. Remote dumpster managers hate me.
And nursing home wages have never been such that draws high end service for the frail and the aged. Mental care outlets are the worse for low paying help. That's an area that has created a higher blood pressure for us, locally at home here.
Happy Mother's day to all the Mothers here, posting and lurking, even Mothers of four legged kids.

 

[Kevin Cooper]

Judy, no, it’s not a zen moment doing caulking. But it can be hard to do or a little easier. First thing when applying, cut the tip at a slight angle to the size of bead you want. Small is better. Second, don’t pull the caulk gun when applying. Put the point of the angle cut tip out, and push the gun as you squeeze it out. This pushes it into the void, and sizes the bead, and you will have less waste. Once you have a bead down, take a can of the pressurized foaming glass cleaner and spray over the caulk and the RV. Just a quick spray along it. Now with gloves on, take your finger to remove the excess and smooth it out. The caulk will not stick to the RV except where the caulk is touching it.
Just thought this might help make it faster and easier for you so you can go do something fun!
Best Wishes, Kevin

 

[LuckyDuck]

X2 ^ I just finished touching up the edges of windows with clear Geocel. Wearing nitrile gloves, I smooth out the bead with a finger dipped in a bowl of Dawn-water mix. Nice and slippery and smooths it out nicely.

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

Thank you for all the tips! JayHawk. I'm like you. I save everything. I am not kidding when I say, the moment I discard something I find a need for it. Happens too much, so now I save all the little do-dads I find. Toothpicks are my go-to screw hole filler! They've never let me down. I had some pieces of nice solid block foam I'd saved for years. Finally found a use for it when I stuffed it under the shower pan in the camper, to stiffen it up.

Okay...if I could just get a NICE day when I don;t have a gazillion things to do. today is one of those days. Several meetings and no time for camper. I'm looking ahead to rainy days over the next week and potentially the week (my weekend off) Hopefully next week.

 

[JudyK-JAY22rb]

Okay. I did things today because it finally stopped raining in CT. I figured I'd get back up on the roof and complete my front cap seal job and a few other things. Last fall, I went through 4 tubes of sealant doing 1/2 the front cap. I never got back to it, so today I finished the job. Technique was studied and executed. Result: better than last season; I managed to get the second half sealed up using only 2 tubes of sealant.

I received 4- 50' long 6" wide BLACK joist tape. Pretty much exactly like Eternabond but slightly thinner. I decided to use this black tape to seal up the roof corners of the camper, where there is black sealant.

I ascended to the roof, scrubbed all the self leveling sealant areas that required attention, rinsed and let dry. I started with the back corners. I cut a piece longer than the area I wanted to cover, and lay the black take over the black sealant and just over the top edge of the screw cover stuff on the sides and back. I did the same for the back right. I cut an extra piece, just enough for the top and lay a second piece on the first because I noticed this corner has a metal piece with points that really wanted to poke up, so I figured double thickness just in that spot would help. After that, I used self leveling sealant on the 2 ladder posts. doing so put sealant on the edge of the black tape, too...not a bad thing. I also sealed my Wineguard antenna and my skylight. Both these areas has breaks in the sealant from air holes or weakness/thin-ness. I also used the black Eternabond-like tape on the front driver's side cap. I started the tape just beyond where the black sealant starts and just beyond where it ended. Same placement as the rear, with it just covering some of the screw trim.

Is it as good as Eternabond? I have no idea, but I know it was FREE, appears to be super gluey and malleable, like Eternabond and I have a ton of it. For now at least those areas are SEALED. I noticed the top of my slideuot at the front edge, near the framing has black tape. I'd say it's looking questionable. I'm going to use this same tape along that area too. I think with the top edge of the tape starting vertically on the backsides of the slide-out front face. I couldn't do the passenger side from because I need to let the Dicor cure. I'll do it at the end of the season.

I'll monitor how the tape holds up over the season and beyond. What's good is, the sealants under that tape weren't bad to start and now are protected from the sun and the elements. If the tape fails, the slant under them is still okay. I can always cover all of it with actual Eternabond when/if the need ever arises.

Now, it's time to stop avoiding the vertical surface selanats.

 

[gunafulltime]

Great job, JudyK!

To prevent peeling and increase the adherence and longevity of the tape, I always run a bead of Eternabond caulk over the edges of the tape.
Keep us posted on how well the "non-Eternabond" tape holds up.

Thank you for the update!

 

[gunafulltime]

BTW, this work will give you peace of mind!

Also, I thought I had finished all of the exterior nooks and crannies, but I discovered a spot around the electrical cord hatch that I missed. There is a hairline void where the factory butyl did not seal. You have to look very carefully at every square inch of the rig.