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

After watching numerous roof repair videos on an Arizona RV tech’s channel, I learned that eternabond, tape in general, and the self leveling Dicor are all bandaids. If you have a fiberglass cap that goes over the roof material, the real seal is between the two layers. Those products are to help water deflect away from the seal. So, if you had a leak, the seal should be fixed first and then the bandaid goes on top.
Just my opinion!
I hope you never have a leak!
 
Thanks Guna! Yes, when I sealed around the ladder ends, on one side it naturally went over the edge of the black tape I did on that corner. I figure I'm going to get back up there at some point and I will do just that...bead the edges. You're right about that peace of mind. Every single day from the time I noticed a couple holes in my roof caulking, around a few fixtures, I worried every time it would rain, which is all it has done on my days off, until today. I do feel better that I have hit up some of those areas that when I think about them, always concern me.

You're right about the cracks and gaps. I noticed my city water inlet seal looking a bit shoddy.
 
After watching numerous roof repair videos on an Arizona RV tech’s channel, I learned that eternabond, tape in general, and the self leveling Dicor are all bandaids. If you have a fiberglass cap that goes over the roof material, the real seal is between the two layers. Those products are to help water deflect away from the seal. So, if you had a leak, the seal should be fixed first and then the bandaid goes on top.
Just my opinion!
I hope you never have a leak!
I enjoy the AZ RV Expert's videos. He does a great job! I've heard his Eternabond opinions. I see the pros and cons, and I understand his perspective. With our two travel trailers, the Eternabond roof perimeter application is/was well worth the money and effort - No leaks, no roof membrane edge separation, no roof membrane edge tears, no regrets.
 
I enjoy the AZ RV Expert's videos. He does a great job! I've heard his Eternabond opinions. I see the pros and cons, and I understand his perspective. With our two travel trailers, the Eternabond roof perimeter application is/was well worth the money and effort - No leaks, no roof membrane edge separation, no roof membrane edge tears, no regrets.
I like the idea of the Eternabond-type tape being a LONG TERM, SECONDARY, PREVENTATIVE sealant, protecting your ALREADY GOOD/FRESH/NEW sealants.
I'm happy to place this tape OVER sealants that are still in good shape and intact, at the time I apply the tape. I like to think of the tape as a way of PRESERVING the intact sealants from UV rays and deterioration.
 
This is the stuff I got...FREE.
Figured I'd give it a whirl. Can't know if something will be successful until ya try, right?
 

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Nothing ventured, nothing gained, JudyK.
I've never seen that particular tape. I bet it will do the job.

Short of an RV Armor type application, I think it's about what we can do. If I were to spend a few thousand on it, I would consider RV Armor. I spent $250-300 for the 6" cap tape, 4" perimeter tape, surface prep aerosol, aerosol primer, and caulk (for the tape edges).
 
Gunafulltime, I agree 100% if there are no leaks that tape is fine. The point was, IF the location has a hole or has already leaked at a joint like front cap and roof material, it is better to do the part that is the real sealing part of that location.
 
After watching numerous roof repair videos on an Arizona RV tech’s channel, I learned that eternabond, tape in general, and the self leveling Dicor are all bandaids. If you have a fiberglass cap that goes over the roof material, the real seal is between the two layers. Those products are to help water deflect away from the seal. So, if you had a leak, the seal should be fixed first and then the bandaid goes on top.
Just my opinion!
I hope you never have a leak!
No fiberglass cap, just the roof membrane stuff. I did have a small leak last season...barely had the camper out one time and notice it. As far as I can tell, it was coming from the front driver's corner. That black sealant, it looked to have a 'worm/air' hole in it. I patched it up and there's been no further leakage. I have a very small rippling in the very edge of the bedroom ceiling about 3" x 3" very near to that corner. I have laminated floors and double Azdel walls, so the only thing that has water damage was my ceiling luan and any wood inside my roof...which from what I can tell, feels to be okay. That's one of the corners I did yesterday, with the black tape.
 

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Gunafulltime, I agree 100% if there are no leaks that tape is fine. The point was, IF the location has a hole or has already leaked at a joint like front cap and roof material, it is better to do the part that is the real sealing part of that location.
I have a roll of actual Eternabond, I bought to do the long edges, at some point. You know that black tape they run along the outer roof on the slide out? That tape looks to be getting a bit shabby. I think I'll use some of my black stuff along that area.
 
That tape looks to be getting a bit shabby. I think I'll use some of my black stuff along that area.
Yes. I replaced that tape asap on our Jaycos.

Unfortunately, many manufacturers use it. That tape, however, and the manufacturers' installation of it are not examples of high quality material and workmanship. A lot of owners have had issues with it wrinkling and degrading. Once the deterioration and/or wrinkling begins, water penetration under the tape is inevitable.

After that, as the water "pools" under the cheap tape, the screws begin to rust and corrode, and the water makes it's way into the slideout roof decking, insulation, and framing. If left unaddressed, the water will eventually damage the ceiling board. It's definitely well worth the effort to address it sooner than later.

4" Eternabond tape with sealant-beaded edges is an excellent, long-lasting upgrade. Eternabond caulk or XTRM Ply 100 (by LaSalle Bristol) work well on the tape edges. You can apply a 1/4-1/2" bead along the edges. The XTRM Ply 100 comes in a self-leveling formula, too. When I use the Eternabond caulk (or any non-leveling sealant), I smooth it a little with a mildly soapy finger (usually diluted Dawn).

To ensure excellent adhesion and longevity, it's important to prep the roof surface with a cleaner and a primer. For me, the cans of Eternabond cleaner and primer are the easiest and cleanest method to get it done. You can use mineral spirits for the cleaner, but I would not skip the primer. It's a light glue aerosol that provides a little tack for the tape to bond with.
 
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My comment. If you have a good seal under the parts that are supposed to be the seal, and a water repelling coating on top, like self leveling Dicor or other product for your situation and want to put tape over it all, by all means do it. Put the tape on if that’s what you want to do.
If you have a leak, the tape is a bandaid and once it fails as is noted in the above comment, then you may possibly have a leak returning.
 
The Eternabond on my roof with sealed edges is going on 9 years old now. Still looks new and I would not hesitate to use it again. I believe it will outlast the roof and not having to worry about degrading caulk and yearly touch ups is a game changer for me.
 
I have followed a lot of conversations dealing with tape versus caulk. I am not going to get into whether tape or caulking is better. What continues to bother me after owning TTs for years and having roofs with caulking, personally I have never used an inch of tape.

But fast foward to the current 2024, supposedly high end rig, the roof parts have a worse job of caulking of any that I have owned. So I must take a closer look more frequently both on top and in the crevices of the interior roof to see if I have any stains that's come into it. I am beginning to become paranoid.

A while back we looked at a Sonic, which has a complete fiberglass exterior structure, including the roof , which my thinking was that it would less to worry about leaks in them.
Of course I cannot say that they offer the interior quality as we have experienced over the years, and reflected in the costs being a bit cheaper.

But since I am familiar with what takes place with gel coated fiberglass and its ongoing post curing of the resins, I knew that they came with a different type of maintenance, called waxing. That's not me. Its bad enough to take care of a smooth sided unit. But no way I plan on waxing any roofs.


I guess they have their place, if they are up north unlike where we normally use our units. The sun combined with the heat that you get in the southern parts of the country and get for a longer period of time plays havoc on similar finishes that boats experience, and requires twice a year waxing, if you properly take care of them..

EDIT*
One thing that does make me pause when considering adding lots of tape to the roof components and over original dicor is that if I was to advertise my unit for sale and an inexperienced or novice buyer was to look at the unit and would see loads of tape on the roof, for me it would be hard to tell them the reason why and have them believe it, unless they had done a lot of research on their own dealing with using tape versus and recaulked roof with Dicor.
 
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