How to seal RV roof and edges from RAIN!

[NenaMC]

Hola amigos, I'm in California currently researching how to keep the water out of my rv. It hasn't started to rain yet but it will soon. What are your experiences on waterproofing the exterior of your own RVs. Products? Time it takes?Never done it before. Saw some video about using Seal-Tite corner seal tape for the edges. Anybody used that stuff before? Butyl tape on the edges and corners of the body? My friend was telling me to use Rustoleum bed truck liner on the roof but it sprays on black and i'm not convinced that's the way to go. Feel free to link me to other posts on the subject. Thank you.

Oh, also there's some damage here in the pictures. How would i go straightening it out and fixing it. 

Edited October 29, 2019 by NenaMC

[lopezg273]

I'm not an expert but I've done a bunch of research and resealed my 1990 Dolphin roof as follows:

- I used Dicor 501LSW lap sealant on all the joints (that's where you'll get a lot of the leaks) on the ROOF (it's important, because this uses gravity to cover, so it does not work on vertical applications).  It works fantastic; you have to clean the area thoroughly, scrape any old sealant, then apply and this stuff sinks down and covers really well.  I bought a bunch on eBay, for like $10 each (I bought a case).  It goes a long way, I ended up not using as much as I thought and re-sold the rest on eBay.  I only needed about three tubes on my 21-foot RV but your mileage may vary, depending on how thick the beads.  Just remember that when you apply, say, a 1/2" bead, by the time it settles it will become a 1" bead, so apply accordingly.

- I used Henry's Tropicool Silicone White Roof Coating ($60 from Home Depot) on the entire aluminum roof (the type of roof you have dictates what you should use).  It works fantastic, though it makes a silicon coating on your roof that reflects heat and makes everything quieter but it's not so good to walk on (you should walk on the roof only if absolutely necessary).  I used one can for the entire roof and there will be others who think you should use more (give it more coats), so how much is entirely up to you.  Be sure and buy the right product, some people buy the "Seam and Repair Sealant" and then are ticked off that it's too thick and unusable for roof coating, but they should have bought the "Roof Coating" - link here: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Henry-0-90-Gal-887-Tropi-Cool-100-Silicone-White-Roof-Coating-HE887HS142/206029976

- And speaking of the "Seam and Repair Sealant" (link: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Henry-0-90-Gal-885-Tropi-Cool-100-Silicone-Seam-and-Repair-Roof-Sealant-HE885142/206030020 ), a friend used it for repairs of big gaps on his RV, including the corners.  I myself have not used it, but for him it worked.  

Don't apply gray truck bed liner to your roof.

You can go to campingworld.com and click on the "RV and Outdoor Gear" link to access their store.  There you'll find fancier ($$$) sealants and more specialized RV stuff WAY cheaper than the Camping World stores, in case you want to shop.

Neither my aluminum roof nor my fiberglass sides have any damage so I have no experience with repairs; someone else can opine on that.  It looks like you have aluminum sides on your Dolphin from the pictures, but again, when you research repairs or sealants, be sure and look for stuff that works on your particular material.

Depending on the condition of your roof, it's a weekend project; not so much because of the amount of time it will take, but because you have to allow for curing time on any of these products, MINIMUM 24 hours, and don't wait until it gets too cold, because then it takes even longer.

That's my 2-cents worth of advice, but today, it's free ! $$$$

[NenaMC]

Thank you for your input! yah, im not going with that truck bedliner spray its gunna look ugly as hell. Im a keep researching. Theres to much content here. Its taking me a long time to find something on sealing the exterior nice and water tight. 🤙

[WME]

Don't gotta be ugly...http://monstaliner.com/forms/monstaliner_colors.htm

[NenaMC]

On 10/29/2019 at 6:23 PM, lopezg273 said:

- I used Dicor 501LSW lap sealant on all the joints (that's where you'll get a lot of the leaks) on the ROOF (it's important, because this uses gravity to cover, so it does not work on vertical applications).  It works fantastic; you have to clean the area thoroughly, scrape any old sealant, then apply and this stuff sinks down and covers really well.

 

HEy Lopez,

So i decided since its a big project to seal the whole roof with special roof seal paint and dismantling the edges to put seal tape. I wanted to seal roof with the Dicor self leveling lap sealant to cover over any cracks that might be potential to water intrusion. What would I use for the vertical walls? On the windows, lights, little details , edges of the body? How about butyl tape? I know thats for like windows but what other uses does it have?

Edited November 22, 2019 by NenaMC
rewrote some info misunderstanding on my part

[WME]

https://www.amazon.com/Dicor-Non-Leveling-Sealant-551LSW/dp/B004RCSR1G/ref=asc_df_B004RCSR1G/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198111087508&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15306436543519117027&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029305&hvtargid=pla-382134262060&psc=1

For use on vertical surfaces

[dolphinthedesert]

Curious if you have anything to report on the methods you used! 

 

I bought my 1985 Dolphin from a couple outside Seattle in the midst of rainy season this past December and had to make all my repairs outside in between small bouts of rain. Currently heading south to southern California to properly coat the roof, secure the seams and before all that, reframe parts of the interior. I found that a lot of my leaks were caused by screws just barely holding onto rotted out 1"x2". 😩

 

Still trying to figure what I should coat my roof with once the rebuild is finished. I have a gallon of Flex Seal, which was honestly such a lifesaver in a pinch, but I think it's a little less durable than I hoped, or it just didn't cure properly given the conditions in which I applied it. I'm unsure what my roof material even is! But have vetted just about every option and still feel pretty much at a loss. 

[Ska]

When I rebuilt and resealed a roof on my 77 Dodge Honey I used standard butyl tape on the vents and caps, then 3-4" eternabond strips at all the joints and over the vent edges. Then I went over that with a coat of elastomeric paint. It worked amazing and still is leak proof, even in the PNW 3 years later. I'm about to do the same to my 1980 Dolphin that needs a roof rebuild and seal. Eternabond is pricey (about $1 per foot), but the results warrant the price. The dolphins have a small roof size too, so that helps!