Re: Resealing roof Reply #25 – December 08, 2016, 03:50:33 pm Quote from: Terry Burnes - December 08, 2016, 03:01:16 pmJust a bit about the alternative, having the LD factory reseal your roof, which is what we did last May. LD resealed everything on the roof except the AC. Roof seams, vents, solar panel mounts, ladder/luggage rack mounts, antennas, etc. They completely removed the old sealant and replaced it with what they currently use, a more flexible, softer sealant, that is applied by hand, not floated on as the old sealant was, resulting in a thicker application.Do you remember the name of the sealant used by the Factory? Would it be Loctite PL S40? And thank you for a very thoughtful post on this discussion.
Re: Resealing roof Reply #26 – December 08, 2016, 06:15:59 pm I think the factory sealant might very well be Loctite PL S40, but please don't trust my memory. I suggest you call Vince at the factory to double check and while you're at it you might ask him about using it in whatever application you contemplate.Terry2003 26.5'RBGardnerville, NV
Re: Resealing roof Reply #27 – December 08, 2016, 08:29:23 pm Quote from: Terry Burnes - December 08, 2016, 06:15:59 pmI think the factory sealant might very well be Loctite PL S40, but please don't trust my memory. I suggest you call Vince at the factory to double check and while you're at it you might ask him about using it in whatever application you contemplate.Terry2003 26.5'RBGardnerville, NVYes it is Loctite PL S40 the factory is using. Terry, thank you for your describing your experience with having your roof resealed at the factory... that is helpful information.
Re: Resealing roof Reply #28 – December 11, 2016, 08:37:29 pm I performed the EB procedure on our '05 about 3 years ago. It was basically a 2-day job. Day 1 consisted of a pre-wash of the roof followed by spot-sealing some cracks and exposed screw heads. Day 2 began with a thorough cleaning with acetone and then the EB application. I've posted a few pictures of the project.
Re: Resealing roof Reply #29 – December 26, 2016, 12:38:53 pm Response to JCT (Joan) regarding cleaning the roof with Simple Green.I come from an aircraft maintenance/flight operations background. Simple Green was banned by the USAF on aircraft, and that has spread to many civilian maintenance providers. I, will never use the stuff on aluminum, painted or unpainted. That said, there is a new Simple Green on the market designed specifically for aircraft "Extreme Simple Green". Sporty's Pilot Shop sells the stuff. I have not tried it. I can tell you however that I am going through a problem with my '04 I bought 3rd hand. Several side panel drip ledge edges are corroding under the paint. This is not near, over or under windows where one would expect leaks and possible corrosion, but instead it is in the middle of long run panels, and under the original striping tape in a couple places, and on the edges of several compartment doors.The corrosion is limited to the center of the RV and on both sides. Not the front or back. It is also limited to about what a 6' person could effectively reach while standing on the ground. I am guessing that the area was wiped down with some such clean and not properly rinsed, given that it is only on drip ledge and not under the ledge at the panel joint seam.Below is a statement from their web site:Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green® on aluminum?When used with caution and according to the instructions, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner has been safely and successfully used to clean aluminum. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner, Crystal Simple Green® Cleaner/Degreaser, Simple Green Pressure Washer Concentrates, and Pro Series™ Simple Green® Automotive Cleaner have been used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times for unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green® product residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation. From their website. 1 Likes
Re: Resealing roof Reply #30 – December 26, 2016, 01:02:43 pm Interesting information; thanks! I always thoroughly rinse anything cleaned with Simple Green, and have not experienced any "corrosion" on the aluminum roof. White vinegar and water is my go-to solution, inside and out of the rig; SG and water was used to do the baseline scrub of the roof seams before E-bonding, but is seldom used for any other rig cleaning except for the indoor/outdoor carpet-covering "rugs" that are removed and scrub-brushed/hosed outside. No aluminum in those, just dog hair! Joan
Re: Resealing roof Reply #31 – December 26, 2016, 01:08:51 pm Think I'll stick to white vinegar! http://simplegreen.com/downloads/SDS_EN-US_SimpleGreenExtremeAircraftPrecisionCleaner.pdf
Re: Resealing roof Reply #32 – May 21, 2017, 12:09:43 am anyone have any input on priming or etching the top side of the eternabond tape when overlapping corners? i've heard some people suggest that these areas require the eternaprime, and others say that that stuff is relabeled brake cleaner.. not sure if it's even required... *edit... My bad, the brake cleaner was suggested to be the same as "eternaclean", not "eternaprime", but, same question. Does the top need to be etched or primed?anyone had overlaps come up? or done any special prep there?Quote from: Larry Wade - December 08, 2016, 12:38:00 pmIf the original sealant is intact, I leave it alone, except for any spots where the sealant has spread wider than 2". Wide spots get trimmed to provide at least 1" of coverage on each side for the tape to stick to. The spots where the sealant has been removed needs to be cleaned down to bare metal, for best adhesion. Any remaining old sealant will keep the Eternabond tape from sticking. If necessary to sand into the bare aluminum, the exposed metal should be primed with a aluminum etcher, to provide the best surface.Klean-Strip 1 gal. Phosphoric Prep and Etch-GKPA30220 - The Home DepotThe last couple of years, when I was still resealing roofs, I switched from the 4' to the 6" wide Eternabond Tape. It provides an extra inch of coverage, on each side of the seam.I never had a failure using either size tapes. One roll of tape was defective and would stick, while unrolling. The sticking caused the tape to stretch out of shape...what a mess..A few roofs had been previously coated with a reflective trailer roof coating. In this situation, total stripping, sanding and etching is required to provide a usable surface. If silicone was ever used on the roof, it may be next to impossible to get a useable surface. Silicone 'poisons' the surface, nothing will stick to it unless totally removed down to bare metal.The message is to clean, clean, clean.A simple roof seam project can be completed in 4-6 hours, depending on how long it takes to dry the roof, after scrubbing with soap and water.Larry
Re: Resealing roof Reply #33 – May 22, 2017, 12:09:00 pm Quote from: mcnugget - May 21, 2017, 12:09:43 amanyone have any input on priming or etching the top side of the eternabond tape when overlapping corners? i've heard some people suggest that these areas require the eternaprime, and others say that that stuff is relabeled brake cleaner.. not sure if it's even required... Does the top need to be etched or primed?anyone had overlaps come up? or done any special prep there?Sure there is some 'special' prep.The roof needs to be very clean and dry.Wipe the surface, where the tape will be placed, with lacquer thinner or acetone.The front corners, of the roof seams, can develop bubbles, in and under the sealant, than can hold water.On most rigs, I cut the sealant away from this area, usually exposing water, dirt and rust. An oscillating tool, with a sharp chisel blade, works great to remove old sealant.When the Eternabond tape overlaps itself, it can peel, after time. Using EternaPrime on the overlaps helps prevent the separation by provide a better connection. EternaPrime is combination of solvent and a light contact adhesive, used to enhance the Eternabond Tape's adhesive.Where a piece of Eternabond Tape will overlap another, clean the tape with lacquer thinner, let dry and then spray with EternaPrime, before applying the Eternabond Tape.To protect yourself during the cleaning, with solvents, and while spraying the EternaPrime, wear gloves and a good, organic filter mask.Amazon.com: 3M 07193 Dual Cartridge Respirator Assembly,Organic Vapor/P95,Lar...Larry As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Resealing roof Reply #34 – October 26, 2021, 10:50:06 am If no one has noted this....before putting eternabond around old fantastic fans etc.....just use lap sealant and wait till you replace the fan....it is alot of work to remove eternabond once its down.....how old are your fans, skylights etc.....good time to upgrage to Maxxfan with the nice covers....just saying.... 1 Likes
Re: Resealing roof Reply #35 – October 26, 2021, 12:10:37 pm I don’t bother taping the vents, instead either cleaning or removing the old sealant before applying fresh Dicor or 3M 5200 FC.Larry 3 Likes
Re: Resealing roof Reply #36 – October 26, 2021, 08:25:43 pm After reading every word of this topic, I (again) thank my lucky stars that I bought my LD early enough that I could take it to Larry Wade the Magnificent to reseal my roof in his driveway! That was of course before he retired from this knee-killing job. Thank you, thank you, Larry! Now I'm 75 and have bad knees myself, and just reading all this is making them hurt!Kristin 1 Likes