Sealing Maintenance

NRHSunnyside · Post by **NRHSunnyside** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:56 pm

I just bought a 2001 26RSB and the inspection noted that I should scrape down all of the seals and reseal. Has anyone done this? or hopefully had someone do it? I don't think I could take on this extensive a job.

bigdipper · Post by **bigdipper** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:19 pm

I did this job on a 2001 23RK and it was not different from working on home bathroom fixtures. Be careful on top. It took me awhile to get the knack of putting down a smooth caulk line, but maybe I am just not well coordinated.
Kim can advise you on brand/type of caulk. Probably the job needs to be done in a fairly warm environment.
Good luck,
Ralph

bcope01 · Post by **bcope01** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:25 pm

I have some iffy seams too that may be leaking, so I will be interested in any responses you get.

Bill

Dallas Baillio · Post by **Dallas Baillio** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:14 pm

You can take a reactionary approach. When you find a leak fix it. Don't look for possible leaks, only real leaks. Don't bother with resealing, it is too much work. Consider that 99 percent of the new sealant you put on will be in places that would not have leaked with the old sealant. Don't be anal retentive and worry about the 1 percent. Take Scarlet's reasoning and "worry about that tomorrow." I enjoy being the Devil's Advocate. Maybe it the latent Catholicism in me from years of Latin Mass as a kid and not knowing what in the heck was going on so I came to question all conventional wisdom.

NRHSunnyside · Post by **NRHSunnyside** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 10:05 am

I tend to want to follow the less intrusive approach and look for possible leaks and follow as necessary, but maybe that means I am just lazy. I am worried about scraping everything down and recaulking. as an amateur I could leave more problems than I had to begin with. Does Born Free itself do any repairs like this?? I would trust them more than a Camping world
I live near DFW incase someone knows of a really reliable RV guy
I am hoping I don't have pipe leaks after the last couple of days. Kept the heat on and grey and black with some RV antifreeze. Hopefully that will protect it from the cold.

Will do some research on Sam's response. Being new I don't even recognize what he is talking about. I thought we had fiberglass roofs, not rubber. Guess I have a lot to learn

mockturtle · Post by **mockturtle** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 10:12 am

Yes, we do have fiberglass roofs. Sam was just referring to a certain product.

Dude · Post by **Dude** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:14 am

I plan on resealing everything this summer. I know it is going to be a project but it needs to be done. The caulking is dried out and cracked in many places. I know with the popup's many people recaulked every 2-3 years. You will want to use a Silcone caulk since it remains flexible. Personally, I would look for a marine type of caulk.

I completly redid my popup roof 2 years ago. It took me 1 Saturday to pull the roof apart and sand/scrap everything down. I would put a coat of paint on it every other day after work during the week which took about 30 minutes and then the following Saturday I put it back together. Not counting the beer breaks it probably took me 8-10 hours.

To do the job right I am sure it would be best to remove every item in the roof and clean it up before putting new butyl tape down and caulk....but there are a few more items in the roof than my popup and it is a bit higher off the ground than the popup as well. I won't be able to work on it in my garage either. Should be fun

Question-----What is Kim's job at the factory? Every time I see a maintenance question come up someone always says call Kim. He sounds like a great guy if he takes time to answer peoples questions....but do people work on their own RV's without first consulting him? If he works at the factory I'd say it has been a good 15 years since he has seen a 1989 BF in the shop. My RV is 23 years old. I'd prefer to hear from real people who have real world experience with issues and how they solved them. I am not bringing my RV to IA or calling Kim every time I need a lightbulb replaced. That's why I joined the BF forum, to learn how other BF owners overcame issues.

bigdipper · Post by **bigdipper** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 2:55 pm

At the risk getting this thread off subject, I want to enthusiastically support the idea of contacting Kim for advice without regard to the year of manufacture. So far as I am concerned Kim is the heart and soul of Dodgen Industries. He is honest, knowledgeable, and dedicated to helping all Born Free owners without regard to warranty status or whether they purchased the coach from them.
Over 11 years and 2 units he has repeatedly been most helpful with a number of issues. eg "Can I mount the spare on overhead above pax?"
"Why is unit blowing ground fault circuits in the house?" "Why does circuit tester show open ground when inverter is on?" "Where am I most vulnerable to freeze damage?" "How can I get this part from a vendor who is long out of business?"
Having sinned here, let's please start another thread if necessary and leave this one to it's intended purpose of sealing.
Ralph

Dallas Baillio · Post by **Dallas Baillio** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:14 pm

I did not mean to imply that I ignore water leaks. I just wait until I have one and then I fix it. In Ohio last week while traveling I removed and replaced the caulk around the Fantastic Fan exterior cover. I could see water stains along the inside ceiling so I bought caulk and a scraper at Lowe's and made the repair in a Walmart parking lot.

Mike Astley · Post by **Mike Astley** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 8:50 am

[quote="Dude" You will want to use a Silcone caulk since it remains flexible.
[/quote]

There are a lot of contrary thoughts on using silicone on RVs. You should do a search on RVs and silicone and read up on the issue before going this route.

Dude · Post by **Dude** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:53 am

What would you recomend if you don't think Silicone is good for RV's? Why is it not good for RV's?

Acrylic or Latex caulk is the other type of caulk. It is water based. It does not last as long as silicone and does not stand up as well in the extreme heat or cold.

Dude · Post by **Dude** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:15 pm

^^^That was funny

^^^

NRHSunnyside · Post by **NRHSunnyside** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:55 pm

Thanks for all of the comments. I think I will check with Kim on whether the silicone identified in the manual is still the sealant of choice. It is 11 years old.

Sam. You seem knowledgeble and probably do a lot of your own work, but wondering if you could recommend any RV maintenance vendors in the DFW area. Don't see any that have been recommended in our area on the listings for repairs. If not, I guess Camping World in Denton will do.

Thanks to all who responded.

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:54 am

Use Dicor: http://www.dicor.com/ you can easily reseal in a couple of years but Silicone is VERY hard to remove once applied since nothing will stick to it and it has to be totally removed to re-apply any caulking.
Steve

bigdipper · Post by **bigdipper** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:53 pm

Just to comment on Camping World, I (others have also observed) feel that there is considerable variation between locations with reference to quality and competence of their service management and the mechanics. This is of no help in TX, but I have had good experiences with the one in Mesa, AZ and very ordinary experiences with the one west of Flagstaff (Belmont), AZ. Labor rates are generally lower than RV dealers charge.
Locally there are a couple of independent 1-2 man operations which are quite capable, honest, and reasonably priced. The local option may be worth a try if one could locate references.
Ralph