Fiberglass roof to side wall separation

[jhanan]

So 1st trip out this season and coming back from trip about 8 ft section of the fiberglass roof separated from the side wall. It came out from behind the metal drip rail starting about a foot down from the front door and going back to the awning. It looks like the caulking has failed - come loose. I was able to slip the edge of the roof back under the drip rail (it goes down about 3/4" under the drip rail). Looking at the other side, noticed the caulking on that side is failing too. So I need to re-seal both sides all they way down so my roof does not pull out and blow away. Has anyone else done this repair. What caulking type did u use. Can I use the roof sealer type - like the NuFlex 311? Is there another alternative available from home depot / Lowes? It seems a glue might be better than a caulk. Thankfully the roof did not separate up top - that would have been a disaster. It looks fully repairable. The thin fiberglass did not break.

[okrvrepair]

Sika flex available at Rv dealers everywhere. You have delamination. Its caused by water leaks.

[John Hilley]

Here is the sealant call out sheet for your motor home

2002 Itasca Horizon Sealant Callout Sheet

Service Tips Exterior Sealants

[Harry B]

Originally Posted by okrvrepair

You have delamination. Its caused by water leaks.

Neither of the above situations are correct.

It is caused by the lack of maintaining the roof to sidewall seal. There are weep holes on the the bottom of this rail where water drains out through, so you won't get water damage.

The caulking has to be checked and repaired annually as stated by Winnebago. Use the appropriate caulking as called for by Winnebago but what ever you do, DO NOT USE SILICONE.

A permanent solution is to apply Extenabond as stated in many posts here. I did this several years ago as I got tired of fighting the annual caulking job.

You're lucky that the roof did not tear, which is what happens a lot.

[okrvrepair]

Harry I agree that it is a lack of maintenance but the fact its letting go is delamination. This is a common issue. I agree silicone is not a valid solution. At this point with damage there an adhesive sealant will be very helpful. Fortunately Winnebago is an aluminum frame unit which will allow to use a longer screw when repaired to help plull in the trim tight as it was before. We see this on a regular basis. The sika flex is a very strong adhesive selant used by many manufacturing companies in the assembly of RVs.

[ghutch]

Eternabond is available in a 2" roll and in Black.( the color I prefer) I have not had a problem yet with separation, but I am wondering if the 2" wide strip would be sufficient to hold the seam? Thoughts?????

[fun 33V]

I used the 2" (White) on my Itasca 3 years ago it is holding up well still looks the same,went on easy just had to make sure everything was clean.

[jhanan]

Right now I need something external quick fix - I have leave in 1 day. I don't have time to remove the awning and the rails. So I think SILICONE must be the temp fix. The only way to use something like a 2 inch internal bond would be to remove the entire rail end to end. The glass is 3/4 inch under the rail. Other than this 8 ft section (ya - it did not tear) the rest is still stuck. I don't have time for that right now - I need a quick fix, and then can do a big fix later. On the awning side - the entire awning would also need to be removed 1st. Big job. Someone must have used a simpler temp fix. MANUS-BOND 75-AM INDUSTRIAL is what is called out. Looking at this online, it looks like a glue, not a silicon. Manus-Bond 75-AM Industrial Grade

Thanks, Jeff

[John Hilley]

Whatever you do, don't use silicon. If you do you will never get it fixed. Use a butyl based sealant.

They are recommending 2" Eternabond, not a 2" internal adhesive.

Nothing has to be removed. Just clean out as much of the old sealant as possible and then lay down a bead of sealant.

Here is a link to Eternabond

[Stan.Birch]

Originally Posted by jhanan

Right now I need something external quick fix - I have leave in 1 day. I don't have time to remove the awning and the rails. So I think SILICONE must be the temp fix.

Wow! You are headed in a really bad direction or what!!??

NEVER use silicon on an RV, because nothing sticks to silicone, not even silicone!!

While Sikaflex has been mentioned, my experience with it has been less than wonderful. ANY quality grade polyurethane sealant will do a fine job, i.e.:

Tremco 10.1-oz. White Vulkem 116 Polyurethane Sealant-7103009 at The Home Depot

Did my Winnie with polyurethane sealant way back in 2002, and except for a couple spots where I failed to appropriately clean the surface, it's still doing a great job 12 years later.

In addition to being a great sealant, polyurethane is also a great adhesive.

[ghutch]

I see on the Eternabond site, they have a "EternaCaulk". Wonder if this would be an alternative?

[jhanan]

Originally Posted by John Hilley

Whatever you do, don't use silicon. If you do you will never get it fixed. Use a butyl based sealant.

They are recommending 2" Eternabond, not a 2" internal adhesive.

Nothing has to be removed. Just clean out as much of the old sealant as possible and then lay down a bead of sealant.

Here is a link to Eternabond

No, 2" eternabond is not the solution here with a tape down sealant that you might use on the top side for seams or other. I'm not getting under the glass or sealing glass cracks or connections. This is the sealant connection in the outside gap (outside) between the metal drip bar and the glass roof. It looks to me that there are sections on the side of the roof where the glass either has come unsealed from under surface - or was never sealed there in the beginning. Has anyone been under the glass cover - it does not look from above that it is glued on fully - but only in strips and sections.

[jhanan]

Originally Posted by Stan.Birch

Wow!

While Sikaflex has been mentioned, my experience with it has been less than wonderful. ANY quality grade polyurethane sealant will do a fine job, i.e.:

Tremco 10.1-oz. White Vulkem 116 Polyurethane Sealant-7103009 at The Home Depot

Did my Winnie with polyurethane sealant way back in 2002, and except for a couple spots where I failed to appropriately clean the surface, it's still doing a great job 12 years later.

In addition to being a great sealant, polyurethane is also a great adhesive.

This looks like it will work and easy to get fast - I will get some now.

[jhanan]

Originally Posted by okrvrepair

Sika flex available at Rv dealers everywhere. You have delamination. Its caused by water leaks.

And it is in stock at home depot:

Sikaflex 10.1 fl. oz. White Construction Sealant-90618 at The Home Depot

Since Tremco is not in stock.

Another is also
Loctite PL S40 10 fl. oz. White Polyurethane Window, Door and Siding Sealant-1675293 at The Home Depot

Thanks, Jeff

[rlyons]

For this application you must use an adhesive sealant, not just a sealant. This is what holds the roof to the side wall. It has to hold up under temperature changes and the resulting expansion and contraction. If the product does not state that it is an adhesive sealant do not use it or you will find your roof on the ground next to the Interstate. Camping world sells the proper adhesive sealant. I sealed one side of mine two years ago and it still looks like new, unfortunately the previous owner had sealed it with silicone and it is a bear to remove and clean it properly.

[jhanan]

Originally Posted by okrvrepair

Harry I agree that it is a lack of maintenance but the fact its letting go is delamination. This is a common issue. I agree silicone is not a valid solution. At this point with damage there an adhesive sealant will be very helpful. Fortunately Winnebago is an aluminum frame unit which will allow to use a longer screw when repaired to help plull in the trim tight as it was before. We see this on a regular basis. The sika flex is a very strong adhesive selant used by many manufacturing companies in the assembly of RVs.

OKRV - how is the drip rail attached to the side - I see no screws or access to screws - is it fully glued on to the side fiberglass panels?

[jhanan]

Originally Posted by rlyons

For this application you must use an adhesive sealant, not just a sealant. This is what holds the roof to the side wall. It has to hold up under temperature changes and the resulting expansion and contraction. If the product does not state that it is an adhesive sealant do not use it or you will find your roof on the ground next to the Interstate. Camping world sells the proper adhesive sealant. I sealed one side of mine two years ago and it still looks like new, unfortunately the previous owner had sealed it with silicone and it is a bear to remove and clean it properly.

OK, based on that it looks like the ployseamseal is a better choice

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdf...fbb1ef7b94.pdf

Loctite Polyseamseal 10 fl. oz. White All Purpose Adhesive Caulk-1675282 at The Home Depot

[fla tom]

I ordered some from lictinstein (sp) it was polyurethane rain gutter adhesive sealant(Canadian manufacturer) our local ace hardware had similar product

[CaptBill]

This problem will only get worse, if you do not follow the advise of using a good quality elastomeric adhesive. Winnie specs out a product called Mannis Bond, and Lichtsinn Motors can ship to you, but I understand you need a good fix right now.

So first you must clean the entire sidewall roof seam, of existing sealant, and wipe clean with acetone or alcohol. Go to Lowes and buy some 3M 5200 sealant. It is a very strong adhesive, permanent and flexible, and UV resistant . It will do the job.

If you take shortcuts, you may very well lose the roof, while driving in a crosswind. Best of luck.

[ghutch]

Going beyond the sealing material, is it necessary to remove the original factory material (which looks perfectly good in my case) before applying the new adhesive sealer? If the factory's recommendation for annual maintenance mean that each year the old is removed and new applied??? That does not seem sensible or practical.