Questions About Repairing the Roof to Gutter - Pics Included

[Nomad Mike]

I anticipated doing this in the next few days and already have some crystal clear Pro Flex RV sealant. I had figured I needed to clean out the groove behind the gutter and then push in the sealant to the top.

After looking at it closer, I don't really see old sealant. I see crumbling paint where it meets the gutter. I can push it open in places and see below and don't sea any sealant. Maybe the sealant is deep into the space behind the gutter?

In the pictures with the knife, I am flexing the side fiberglass away from the gutter. This is all from the passenger side of the rig except that last picture show intact paint to the gutter on the driver side.

So do I razor blade this chipping paint and fill with sealant? I was really expecting a more straight forward cracked sealant removal and replacement.

I would Eternabond it, but the black or grey Eternabond will really stand out. But if that is the only sure fix, I will if I must.

[jerboy]

That looks about like mine did. I used a favorite calk called LEXEL. I am about to put 2" grey Eternabond on now. Will include pics when I complete.

[Nomad Mike]

Originally Posted by jerboy

That looks about like mine did. I used a favorite calk called LEXEL. I am about to put 2" grey Eternabond on now. Will include pics when I complete.

What color is your Adventurer? How did you clean it up?

[jerboy]

It is called SAGE Green but one of the three colors is close to the grey Eternabond. I scrapped the sealant and wiped with alcohol. That Lexel is the best sealant I have found. I used to install wood stoves in metal roofs and that stuff never let me down. Even used it in the rain and snow.

[Nomad Mike]

Originally Posted by jerboy

It is called SAGE Green but one of the three colors is close to the grey Eternabond. I scrapped the sealant and wiped with alcohol. That Lexel is the best sealant I have found. I used to install wood stoves in metal roofs and that stuff never let me down. Even used it in the rain and snow.

I would really appreciate some pictures, of before the repair too if you have them? Pictures of the sealing job before the Eternabond would also be helpful.

Thanks

[RLBCCB]

Originally Posted by Nomad Mike

I would Eternabond it, but the black or grey Eternabond will really stand out. But if that is the only sure fix, I will if I must.

Mine was done with a champagne colored Eternabond tape and matches pretty well (recall by Winnebago on the 2015). I would call Eternabond and see what other colors they make.


Sent from my iPhone6 using iRV2 mobile

[Nomad Mike]

Winnebago confirmed to me that the cracking I see is the paint applied after the sealant was put down.

Now I will have to decide if I should remove even the area with intact paint, just because I can't see it does not mean it has not gone bad. Particularly since it is 10 years old.

[530ktm]

Originally Posted by Nomad Mike

I anticipated doing this in the next few days and already have some crystal clear Pro Flex RV sealant. I had figured I needed to clean out the groove behind the gutter and then push in the sealant to the top.

After looking at it closer, I don't really see old sealant. I see crumbling paint where it meets the gutter. I can push it open in places and see below and don't sea any sealant. Maybe the sealant is deep into the space behind the gutter?

In the pictures with the knife, I am flexing the side fiberglass away from the gutter. This is all from the passenger side of the rig except that last picture show intact paint to the gutter on the driver side.

So do I razor blade this chipping paint and fill with sealant? I was really expecting a more straight forward cracked sealant removal and replacement.

I would Eternabond it, but the black or grey Eternabond will really stand out. But if that is the only sure fix, I will if I must.

Mine is doing this same exact thing and I was just wondering what type of sealant to use and fix this. I could take it back to the dealer for warranty work maybe but I would most likely do a better job if I knew what to use. It is not convenient either to drive all the way to the dealer and leave it there.

[Nomad Mike]

Originally Posted by 530ktm

Mine is doing this same exact thing and I was just wondering what type of sealant to use and fix this. I could take it back to the dealer for warranty work maybe but I would most likely do a better job if I knew what to use. It is not convenient either to drive all the way to the dealer and leave it there.

First go to Winnebago's website and look under brochures for your sealant callout document.

On mine, for full body paint it specifies 094401-04-000 which is Stone Mason Gutter & Siding Sealant made by Henry in Canada. If yours is full body paint and it lists this then you can find it from a couple Winnebago suppliers at around $21 a tube plus shipping.

I researched this and called Henry Corp. Many have said that Henry 212 is good for this or is the same as the Stone Mason, but according to the company this is not the same sealant. Looking at the MSDS for both, they do have the same chemicals, but in different percents. I also found they have Amorphous Silica as a few percent. Sounds like silicone to me, which I want to stay away from.

I decided on Geocel Pro Flex Crystal Clear RV Flexible Sealant as several on this site have used it for this purpose, it dries clear, stays flexible, resists UV , hot and cold temps, and body flex. It is not cheap at $14 or so a tube, but what I did not see in either Henry product was UV resistance which may not matter if you decide to use Eternabond afterwards.

Also, the rate of failure of the Henry product in this area, leads me far far way from it - regardless if WBGO continues to use it or not.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by Nomad Mike

First go to Winnebago's website and look under brochures for your sealant callout document.

On mine, for full body paint it specifies 094401-04-000 which is Stone Mason Gutter & Siding Sealant made by Henry in Canada. If yours is full body paint and it lists this then you can find it from a couple Winnebago suppliers at around $21 a tube plus shipping.

I researched this and called Henry Corp. Many have said that Henry 212 is good for this or is the same as the Stone Mason, but according to the company this is not the same sealant. Looking at the MSDS for both, they do have the same chemicals, but in different percents. I also found they have Amorphous Silica as a few percent. Sounds like silicone to me, which I want to stay away from.

I decided on Geocel Pro Flex Crystal Clear RV Flexible Sealant as several on this site have used it for this purpose, it dries clear, stays flexible, resists UV , hot and cold temps, and body flex. It is not cheap at $14 or so a tube, but what I did not see in either Henry product was UV resistance which may not matter if you decide to use Eternabond afterwards.

Also, the rate of failure of the Henry product in this area, leads me far far way from it - regardless if WBGO continues to use it or not.

Nomad,
Well, I don't know if you read my post on "Check those Roof Seams" but, apparently I goofed up in what I used as a re-sealant/glue. I too had some cracking of the original sealant/glue and, was in need of some immediate repair. So, long story short, I consulted a local Winnebago repair center and was informed that all they use was "100% Silicone". I was a bit skeptical of the answer but, I figured they know what they're talking about and who was I to dispute it???

So, off to the local Home Depot/Lowes for some 100% Silicone. As you can see in the pics, it was a mess and, I cleaned out all of the bad ju-ju. I wiped things down real good with alcohol and, then applied the Silicone. Well, based on the castration I received on here for using Silicone, I suppose I will purchase what ever is the correct stuff, the next time I need to dig into that roof seam area.

But, this is going to be a time experiment. I'm going to leave that repair job as is and, see just how long it lasts before it's "supposed to prematurely separate". Good luck on your repair/re-seal with what ever product you choose.
Scott


P.S. Since this coach is a full body painted coach and, is in prime looking condition, I won't even THINK about using eternabond tape. I think that would look seriously hoaky on a very nice looking coach. My roof hasn't even given a hint of separating. I just was keeping ahead of anything that would lead to further issues.

[Algonquin]

I hope you only received a "castigation" from this forum, not the other word you used. lol

[530ktm]

Originally Posted by Nomad Mike

First go to Winnebago's website and look under brochures for your sealant callout document.

On mine, for full body paint it specifies 094401-04-000 which is Stone Mason Gutter & Siding Sealant made by Henry in Canada. If yours is full body paint and it lists this then you can find it from a couple Winnebago suppliers at around $21 a tube plus shipping.

I researched this and called Henry Corp. Many have said that Henry 212 is good for this or is the same as the Stone Mason, but according to the company this is not the same sealant. Looking at the MSDS for both, they do have the same chemicals, but in different percents. I also found they have Amorphous Silica as a few percent. Sounds like silicone to me, which I want to stay away from.

I decided on Geocel Pro Flex Crystal Clear RV Flexible Sealant as several on this site have used it for this purpose, it dries clear, stays flexible, resists UV , hot and cold temps, and body flex. It is not cheap at $14 or so a tube, but what I did not see in either Henry product was UV resistance which may not matter if you decide to use Eternabond afterwards.

Also, the rate of failure of the Henry product in this area, leads me far far way from it - regardless if WBGO continues to use it or not.

The Geocel comes in colors but nothing but the clear is available here in Calif. which is not a big deal. I was looking closely at the sealing job the factory did and it appears to be extremely weak, like someone was in a hurry and put on a layer about 1/32 of an inch deep and then painted it. When you push the roof in there is a good sized gap that can be filled up with a sealant and if this was done correctly at the factory I most likely would not be typing this. I am going to order some of this Geocel and get to work.

[AFChap]

I have read about "the evils of silicone sealants many times on rv forums. I normally use only urethanebased sealants on my coach. But one rainy week in 2008 when we had a serious leak over the driver area due to the front cap corner pulling loose, all I had available was a tube of lack silicone. So in a lull in the rain, I cleaned out the gap and filled it with a LOT of black silicone. The black actually looked pretty good on my dark maroon paint. Six months later I had the Winnebago factory check it and they said 'its good for now". That was 7 years ago now, and the silicone is still flexible and looks pretty much as it did just after I put it on. If the urethane sealant on my roof seams lasted as well as the silicone has, I would be absolutely thrilled! I have to re-do the urethane stuff every year or two.

[Ray,IN]

That sealant joint was badly in need of replacement on our MH. I scraped everything off with a razor scraper, pushed in on the roof enough to run a thin screwdriver along the opening to remove remaining old sealant and dirt. Then I used Dicor lap sealant while pushing in on the roof again. The Dicor ran down into the opening until it was all gone, but when I released pressure on the roof some squished back out. That way I know everything was filled.
I was surprised at how little time it took to do both sides, 1 day. Now I have to clean and reseal that front cap to roof joint AFChap repaired, but can't use Dicor lap sealant, have to use Dicor non-sag sealant, then cover with Eternabond.

[Nomad Mike]

When repairing this, can a ladder be safely leaned against the A&E awning or must I do bent over the roof edge?

[Ray,IN]

I used an aluminum ladder with a rag taped around it, to do both sides of our MH. It will not damage anything if you don't scoot the ladder against the awning or paint.

[530ktm]

I used some Geocel on my roof and that stuff is nice to work with and is very thick and sticky, should do a good job I think. Talked to a guy at the RV place I bought it and he said a lot of people use this with great success.

[Nomad Mike]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

I used an aluminum ladder with a rag taped around it, to do both sides of our MH. It will not damage anything if you don't scoot the ladder against the awning or paint.

Thanks, I will give it a try. I have the foam tubes that surround pipes mounted to my ladder.

[Nomad Mike]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

I used an aluminum ladder with a rag taped around it, to do both sides of our MH. It will not damage anything if you don't scoot the ladder against the awning or paint.

Originally Posted by 530ktm

I used some Geocel on my roof and that stuff is nice to work with and is very thick and sticky, should do a good job I think. Talked to a guy at the RV place I bought it and he said a lot of people use this with great success.

Are you going to do your roof to gutter area?

[530ktm]

Originally Posted by Nomad Mike

Are you going to do your roof to gutter area?

Yes, I have done 2 sections so far where the original sealant was cracked and I could push the roof away from the metal gutter. I cut out what I could with a blade and scraped and cleaned with acetone then squeezed in the Geocel and it flowed right in. I then wiped away any excess and let it dry, it is nice and clear and looks great. It dries like rubber. It says this stuff can be painted also if you wanted to but I see no reason being up on the roof line.