Sealing the roof

[Mr Greg]

I am wondering how important it really is to have the roof sealed ever year.
I have a 2003 Suncuriser and have not done any roof sealing yet and have had no leaks.
The dealer is telling me it will cost around $500 and that I should do it every year. Is this sound correct ?

[Mr Greg]

I am wondering how important it really is to have the roof sealed ever year.
I have a 2003 Suncuriser and have not done any roof sealing yet and have had no leaks.
The dealer is telling me it will cost around $500 and that I should do it every year. Is this sound correct ?

[smlranger]

Strongly suggest that you save yourself time, worry and money and use 2" wide Eternabond tape to seal the roof seams. Once you've done it, you can forget it.

Several of us on this forum have done this. If you do a search, you will find helpful suggestions and photos of the finished job.

[rebelsbeach]

Mr Greg,
WELCOME to the forum!!

You'll find lots of good people here and hopefully you'll not only find some answers to your questions,but you might be able to provide some answers yourself.
We're anxious to hear more about your rig and your travels!!

HERE is the eternabond forum smlranger is speaking of....There's even a link to some rv rain gutters as well.

[AFChap]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">wondering how important it really is to have the roof sealed ever year </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

My answer would be, "I am wondering how important it is to you to have your roof warranty remain in effect?" By not inspecting and repairing the sealant, you risk at the least leaks, and at the worst loosing the entire roof in high winds sometime in the future.

Actually you don't have to have the roof sealed every year, just have the roof sealant checked and repaired/replaced as needed.

We have had our roof sealant checked repaired 5 times in the 2 1/2 years we have owned the coach. I normally add it on when we have the coach in for something else once or twice a year. Inspection alone was quoted as $32.50 plus cost for sealant if needed. Our costs have been $0 under warranty (2 mo after purchase, and yes, some selant repair was done; $56; $70; $88; and when I pay out tomorrow I expect it to be apx $250 as they totally removed and replaced all sealant on both caps and both sides of the roof.

If you have never had yours done, I would not be surprised with $250-$300. Labor at my dealer is $120 per hour. I do think an up-front estimate of $500 is a bit excessive, particularly if they have not physically inspected it. But if he knows it has never been done, he is likely figuring on total removal and replacement.

[Tom N]

Feb. 15th I had my shower skylight resealed. Hadn't noticed any leaking but last month we had 7" of rain here in FL in one 24hr period. Noticed leak then.

1 hour labor $85
4 tubes self leveling silicone caulk (@ $11.99 a tube) $47.96

total bill at Suncoast RV, Ocala ,FL $142.27

[AFChap]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">do think an up-front estimate of $500 is a bit excessive </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well, maybe I was wrong about that $500 estimate!! When I bailed my coach out of the service dept today the cost for removing & replacing all cap and roof sealant was $521.xx. $480 of that was labor charge at $120 per hour. But you can see from my earlier message, that our normal cost has been much less. Total removal and replacement should not be required all that often.

[NeilV]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by AFChap:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">do think an up-front estimate of $500 is a bit excessive </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well, maybe I was wrong about that $500 estimate!! When I bailed my coach out of the service dept today the cost for removing & replacing all cap and roof sealant was $521.xx. $480 of that was labor charge at $120 per hour. But you can see from my earlier message, that our normal cost has been much less. Total removal and replacement should not be required all that often. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Labor adds up quick doesn't it? Time sounds about right. I just did mine myself and from inspection to cleanout to applying the new sealant it took me 6 hours. Before I started the inspection everything looked great, afterwards I learned that looks can be deceiving. Nothing was damaged just the caulk was not as well adheared as it looked from the ground which was only revealed by doing the touch test.

While sealing the roof I also took the time to check and reseal the upper windsheild. Had one drip on the dash after that foot of rain we got here in Florida and it was not the roof seals but the windsheild gasket.

I guess I saved myself close to $1000 by doing it myself.

I picked up a roll of eternabond at CampingWorld last night to put a secondary seal on things and make the job last.

Then it will be Poly-Glow time. Gotta make her shine!

Regards,

Neil

[rebelsbeach]

Whatever happened to Florida?