crack in skylight above shower

[dwayne564]

Hello,

Had a Hail storm come through our area last year, replaced skylights, but after a trip found I had a straight line crack in my bubble clear 3 by 2 feet skylight above the bathroom,
Used some duct tape to last through winter, any suggestions on rather replacing the skylight, ( which is riveted down) with any type of crack sealer,
Looked at several, but showed flammable, was worried about heat in the summertime.

[sourdough]

If all you wanted to do is repair it I would think a some epoxy would do it and you shouldn't have any worries about summer heat. On the other hand, there's not a lot to drilling out a rivet and popping new ones in.

[therink]

Definately should replace it versus repairing. If you are a doityourselfer, then I would look here at one of these: http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/hardware/skylights.htm

You should find one there. They have good pricing and fast delivery. Amazon may be another choice. Don't forget to get a tube oof Dicor self leveling caulk and plenty of YouTube videos to show you how. Fairly easy for me.

[hankpage]

dwayne564, I think if you take another look, you will find that the outside dome of the skylight is screwed into the plywood roof decking and sealed over with self leveling sealant. If you plan on repairing the dome you will have to stop-drill the crack first but like therink said you will be much better off replacing the entire skylight. It will come in two pieces .. inner dome and trim and outer dome.
Good luck and let us know the outcome, Hank

[GaryWT]

I say replacing is you best bet.

[JRTJH]

There is a world of information on how to replace an RV skylight on the internet. Here are a couple of You Tube videos as well as a written description (for those who would rather read about it)..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYXFwCOT0Iw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDiXiwGutXM

http://www.ehow.com/how_7674366_replace-rv-skylight.html

If it were mine, I wouldn't even consider trying to patch a crack in the plastic. Those types of repairs usually hold "well", well until the first time you need it to hold, then they start leaking and you're in worse shape than you were to start.

I've never seen any RV skylight that is attached with rivets, even on Airstreams, they are screwed in place (although the entire rest of the structure is riveted). I think it has something to do with the amount of pressure pop rivets put on the plastic when they are installed. That pressure causes the plastic to crack when it gets cold and things contract. Anyway, every one that I've seen (years ago) was held in place with 1/4" hex screws and all the ones I've seen (currently) are held in place with #2 Roberts square drive screws.

Look at the videos and/or read the instructions. I think you'll find that it's just as easy to replace it as it is to try to repair it.

Good Luck

[chuckster57]

Having replaced a few of these things, I can verify the outer dome is screwed into the roof. Only caution I would add is be careful removing the old Dicor so you don't tear the roof membrane and make a relatively easy job a major repair.

[Dave W]

I purchased a Lexan outer cover from these folks (http://www.eztopsworldwide.com/rvskylights.htm) for our last 5er. Great quality and reasonable shipping/delivery. Ours had leaked some (tree branch hit) so I pulled the inner one down as well to do a thorough dry out over the 2 week delivery cycle. I also built a nice red oak frame to surround that inner one as well and that matched the trailers interior.

Dave W