ProFlex or Dicor

[kfxgreenie]

On the seam at the edge of the roof which sealant should be used. It appears the factory used some silicon that was lifting at the edge that contacted the EPDM. I used my thumb and scraped it down to where it appears the sealant is in good shape, but prefer to throw a bead over it for safety.

One other area of concern for me. On all three of the slide roofs, at all the outer edges all the screws are starting to come up though what looks like the factory's cheap eternabond type tape. Would you just drop a dab of dicor on each head or put a strip of eternabond over the entire row of screws?

The screws in question are protruding out of the dirty part of the slide picture.

[sourdough]

I've recently had what appear to be roof screws pushing up on the edges of my roof, not in the area you have. I cut 4x4 sections of Eternabond tape and centered them over the areas that were pushed up. Further action may be required but I don't think so. I also had the silicone issues you mention. I used alcohol (70%?) with a rag and rubbed them down. Worked well. Mine was still in excellent shape once rubbed down. They looked like the edges were just fly away but the actual seal was good. I'm not sure that Dicor is going to stick to silicone if left in place, and as we know, silicone removal is a real pain.

[chuckster57]

The edge of the roof here it meets the screw strip can be sealed with non leveling Dicor.
Sourdough: if you read the eternabond directions, I believe it says to seal the edges with Dicor.

[JRTJH]

This is an opinion, so it's not based on any "specific technical guidance" from DICOR or ProFlex.....

Silicone is a PITA to work with and even more of a PITA to try to remove. I'd suggest never using it on an RV....

That said, if it's already there, you don't have much choice..... So, if it is silicone, about the best you can do is to clean it well, then apply either ProFlex "non-sag" or DICOR "non-leveling" sealant over it. Span the silicone completely, so the new sealant covers it from one edge of the roof membrane to the other. That way, you're dealing with a "known good bond on both sides of the silicone, so whether the new sealant bonds with silicone or not, there's a watertight seam on all sides of the silicone. Cover the silicone completely with new sealant, don't try to "bead the edges of the silicone" as that won't work.....

There has been some discussion on whether to use ProFlex on TPO and DICOR on EPDM roofing. According to DICOR, either is acceptable and both will give good results if applied per instructions.

Whatever you do, from the picture you posted, you're going to have to leave your slide out (at least partially) for several days before any sealant will cure properly and not adhere to the slide seals through the winter storage.

You may find that at this time of the year, if you're going to be putting your trailer in storage for an extended time, it may be better to cover the slide with a blue tarp or some other type of weatherproofing so it won't leak and then, next spring when the climate is better for curing sealant, do the repair at that time.

Whatever you do, protect your rubber slide seals from uncured sealant on the slide roof or you'll be replacing slide seals the first time you extend the slide and the seals are glued to the slide !!!!!

[sourdough]

The edge of the roof here it meets the screw strip can be sealed with non leveling Dicor.
Sourdough: if you read the eternabond directions, I believe it says to seal the edges with Dicor.


Thanks Chuckster. I received the Eternabond from Amazon and it had a little red and white label on the front. I did not see any instructions but I could have missed them (they may have been so tiny my quadfocals couldn't focus):). Putting the Dicor on the edges makes sense because even when I rolled the Eternabond down there were tiny lips where the material was pushed down. Mine was placed on areas in the middle of nowhere so to speak on the roof but when I return I will cover the edges with Dicor. Once again, thanks.

[zuley]

One thing I have been wanting to adress or question and this may be as good of a time as ever. Hoping Chuckster can chime in and answer. Had a small leak in our 23RB over the left front closet this past summer during a heavy down pour. Went to our local RV store and asked for a tube of Dicor. They asked what type of roof I had and what year. Told them 2013 rubber roof. Apparently, per this dealer, there was two different rubber roofs used and somewhere around 2013 they switched. Dicor works on the later roofs but will cause harm to the earlier roofs. This was news to me. They showed me two material samples and had me identify the material mine was made from. Walked out of the store with a product other than Dicor. Don't recall the name. Found a hair line crack which I resealed using the product supplied. End of leak.
So, what's the story here? I was not aware that there was anything to use other than Dicor.

[chuckster57]

Hope this helps:
https://dicorproducts.com/video-library/#close

http://www.alphasystemsinc.com/productcare

[Gegrad]

My premier has the Alpha TPO roof on it, so I bought a tube of the Alpha Systems sealant for sealing my seams from Amazon. It has worked pretty well so far and I haven't had any leaks after conducting routine inspections and sealing some places where the original sealant had developed the usual small cracks. I also have 3/4 tube of Dicor left I had used on my old Passport. The directions on the Dicor specifically say "For use on EPDM and some TPO roofs. I didn't want to take the chance that my TPO would be the one the Dicor wouldn't hold to, so I bought the Alpha systems sealant. $10 to make sure I had the absolute correct stuff was a no brainer.

[kfxgreenie]

Thanks Fella's. Dicor non-self leveling will be placed between the metal screw down strip and the EPDM covering all the old "silicon type substance" on the roof edge. I will slide a slide enough to get a picture of some of the screws that are protruding so there is a better Idea of the problem. Thankfully while not camping the RV sits inside a shed. I keep the shed at 42*, but plan to take it to 65-70* for a few days when I have all the supplies to seal areas of concern. I have the time now and the old girl is 5 years old now, so going over everything with a fine tooth comb while waxing and doing maintenance will keep some of the cabin fever away.

[TyeeMan]

Dumb question here - If screws are coming up under the rubber roof posing a potential leak problem, is it a bad idea to cut a tiny slit just big enough for a nut driver or screw driver bit and drive the screw back to where it came from? Then seal the slit with Dicor or Eternabond or combination of both.
I mean, if the screw totally comes out you'll probably have a leak anyway, , but that also means that something is starting to come apart right?

I have a couple screws like this on our current TT, not a Keystone. Soon to be Premier owners though. :)

[chuckster57]

As long as the roof membrane is intact, I would just document (photograph) and watch/inspect. If your past factory warranty for trailer (not membrane) then you could, but I don’t like to introduce any potential problems.

[TyeeMan]

Makes perfect sense to me.

[kfxgreenie]

Thankfully none of the screws are loose, just the heads protruding through the thin membrane tape they put over them. I think it's from rubbing on the slide seal going down the road.

[Alpine]

Thankfully none of the screws are loose, just the heads protruding through the thin membrane tape they put over them. I think it's from rubbing on the slide seal going down the road.

Exactly the same thing on my 12' slide. I ran a complete strip on eternabond one end to the other. After a year of traveling the screw heads are NOT visible.

[kfxgreenie]

Here are some pictures that actually show the heads starting to come through. A 50' roll of eternabond should lay a 4" strip on the outside edge of all the slides.

[chuckster57]

Those screws are on the roof of the slide, right? If so it’s not the rubbing as you drive, but rather when you extend, retract the slide. Seen it on brand new units. Eternabond would be an acceptable repair in my eyes.

[kfxgreenie]

Yup, roof of the slide, outside edge towards the trim. Looks to me like they screw "flat stock" down on the edge of the slide to secure the roof membrane, and then cover it with some thin tape?

[kfxgreenie]

Well after a lot of time I hope I have made satisfactory repairs. First all the silicone type caulk was removed from the roof trim edge and scrubbed really well with denatured alcohol. The roof slide edge tape was cleaned with eternaclean, and then new tape was installed down all three slides. Then dicor was added to the edge of the tape and non sag was ran down the edge trim. Also touched up any questionable spots on the roof. While at it I scraped the dried out butyl tape around the windows and added a bead of 3m marine caulk around them for precaution. Also touched up any spots on any of the vertical surface caulking with the 3M caulk. I also replaced 2 broken t door holders, and the rear blinker/brake/plate light that I broke while buffing the 5er with meguiars RV wax. Finally I replaced the hood vent flapper that had been missing for 2 years and no longer have rags stuffed up there. That about sums it up. Hopefully ready to roll trouble free next year.

[chuckster57]

Well it all looks real good to me! lets see how it does next year.

[Alpine]

Excellent workmanship! Nice clean lines!

[KSH]

Time for the hose test?

Sent from my SM-J727T using Tapatalk

[kfxgreenie]

Thanks fella's. It's not quite as good in person as pictures, but did turn out OK. Could do the hose test, but that would have to wait till spring, the old girl is nice an cozy where she is. There was no leaks that I was aware of, but rather potential concerns that I tried to prevent, time will tell.