Re-seal roof on 2006 Zeppelin II?

[philhyde]

Hi all,

As was noted in my intro thread, I am purchasing a 2006 Zeppelin II from a private seller. Based on my questioning, I don't believe the roof has been re-sealed. It hasn't been "out" since March and has sat in the long, brutally hot TX summer (under cover).

I am planning to take the RV up to the Northern US in a month, and would like to not "take any chances" with having roof issues.

Is the sealing something I can do myself, or should I leave it to a professional?

Thanks!
Phil

[Festus2]

By "resealing" if you are talking about "recaulking", then that is something you can do yourself. If it is an EPDM rubber roof, you should give it a thorough cleaning beforehand, inspect all of the vents, and everything else that "comes out of the roof" for cracks, etc., clean or remove the exisiting caulking and apply a self-levelling, EPDM compatible sealant. Note that removing existing caulking is a time-consuming process and I wouldn't do it unless the present roof caulking is in really bad shape. (Window caulking is another matter). The self-levelling sealant will work well if applied over the existing sealant. Many members use products by Dicor. Do not use any products on your rubber roof that contain petroleum distillates!
After it is cleaned and recaulked you may, as an extra precaution, apply some UV protectorant such as Aerospace 303 --- it is compatible with EPDM.

[philhyde]

Thanks for the feedback. It is a rubber roof. Thankfully the previous owner has always bought and used the special rubber roof cleaner.

[philhyde]

Unfortunately, more close inspection revealed some soft spots. So we're having the roof completely re-done.

[bgilly]

In my expereince with our former Zepp. the roof material is great, the transitions are terrible. Its like Keystone used left over trim pieces to transition from the rubber to the front cap, and rear wall. Then they puttied it with sealant. After some exposure to the heat the sealant begins thining out exposing screws or crevices. My lesson is if there is a crevice, seal it. I often was sealing my transitions. Don't use silicone but rather an approved rubber roof sealant and check it every six months.

Also check caulk points such as clearance lights and kitchen hood vent and other surface mounted fixtures. Rain water does get in those screws. For example, back out the screws that secure the kitchen hood vent. If the screws look good, the are staying dry and just re-insert them with a dab of caulk but if they are rusty, weather is getting in. I changed about 20 or so screws that were rusting. Keystone uses a small amout of caulk tape on the back of trim and them runs a bead of clear silicone around the outter perimeter of the trim. If the caulk tape doesn't seal around the trim screw hole, rain gets in but you never know that it is happening.

Hope this helps!

Bobby

[philhyde]

Hi Bobby, thanks for the note. Unfortunately it looks like the previous owner never maintained the roof. That's about to change, but at my expense.

[bgilly]

Well, at least you know what you have now, no hidden surprises once it is re-skinned. You can get a better job than the Keystone work I bet!