Roof leak and Eternabond tape

[dpankowski]

I think I have a leak on the roof seam on the nose cap of my Cougar 336BHS 5th wheel.

The carpet was wet in the master bedroom and under the bed storage from the nose cap to about 2-3 feet along the whole width of the bed. We just noticed this after we arrived on our first trip of the season. There had been a lot of snow that just melted a couple of days before our trip. I'm not sure why I didn't notice it while packing.

Has anyone else had this issue?

I haven't had a chance to get on the roof and inspect the seam because we had several days of high winds when we got home.
I watched a youtube video where they repair using eternabond tape.

Is this a good product to use? I bought a 2" and a 4" x 50' rolls and primer, I figured it'd be handy to have around.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[peanut]

Eternabond, IMO, is the best way to seal any roof connection/penetration. I wish I had known about it before I owned my current TT for 4 years. Would have used in much sooner.

I will hopefully be upgrading sometime in the next six months and Eternabonding the entire roof of the new RV will be one of the very first things I do. I wish they did it at the factory - - or at least offered it as an option.

I'll let others, more knowledgeable, address your particular issue and only say that I would try to keep any connections protected somehow and make sure everything is dried out very well before resealing - with tape or caulk or any combination of both.

[ChuckS]

Personally I would not use Eternabond tape to seal the Nose cap to TPO membrane joint..

Why? There is a metal trim strip held down with screws and if you ever need to remove that strip and have installed Eternabond tape over the cap and strip and onto the TPO you will most likely damage the TPO..

For me.. the proper repair method will always be to remove any loose existing sealant, inspect the metal trim strips screws for tightness and no evidence of backing out followed by a liberal application of Alpha non sag sealant across the entire strip if needed.. Or simply touch up the areas that are suspect..

Where the TPO wraps over at the front cap edge I use NON SAG sealant in these areas..

Eternabond tape is great stuff and I do use this on the outer four edges of the slide outs to recover the existing OEM tape when screws back out along this area... and they will

Your best bet.. IMO is get up on that roof at least four times a year, get down on your knees so you can actually see what your looking at and inspect, clean and reseal as needed..

I also ALWAYS do this just prior to the winter months here in Idaho when my RV is idle from late Oct till May

[bobbecky]

This seam at the roof is one of those places you should be inspecting at least a couple times a year and should be touching up the caulking with the self leveling caulk such as Dicor. It will look a lot better than laying tape over a joint that doesn't have it now.

[flybouy]

Using eternabond on roof joints is like welding the lugnuts to the studs. Yes, you'll never have to torque them again but ......

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by peanut

Eternabond, IMO, is the best way to seal any roof connection/penetration. I wish I had known about it before I owned my current TT for 4 years. Would have used in much sooner.

I will hopefully be upgrading sometime in the next six months and Eternabonding the entire roof of the new RV will be one of the very first things I do. I wish they did it at the factory - - or at least offered it as an option.

I'll let others, more knowledgeable, address your particular issue and only say that I would try to keep any connections protected somehow and make sure everything is dried out very well before resealing - with tape or caulk or any combination of both.

If you eternabond all the seams, when you need to do any minor repairs or say tighten a screw on the transition strip, you have to remove the tape or put more on top of it. So much easier to just remove the cracked Dicor, fix the issue and apply new Dicor.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Using eternabond on roof joints is like welding the lugnuts to the studs. Yes, you'll never have to torque them again but ......

^^^ THIS !!!!!


Eternabond is exactly that: ETERNAL the example above is a tad over the top, but an excellent illustration of why you DON'T (DO NOT) use something "permanent" in a location where you're going to need to perform future maintenance/repairs.... Sort of like painting the floor, then covering it with 4" of concrete so the paint won't get scratched.....

[chuckster57]

Forest River uses eternabond tape at the factory, but if you want to remove a vent to install a powered vent you have to cut the tape, and hope you knife doesn’t slip. Get a crack in the outer skylight and quests what…yup, your cutting tape and spending lots of time peeling it off the flange of the light to remove the screws.

I can see using it for a REPAIR ( tear from tree branch for example) but not for normal maintance.

[peanut]

All of the hysteria - - cutting the tape to get it off - it's like welding - - is baloney. Get real. Be serious.

I replaced a plumbing vent JUST YESTERDAY because of UV damage (after ten years). I would have replaced just the cap, which was disintegrating, but could not find one that would fit. Total job took less than one hour.

1. use heat gun to soften tape and remove. yeah, it's a bit messy and leaves residue.
2. use heat gun and a plastic scrapper to remove as much remaining residue as possible. this step is not really necessary if you plan to reapply tape but I like to do it.
3. clean well with acetone.
4. install new vent (I painted it with several coats of UV paint first - hope it helps)
5. re-tape
6. job done

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by peanut

All of the hysteria - - cutting the tape to get it off - it's like welding - - is baloney. Get real. Be serious.

I replaced a plumbing vent JUST YESTERDAY because of UV damage (after ten years). I would have replaced just the cap, which was disintegrating, but could not find one that would fit. Total job took less than one hour.

1. use heat gun to soften tape and remove. yeah, it's a bit messy and leaves residue.
2. use heat gun and a plastic scrapper to remove as much remaining residue as possible. this step is not really necessary if you plan to reapply tape but I like to do it.
3. clean well with acetone.
4. install new vent (I painted it with several coats of UV paint first - hope it helps)
5. re-tape
6. job done

To each his own... I know what works and what doesn't...

This statement is directly from Alpha Systems - the makers of my TPO membrane on my 2014 Alpine. I tend to listen to what the folks say about their product care...

Do not use acetone, or any other products containing petroleum distillates, on the Alpha Systems roof membrane. Use of these products will damage the membrane.

[dpankowski]

Thanks for all the input. Interesting debate. I'll get up on there tomorrow and see if can spot the problem, I don't know where else that much water would come from. The one time I didn't inspect the roof before winter and this happens. I've owned different trailers for 20 years and never had a leak before.

[sourdough]

I'm with the others - don't use the Eternabond for that type repair. It's not really meant to use over areas you need to access for maintenance like that transition strip. And, Eternabond or not, those screws will work their way out and with the Eternabond there you just won't see/feel them AND it will be much more difficult to try to fix vs just scraping the dicor off and then reapplying.

[peanut]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

To each his own... I know what works and what doesn't...


This statement is directly from Alpha Systems - the makers of my TPO membrane on my 2014 Alpine. I tend to listen to what the folks say about their product care...

Do not use acetone, or any other products containing petroleum distillates, on the Alpha Systems roof membrane. Use of these products will damage the membrane.

Okay, okay.I listed the steps I took. For step #3 I should have said something like:
"clean well with acetone or whatever cleaner is appropriate for your roof"

Mea culpa. I also "know what works and what doesn't" - - for me. Eternabond is and has been used by thousands and thousand of RV owners with NO ill effects. Check other RV forums. But I suppose what you do on your rig is what everyone should do with their rig.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by peanut

Okay, okay.I listed the steps I took. For step #3 I should have said something like:
"clean well with acetone or whatever cleaner is appropriate for your roof"

Mea culpa. I also "know what works and what doesn't" - - for me. Eternabond is and has been used by thousands and thousand of RV owners with NO ill effects. Check other RV forums. But I suppose what you do on your rig is what everyone should do with their rig.

Chuck is a professional RV Tech and I am pretty sure he has done roof repairs on more RVs than I have but you do what you wish as it is your RV. If it is on the internet, it must be true... the short video below proves it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DZbSlkFoSU

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by peanut

Okay, okay.I listed the steps I took. For step #3 I should have said something like:
"clean well with acetone or whatever cleaner is appropriate for your roof"

Mea culpa. I also "know what works and what doesn't" - - for me. Eternabond is and has been used by thousands and thousand of RV owners with NO ill effects. Check other RV forums. But I suppose what you do on your rig is what everyone should do with their rig.

I've read with your couple of post that that's what you're saying "do as I do or it's wrong".
You're also arguing with a couple of experienced, IIRC still employed, rv techs (BTW I'm not one of them) that have had to deal with rvs that folks have covered everything with Eternabond.
There's also 1000s upon 1000s of rvers that use big box store tubes silicone around every conceivable joint, window & door, which BTW is the WRONG product to use on those applications as well. So not necessarily a good argument!

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by peanut

Okay, okay.I listed the steps I took. For step #3 I should have said something like:
"clean well with acetone or whatever cleaner is appropriate for your roof"

Mea culpa. I also "know what works and what doesn't" - - for me. Eternabond is and has been used by thousands and thousand of RV owners with NO ill effects. Check other RV forums. But I suppose what you do on your rig is what everyone should do with their rig.

Oh yeah, acetone is a very nasty chemical; perhaps use a respirator and gloves or try naptha which works better.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

I've read with your couple of post that that's what you're saying "do as I do or it's wrong".
You're also arguing with a couple of experienced, IIRC still employed, rv techs (BTW I'm not one of them) that have had to deal with rvs that folks have covered everything with Eternabond.
There's also 1000s upon 1000s of rvers that use big box store tubes silicone around every conceivable joint, window & door, which BTW is the WRONG product to use on those applications as well. So not necessarily a good argument!

Aw shucks... I thought you were going to point the peanut fella to FLEX SEAL! That is what all the experienced internet do-it-yourself folks use!

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Aw shucks... I thought you were going to point the peanut fella to FLEX SEAL! That is what all the experienced internet do-it-yourself folks use!

No, no, no George. That stuff is for making boats out of screen doors!

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by peanut

All of the hysteria - - cutting the tape to get it off - it's like welding - - is baloney. Get real. Be serious.

I replaced a plumbing vent JUST YESTERDAY because of UV damage (after ten years). I would have replaced just the cap, which was disintegrating, but could not find one that would fit. Total job took less than one hour.

1. use heat gun to soften tape and remove. yeah, it's a bit messy and leaves residue.
2. use heat gun and a plastic scrapper to remove as much remaining residue as possible. this step is not really necessary if you plan to reapply tape but I like to do it.
3. clean well with acetone.
4. install new vent (I painted it with several coats of UV paint first - hope it helps)
5. re-tape
6. job done

Originally Posted by ChuckS

To each his own... I know what works and what doesn't...

This statement is directly from Alpha Systems - the makers of my TPO membrane on my 2014 Alpine. I tend to listen to what the folks say about their product care...

Do not use acetone, or any other products containing petroleum distillates, on the Alpha Systems roof membrane. Use of these products will damage the membrane.

Chuck, agree 100%! I agree Eternabond tape has it's place, but in my opinion it isn't sealing a new roofing device. Self-leveling calk will make a much better seal and will look better than a bunch of tape.
I would like to know how to get a clean seal with tape around a round object?

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by rhagfo

Chuck, agree 100%! I agree Eternabond tape has it's place, but in my opinion it isn't sealing a new roofing device. Self-leveling calk will make a much better seal and will look better than a bunch of tape.
I would like to know how to get a clean seal with tape around a round object?

Since most normal human beings can't really see an RV roof from the ground, the tape or Dicor gloppy aesthetics aren't the issue.