Real life experiences with eternabond tape

[Orlando3]

I have a brand new fifth wheel that I want to protect as best I can. I want to use eternabond tape mostly along front cap seam and rear roof seam. Anyone have actual experience with using this? What I dont want is to put it and have water seep into it. I have read and seen the videos but wonder if anyone has used it and have years of testiment to if and how it worked for them. Reason I quess I am curious is that I used it on my TT ( no longer own it). After a rain, roof appeared dry, I saw water along the edges of tape. It did not look lifted or anything but I started worrying that water may have been trapped in there causing unseen damage. I guess my OCD got the better of me and I vowed not to use it again. Thoughts? Thanks

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[Tbos]

It looks like the top of my slide has tape on it. The other seems everywhere are all coated with dicor.


2016 Passport GT 2810BHS, 2014 Silverado 1500 LT in Deep Forest Green

[gearhead]

I have 4" x 50' roll of it sitting in my garage to use on those seams. A couple months ago I put a good bit of Dicor on the seams mostly to smooth out for the tape.
Thanks for reminding me, I need to do it.
I mostly wanted to do it to prevent the roof from lifting and peeling off going down the road.

[chuckster57]

If you use eternabond at the front/rear seams of the roof, it is "eternal" and any minor repair in that area becomes major. I would only use it as intended on the roof. It won't stop the membrane from lifting and peeling off on the highway if the original adhesive the factory used to install the roof fails ( the more common cause).

Since you need to seal the edges of the tape with Dicor, why not just inspect/service the factory seams on a regular basis and save the tape for an emergency repair.

[hankpage]

"Don't fix what ain't broke!"

I have used Eternabond tape to make repairs where a cover rubbed through the EPDM. It worked great and I carry a roll for emergency repairs. As Chuck mentioned, using on front and rear seams could create problems if future repairs are needed. Also, the tape will hide the actual seam from being inspected for rare cases of separation.

If it makes you feel more comfortable, clean the seams well and recoat with the self leveling sealant recommended for your roofing material and inspect regularly. That can be removed in the future if needed. JM2¢, Hank

[JRTJH]

I totally agree with Chuckster and Hankpage. Additionally, there is only one "Eternabond" tape. Lowe's, Home Depot and others carry a "roofing tape" that's similar, but is not "Eternabond". It's much cheaper, has a "chemical adhesive" that is embedded in a black layer. That tape, when applied to TPO or EPDM roofing used on RV's, will "melt into" the roofing membrane and can damage or weaken the actual membrane.

So, do yourself a favor and don't buy the "cheap stuff", it won't do you any favors on your RV.

[Orlando3]

Thanks, i was kinda feeling that covering it, although sounds good, prevents me from seeing whats happening. Thanks for opinions.

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