Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Fleet | Keystone RV Models > Lite Weight Trailers
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 10-11-2021, 05:37 AM   #21
turbojimmy
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Roxbury
Posts: 81
Nice work! Unfortunately after looking at your pictures I'm 100% sure I have this issue on my '15. The "sun damage" that the previous owner alleged must be the particle board swelling. I don't really have any internal damage (yet). I should have gone with my gut and sealed it when I first got it back in July. But instead I just monitored it during and after every downpour and there was no evidence of a leak on the interior.

But...we went on our first trip this past weekend. It was raining on the ride home. When I stripped the bed down one of the pillows was soaked. It's coming out that seam where you also have damage. Neither the mattress nor the wood where the water was pooling shows any sort of staining or damage, so it must be a relatively new leak.

For now I'm going to put some Dicor on it and hope for the best.
__________________
2015 Bullet Ultra Lite 220RBI
2005 GMC Sierra Crew Cab 1500 Z71
turbojimmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2021, 07:42 AM   #22
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,601
Great looking job! Looks like a lot of work but that finished product sure makes you feel good.
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
sourdough is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2021, 08:47 AM   #23
turbojimmy
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Roxbury
Posts: 81
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkossor View Post
Here are a few more photos of the restoration. Good exercise and satisfying work seeing it all come back together with many new upgrades. I decided to install water/moisture sensors on the left and right side walls as well as the TPO roof pocket to alert me of any new water intrusion BEFORE it gets so severe the walls begin to rot and show signs water damage.
What did you use on the seams? Lap sealant or EPDM coating (or neither)?

Also, did the factory use butyl tape along the seams and roof protrusions? I have it everywhere. Seems primitive (like maybe the previous owner did it).
__________________
2015 Bullet Ultra Lite 220RBI
2005 GMC Sierra Crew Cab 1500 Z71
turbojimmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2021, 04:32 AM   #24
turbojimmy
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Roxbury
Posts: 81
I took a closer look at mine. I kind of buy the "sun damage" alleged by the original owner. It's warped but hollow underneath (like not swollen wood). But the seal had failed as a result of this warpage. Even though the original owner said he never touched the roof, someone had put butyl tape around ever seam and protrusion on the roof. It is impossible to get off of the TPO roof without stretching and stressing the material. I didn't want to use mineral-based cleaners for fear of damaging the TPO. But, I was able to clean the cap side of the seam with acetone since it doesn't hurt it. That gave me enough room to put a line of 4" Eternabond over top of the original seal and also cover the butyl completely on the TPO side of the seam. I rolled it with a rolling pin and sealed the ends with Dicor lap sealant.

We had another deluge yesterday and there's no sign of the leak anymore. Hopefully this repair will hold up. While very impressive, I do not want to go through what the OP did with his.

I guess the lesson is to check that seam at least annually as it will fail eventually. I sealed my old rig with Eternabond and Dicor at the beginning of every season. I guess this one will be no different.
__________________
2015 Bullet Ultra Lite 220RBI
2005 GMC Sierra Crew Cab 1500 Z71
turbojimmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2021, 07:32 AM   #25
Ken / Claudia
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Fruitland
Posts: 3,357
Really we all should be looking/inspecting the roof every year or more. Plan on cleaning it good first and have a tube of dicor to repair cracks in older dicor.
__________________
2013 24RKSWE (27ft TT) Cougar 1/2 ton series SOLD 10-2021
2013 Ford F350 4x4 CC 6.7 engine, 8 ft bed, 3.55 rear end, lariat package
Retired from Oregon State Police in 2011 than worked another 9.5 years as a small town traffic cop:
As of 05-2020, I am all done with 39 years total police work. No more uniforms for me.
Ken / Claudia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2021, 08:30 AM   #26
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,601
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia View Post
Really we all should be looking/inspecting the roof every year or more. Plan on cleaning it good first and have a tube of dicor to repair cracks in older dicor.

^^^^And don't take it for granted it doesn't need it because it's new. On this one the bathroom skylight had 3 sides with dicor that was perfect and the 4th side was like a blind man with an empty tube tried to stretch down the side; the edge was barely sealed and the seam of dicor was maybe 1/4" wide as it looped around the screws. Had to reseal that end or it would have leaked no doubt.
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
sourdough is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2021, 08:55 AM   #27
turbojimmy
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Roxbury
Posts: 81
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia View Post
Really we all should be looking/inspecting the roof every year or more. Plan on cleaning it good first and have a tube of dicor to repair cracks in older dicor.
What do you recommend cleaning it with? I used a mild degreaser/cleaner that didn't have any solvents in it, but just on the spot where I wanted the Eternabond to seal. I need to clean the whole thing eventually.
__________________
2015 Bullet Ultra Lite 220RBI
2005 GMC Sierra Crew Cab 1500 Z71
turbojimmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2021, 08:28 PM   #28
mkossor
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Kenilworth
Posts: 10
Thanks for the encouragement and kind words of the finished project. Here are a few more details:

I removed ALL the old Dicor lap sealant from everything except the skylight in the center which was still in good shape, came off fairly easy using a hair dryer to warm it. I applied new Dicor and will let dry for the full 3 weeks then apply EternaBond tape to over the Dicor. I used applied Dicor corner tape on the seam between the front cap fiberglass and the side wall then installed the aluminum weather strip with Butyl tape and sealed it with clear RV FlexPro. Replaced All the weather strip screws with stainless steel screws with stainless steel washers fitted with Neoprene gaskets to ensure no water gets in.

An thorough annual seal check is very important to prevent this from happening again. The challenge is being able to spot a failed seam, I completely missed it! If in doubt, clean and apply an over coat of Dicor.
Once water gets in, your basically SCREWED. The insulation gets soaked destroying the insulation R value and it never dries out. The resulting moisture spawns mold growth and foul smell that will not go away until ALL the wet, rotted material gets torn out, mold cleaned and disinfected with Bleach solution and thoroughly dried when fully open to the air.

The insidious part is there are few, if any, signs of water intrusion inside until its been happening for a long time. The Vinyl wall paper holds the water out while it rots the thin wood panels and corrodes the screws and staples to the point they disintegrate and the molding starts falling off. That is why I installed moisture sensors in critical spots. I want to know immediately if I overlooked a faulty lap joint and have water intrusion. Honestly, I think moisture sensors should be standard equipment on RV's. Apparently, its a major source of revenue for dealers, the first appointment I could get just to take a look at mine was over 2 months out. Given the specialized material needed with ZERO support from the dealer/manufacturer just 3 years old makes it difficult to get and prepare is a strong disincentive for the DIYers.

Another preventative measure is to invest in a good cover that keeps the sun and elements from degrading the sealant and roof during the winter months of storage. Lots to choose from on Amazon with thousands of reviews but it seems there are a large percentage who experienced rips, tears and outright failures after just a year or two. Anyone have excellent experience with a particular cover? I would be interested in the brand and model of the cover.
mkossor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2021, 08:30 PM   #29
mkossor
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Kenilworth
Posts: 10
TurboJimmy, check out the Dicor website for instructional videos on how to prepare existing lap joints for re-application.
mkossor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2021, 07:46 AM   #30
travelin texans
Senior Member
 
travelin texans's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Picacho, Az
Posts: 6,809
Quote:
Originally Posted by turbojimmy View Post
What do you recommend cleaning it with? I used a mild degreaser/cleaner that didn't have any solvents in it, but just on the spot where I wanted the Eternabond to seal. I need to clean the whole thing eventually.
The roof material manufacturer recommends a mild detergent, they mention Spic n Span if it's even sold anymore & a soft/medium bristle brush.
I've always used either Simple Green if it's really dirty or whatever carwash soap I did the rest of the rv with.
__________________
Full-timed 10+ years
Sold '13 Redwood FB
Traded '13 GMC Denali DRW D/A
Replacement undetermined
travelin texans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-26-2021, 11:24 AM   #31
German Shepherd Guy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Norwood, CO
Posts: 667
mkossor: What a nice looking job! I redid an entire floor but what you accomplished is far and away one of the best project shows of this list. Glad you had nice weather for the project. After totally replacing my floor on my 2007 Keystone Zephyr I traded it in for a Premier 26RBPR. I then built a pole barn just to house it in so as to keep it out of the weather. I was always afraid, out here in the boonies, that using a cover would attract rodents in the winter time. Building the pole barn seemed like the best solution for me but that was no easy go and fortunately my brother came down from Montana to help me with it. What you accomplished is truly impressive. Thanks for sharing. Please, what is EternaBond tape? And how is it applied OVER the dycor?
__________________

German Shepherd Guy

2018 Keystone 26RBPR
2014 Suburban 2500, 6L with 3.73 rear

German Shepherd Guy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2021, 08:15 PM   #32
mkossor
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Kenilworth
Posts: 10
Thanks again for the kind remarks on how the RV renovation came out. I hope sharing my experience here helps others avert having to do the job themselves or helps those less fortunate that find them self in the same position.

Eternabond makes a whole verity of products for RVs. Their roof seal tape is one of them that can be used standalone in place of Dicor or in conjunction over Dicor. Some folks even add a secondary application of Dicor at the edges of the Eternabond tape but is not necessary from what I read. Here is a link to the website: http://www.eternabond.com/RoofSeal-PLUS-p/rv-rsp.htm
mkossor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-29-2022, 11:26 AM   #33
turbojimmy
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Roxbury
Posts: 81
After letting mine sit for the winter the little bit of what I suspected was water damage in the right front corner of the bedroom has now gone all the way across. Definitely a leak where the cap meets the roof. I ran Eternabond tape across the entire seam in the Fall, but I think the water is coming in at the corners. Coulda woulda shoulda put Dicor there. I threw a tarp over it a couple of months ago, but the damage is done. It's clear the melting snow went right into the roof. Pretty disappointed and now have a big project ahead of me.
__________________
2015 Bullet Ultra Lite 220RBI
2005 GMC Sierra Crew Cab 1500 Z71
turbojimmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
damage, water, water damage

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 05:12 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.