Roof Trim

[1av8tr]

Hi,

Needing some help. The plastic trim that runs the length of my 2018 272BHSWE roof that covers the screws that hold the gutter rail to the roof constantly deforms/shrinks due to the heat/cold (see attached picture). The trim in the attached picture is white, mine is black. Has anyone found a way to prevent this from happening? I’m having to replace the trim every year. Thanks in advance.

[skids]

As I understand it there are two grades one is cheaper than the other. Use the better grade and maybe check the the gutter where the splice is in caulk that.

[notanlines]

Avoid the caulk idea. Not a good suggestion at all. Once that caulk is in there the next replacement will be a bear. You'll never get 75 feet of caulking cleaned out of there.

[JRTJH]

^^^ What Jim said...

If you think about it for a second, that splice will (not could or maybe, but will) leak water into the inside of the splice area. That water, when the sun hits it, will turn to steam, increase pressure and heat which will not only bake the vinyl trim from the inside out, but push the vinyl out of the grooves while it's "hot and pliable"...

Use caulk to seal the OUTSIDE of the splice so water can't get into the joint, but avoid any caulk on the inside of the aluminum molding, trying to "dig silicone out of tiny grooves so you can insert vinyl will put you into a frenzy "next time it needs to be replaced".....

While you've got the old vinyl out of the molding, it's a great time to tighten all the screws and inspect them for any rust. If you find loose screws tighten them, if you find rusty screws, remove them, seal the threads and reinstall them (or install a new screw) and any questionable ones, seal the head to prevent water from migrating down the threads and damaging the substructure...

[skids]

Originally Posted by notanlines

Avoid the caulk idea. Not a good suggestion at all. Once that caulk is in there the next replacement will be a bear. You'll never get 75 feet of caulking cleaned out of there.

I was only speaking of sealing the gutter butt connection. I bent one side with ladder placement and sealed it afterwards.

[sourdough]

I would echo the comment about the quality of the insert being used. There are different levels of quality and holding a quality heavy duty vinyl strip next to the cheap plastic stuff is quite revealing. My el cheapo OE plastic strip pulled out one side on the first trip with this trailer. New, premium grade heavy duty vinyl cured that problem and has not attempted to come out again.

[1av8tr]

Thank you.

[1av8tr]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

^^^ What Jim said...

If you think about it for a second, that splice will (not could or maybe, but will) leak water into the inside of the splice area. That water, when the sun hits it, will turn to steam, increase pressure and heat which will not only bake the vinyl trim from the inside out, but push the vinyl out of the grooves while it's "hot and pliable"...

Use caulk to seal the OUTSIDE of the splice so water can't get into the joint, but avoid any caulk on the inside of the aluminum molding, trying to "dig silicone out of tiny grooves so you can insert vinyl will put you into a frenzy "next time it needs to be replaced".....

While you've got the old vinyl out of the molding, it's a great time to tighten all the screws and inspect them for any rust. If you find loose screws tighten them, if you find rusty screws, remove them, seal the threads and reinstall them (or install a new screw) and any questionable ones, seal the head to prevent water from migrating down the threads and damaging the substructure...

Thank you. Was going to do exactly that and check the screws. What would you use to seal the screw heads with?

[1av8tr]

Originally Posted by sourdough

I would echo the comment about the quality of the insert being used. There are different levels of quality and holding a quality heavy duty vinyl strip next to the cheap plastic stuff is quite revealing. My el cheapo OE plastic strip pulled out one side on the first trip with this trailer. New, premium grade heavy duty vinyl cured that problem and has not attempted to come out again.

Thank you! Do you have a source for the premium grade heavy duty vinyl?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by 1av8tr

Thank you. Was going to do exactly that and check the screws. What would you use to seal the screw heads with?

DICOR "non-leveling sealant" sticks to anything, is fairly easy to remove if you need to remove it and won't damage the trailer surface if you happen to "smudge a bit"....

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by 1av8tr

Thank you! Do you have a source for the premium grade heavy duty vinyl?

I bought it on Amazon, 1" width. They will have all kinds so get the color that works and the heavy duty type. Here's a link to something that might work for you;

https://www.amazon.com/RV-Designer-E...s%2C178&sr=8-2

You may also want to look at some other RV supply sites; recpro, rvupgradestore etc.

[chuckster57]

When you look, the insert molding comes in 2 widths. Get the 1”, it may sit a touch higher but it will stay in much better if the rail uses the smaller stuff.

[1av8tr]

Thank You!

[1av8tr]

Thank you, yes mine is 1” wide.

[rburckhart]

I just replaced all of this on my 2017 Cougar. Went to Amazon and ordered a roll of the better quality and it was super easy to use!

[1av8tr]

Thank you! Yes I went and bought the heavy duty trim. We’ll see how it wears.

[KarenK]

I found the heavy better trim from a rv place on ebay. Needed enough to do all the storage compartment doors and four sidewall corners. They had 50' rolls of white in the 2 sizes I needed.

[Hblick48]

I replaced all of the trim on mine. A window screen spline tool (rollers on both ends) makes installation much easier.

[1av8tr]

Thank You! I found a heavy duty vinyl trim on Line. Appears a bit thicker and heftier than original.

[TakingtheFifth]

I ordered a rubber trim from Steele Rubber Products. It only comes in black. Just got it but it seems durable and it's said to not shrink. https://www.steelerubber.com/camper-rv