Looking at the roof there are a few dodgy spots on The Pearl, and reading through the forum EternaBond seems a good solution. Three questions:
Should I invest in EternaPrime to prep the surface, or is there a better prep product?
Where the roof seam runs into the rear of the coach, should I just continue with the EternaBond down the seam or is there a more esthetic solution?
In last year's bitterly cold winter one of the rear wrap-around sections cracked - what's the best way to fix this once the other possible leak spots have been fixed?
Many thanks!
Should I invest in EternaPrime to prep the surface, or is there a better prep product?
Where the roof seam runs into the rear of the coach, should I just continue with the EternaBond down the seam or is there a more esthetic solution?
In last year's bitterly cold winter one of the rear wrap-around sections cracked - what's the best way to fix this once the other possible leak spots have been fixed?
EternaPrime is made for dirty roof surfaces that cannot be adequately cleaned. I have not found a need for it, cleaning the roof is not that difficult, just time consuming.
An LD's roof should be scrubbed clean with soap and water and cleaned again with acetone or lacquer thinner and clean rags.
The roof should be very clean before applying the tape.
At the rear, I continue the tape part way around the curve and then switch to polyurethane sealant for the end caps.
Horizontal cracks are hard permanently repair, due to the flexing.
You can clean and pack the crack with polyurethane or cover the crack with a clear tape, made for automotive use.Amazon.com: 3M Scotchgard Clear Paint Protection Bulk Film Roll 6-by-48-inche... (https://www.amazon.com/Scotchgard-Clear-Paint-Protection-48-inches/dp/B004VG88MQ)
Larry
I E-bonded the seams on the roof of my TK about 5 or 6 years ago. I set any popped screws, then scrubbed the areas to be sealed using a stiff brush and Simple Green in hot water first, followed with rubbing the seams with solvent, then finished with white vinegar and hot water. Because the job took me three days , working only when the sun was mostly off the roof (and me!), I cleaned and dried each seam section to be sealed right before applying the tape, i.e., not the whole job area, to ensure that the surface would be super clean when the tape was applied.
E-bonding seams for a lasting job requires meticulous surface prep; there have been occasional reports of “tape failures”, usually due to a bad batch of adhesive, but I believe that, if the tape fails, it’s due to “operator error”, i.e., improperly prepped surface, stretching or bunching the tape, not pressing/rolling down the tape in short sections as one goes along, trying for “do-overs” (not happening!) if the tape goes off-course, etc.
The E-bond job on my LD shows only a few scrapes here and there from tree branches; these are easily patched.
Have fun! 😉
Looking at the roof there are a few dodgy spots on The Pearl, and reading through the forum EternaBond seems a good solution. Three questions:
Should I invest in EternaPrime to prep the surface, or is there a better prep product?
Where the roof seam runs into the rear of the coach, should I just continue with the EternaBond down the seam or is there a more esthetic solution?
In last year's bitterly cold winter one of the rear wrap-around sections cracked - what's the best way to fix this once the other possible leak spots have been fixed?
Many thanks!
So you had no cracks and then after a cold snap there they were? How cold was it?
Thanks all for your guidance everyone!
It got down below zero a couple of nights. The seals have been a problem for a while, but I thought I had them fixed last fall.
Thanks all for your guidance everyone!
It got down below zero a couple of nights. The seals have been a problem for a while, but I thought I had them fixed last fall.
Every time I see pics like yours I get kind of a sick feeling in my stomach. I'd hate to one day see that happen to mine but apparently it's not that uncommon. I have a theory that it's from sun damage and I have put a tarp over the rear of mine to minimize that. Might help might not..
Sawyer - if only it were sun damage... I'm pretty sure it was moisture freezing and popping seams last winter - I used a tarp last summer too.
I've spent the morning working on the areas around the various vents, and spent some more time looking at the side seams. There's a "sealer" of some sort that seems too soft and gooey to be a good base for the tape, although I think a 4 inch tape would still have room to bond on either side of the goo. Is this something that I should try to remove as I'm prepping?
Going back and looking closely at the damaged end cap, it obvious that the damage is the result of an impact.
Looking closely, you can see a dent, running from the top of the photo the bottom, where something hit the cap and crushed it.
The "proper" repair would be to replace the cap, a very expensive option.
Instead, I would use the clear tape, mentioned earlier, to cover the cracks and then reseal the edges with polyurethane.
Larry
"There's a "sealer" of some sort that seems too soft and gooey to be a good base for the tape..."
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Did a previous owner attempt a roof seal using an inappropriate product?
Sawyer - if only it were sun damage... I'm pretty sure it was moisture freezing and popping seams last winter - I used a tarp last summer too.
I've spent the morning working on the areas around the various vents, and spent some more time looking at the side seams. There's a "sealer" of some sort that seems too soft and gooey to be a good base for the tape, although I think a 4 inch tape would still have room to bond on either side of the goo. Is this something that I should try to remove as I'm prepping?
I'm the wrong guy to ask being a newbie myself. Sounds like you had water infiltration alright but those horizontal cracks seem like stress cracks that would occur from plastic getting brittle. I'm just guessing though.
I've spent the morning working on the areas around the various vents, and spent some more time looking at the side seams. There's a "sealer" of some sort that seems too soft and gooey to be a good base for the tape, although I think a 4 inch tape would still have room to bond on either side of the goo. Is this something that I should try to remove as I'm prepping?
As Joan asked, was something added over the top of the Factory sealant?
Posting a few photos would be of help.
The Factory roof seam is about 2" wide, with adequate room for the 4' tape to bond.
During last couple years when I was still resealing roofs, I switched to the 6" wide Eternabond tape, which did a better job, IMO, but was about three times more difficult to handle, the tape wanting to roll over on itself.
If the adhesive side of the tape touches another section of the same, they are bonded forever, there is no way to split them without stretching the tape very badly.
If your roof seams are wider than 2" or if another sealant has been applies, you may need to strip it.
I use a oscillating multi-too, with shape chisel blade to cut quickly through old sealant, the tool does a great job.
If the roof seam has had silicone sealant applied, good luck, nothing with stick to it again until the silicone is totally removed,
down to bare metal.
Let's see some photos of your roof.
Larry
Here's a shot of the roof edge. The "goo" feels more like uncured bathtub caulk than silicon, but it was a hot day and this section had been in the sun.
As for the crack, I know I hadn't hit anything - I think once the sealant is fixed, the tape sounds like a great solution.
From the photo, I am certain that E-bond will not seal over that mess. :o I suggest that you (or someone who can use the tool without scooping chunks out of the roof) use an oscillating multi-tool to remove the goop layers, thoroughly scrub and prep the bare surfaces, then apply the tape.
use a oscillating multi-too, with shape chisel blade
For example (https://www.harborfreight.com/variable-speed-oscillating-multi-tool-63111.html)
:'(
For example (https://www.harborfreight.com/variable-speed-oscillating-multi-tool-63111.html)
Is this a good one?
Chris
Is this a good one?
The bare tool cost $20, $16 with a 20% off coupon.
Has to be a lot of quality there.
Larry
The bare tool cost $20, $16 with a 20% off coupon.
Has to be a lot of quality there.
Larry
I bought the $20 one first. It worked, but the allen bolt securing the blade kept coming loose and eroded the tabs that keep the blade in place. Haven't had the problem with the $40 one...... yet. It's not something I use on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. If I were going to use one all the time, I'd get a better quality one for a bit more.
YMMV