It's that time again for me to reseal the vent hatches for the 3rd time. Had the RV new since Sept. of 03 so not too bad. One thing I've discovered is it is easier to reseal by placing blue masking tape in a square around each vent and spread the self leveling Dicor Sealant with a brush. By doing this you are working it into the voids, around each screw and working it into the surface for better adhesion. This also smooths it out for the next time you want to reseal because with an even surface it's easier to wire brush the surface (by hand is important) exposing a nice clean surface for the new coat. The wire brush will take off anything loose, but you need to be extra careful not to hit the rubber roof. I think double masking before the wire brushing will help.

 

Hope this helps as I think working sealant into the surface is better than laying tape or caulk.

This reminds of a thread l did while back, sleeping a bucket l believe it was. Parked the 5th wheel late one night and it started raining lightly. I was awoken to a drip in the bed. Its like 2am or so and l was going to fix it whatever it was. Go up on the roof and the whole vent top was gone. Blew off on the trip. Threw plastic up there and curled up  around a bucket. Stayed dry that night. Replaced all of them the next day.

 

  On 9/6/2020 at 11:57 PM, dripley said:

This reminds of a thread l did while back, sleeping a bucket l believe it was. Parked the 5th wheel late one night and it started raining lightly. I was awoken to a drip in the bed. Its like 2am or so and l was going to fix it whatever it was. Go up on the roof and the whole vent top was gone. Blew off on the trip. Threw plastic up there and curled up  around a bucket. Stayed dry that night. Replaced all of them the next day.

 

All my vents have lasted thru the years except the bathroom plastic. I had to change it out. two others are still solid as I tried to make them crack with my hand by putting force on them.

  On 9/7/2020 at 1:12 AM, JAG1 said:

All my vents have lasted thru the years except the bathroom plastic. I had to change it out. two others are still solid as I tried to make them crack with my hand by putting force on them.

Mine regilar one turned to crap. The bath and galley fans were nice and still are. They rain sensors, timers and such.  Nice extras. No problem with them.

I think some are made with polycarbonate and others are just plain plastic. I'm afraid my old tinted ones will no longer be available soon as I see everything going to the new milk colored white plastic. I hope they are good ones if I have to change. We 3 new ones on IBMobiles fiver. He lives in Sun country.

The fan vents are polycarbonate while the others were the white plastic. 

A side note... redoing IBMobiles EPDM rubber roof was a hard job. Anyone complaining they cost too much for replacement can talk to me Or IBMobile, we will give you a lesson in economics 

You may try throwing a bit of the 303 aircraft paint protectant (or your prefered UV protectant) on them. It seems to last several months per application. Seems to help with oxidation of the plastics as well. Should keep things looking good for decades it my friends plane is any evidence. He uses on most of the hard plastic surfaces and the paint. 

 

All plastic products have a code on them somewhere. Helps for recycling, though many can't be recycled in the traditional sense. Avoid ABS (if possible) on your next set. ABS is why the dashes fall apart. 

 

Side note, Headlights are made of Poly Carbonate, tail lights are made of Acrylic. Acrylic will break a bit like glass into hard sharp pieces, but is far better at resisting the aging from UV and O3. Poly Carbonate is won't shatter in the same way and is safer, which is why they use it on the front since most wrecks involve the front.

  On 9/8/2020 at 1:57 PM, JAG1 said:

A side note... redoing IBMobiles EPDM rubber roof was a hard job. Anyone complaining they cost too much for replacement can talk to me Or IBMobile, we will give you a lesson in economics 

Did. You guys roll out a whole new EPDM on the roof, I’ve seen where that could be a  tedious and labor consuming job, Just wondering because mine is showing some  light weather cracking, I might try some of that brush on sealer if I can find something that works well and looks good 

 

These are a godsend when it comes to roof vents, I like them for the fact you can leave your vents open all the time, even during rain or going down the highway 

 

Yes we rolled out a whole new roof. Dead tired when done

It took us about 10 days, not full time, but the last 3-4 days was was the hardest.  JAG1 came through with his carpentry skills on patching a few holes;  the removal of the skylight over the shower and the antenna mount along with some wood rot in front.  Up and down an 8' ladder and moving it a few feet at a time for the removal, clean up, and then the installation was no fun.  Next time I'm going to use a scaffold or moving lift; it would help in taking the AC unit of the roof.

I had those MaxxAir covers over two of my vent and JAG1 still put his hand through the 17 year old plastic vent lids when we went to clean them.  I replaced them all and already had, in the trailer, 3 new white MaxxAir covers to put on.

Nice to go get all new vent hatches along with the frames. They were easy to seal being new and clean. 

 

 

  On 9/9/2020 at 2:01 PM, JAG1 said:

Nice to go get all new vent hatches along with the frames. They were easy to seal being new and clean. 

 

 

I am just happy that @IBMobile didn't have to drive all the way home with you stuck to the roof.

Me too!  @JAG1 would still be picking bugs out of his teeth.

  On 9/10/2020 at 2:01 AM, IBMobile said:

Me too!  @JAG1 would still be picking bugs out of his teeth.

At least he would be a happy roofer.

 

 

I'm picturing this

 

  On 9/10/2020 at 2:41 AM, That Guy said:

 

 

I'm picturing this

 

 

Shazbot!!!

Nanu nanu!

  On 9/10/2020 at 12:55 AM, dripley said:

I am just happy that @IBMobile didn't have to drive all the way home with you stuck to the roof.

There is a pair of shoes stuck up there ...... IB says, ''more more sticky stuff!''

I had my camper resealed about ten years ago    They  literally took it apart and put it back together and it wasn’t cheap.  $1600 as I recall. It’s 20 years old. The sealer they put on it this time seem much better. It’s the old question to cover it tarp or custom made to fit cover about $ 900 or just reseal    I don’t know the answer.  I put covers on my fantastic fan vent and the a/c hole and just replaced to  furnace top cover. We get normal 5 ft snow here in Alaska and sometimes to 11 ft so snow load is a big deal. My stepson scoops it off for me maybe once a winter. At 71 I can’t go up there anymore. .All I really know is once you get any major moisture in a camper it’s almost a goner 

What about flex seal.  Spray on or brush 

I just used Flex Seal on the RV's awning to replace the vinyl that was sun damaged and pealing.  I cut out the bad vinyl out, cleaned the area, masked off the area with painters tape, applied two coats of sealant 24 hours apart.  The first coat was applied with a brush for thick coverage with the next coat rolled on.  I may have to recoat it after 4-5 years.

 

Check "YouTube" for ideas.  There is one guy who used it on the roof of what looks like a tent trailer; it looks good after a year.  Another guy used it around his AC unit and it leaked; I think he should have replaced the AC seal. 

 

As for replacing the roof, Jag1 and I replaced the EPDM roof on my 25 foot 5er last year.  The cost was around $1,000 for all the material, new parts, and coffee.