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Sealing Vent Hatches on the RV Roof

JAG1
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JAG1

JAG1

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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.

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dripley

dripley

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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.

 

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JAG1

JAG1

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1 hour ago, 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.

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dripley

dripley

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2 hours ago, 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.

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JAG1

JAG1

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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.

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That Guy

That Guy

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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.

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01cummins4ever

01cummins4ever

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5 hours ago, 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 :punish:

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 

 

C04D280B-D32B-4728-9BAA-BC00EB860554.jpeg

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IBMobile

IBMobile

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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.

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Turbo Terry

Turbo Terry

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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 

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