Skylight/roof repair

[jesseannie]

I had a problem with the skylight in the shower of my travel trailer leaking I had used dicor twice previously and was very careful with the application of the caulking.
It still leaked.
I live in rainy Oregon and camp year around so I wasn't going to park it with a blue tarp on it....lol.
So I bought a qt of liquid Flex Seal (as seen on TV) I dried off the area with a towel and heated and dried it carefully with a hair dryer. I again carefully filled any suspect holes and cracks with Dicor and brushed one coat of the thick coating about 6 inches wide around and up on the perimeter of the plastic skylight.
Success! We have had lots of rain since the repair and it is bone dry inside.
I am a believer!

Jesseannie

[RockyMt]

Great report, thanks for the tip

[d3500ram]

Yes, needed to sidestep once up on the roof... it was the only place on the back of the TC that they could place it due to the floor plan layout, not too bad once one gets used to it.

I did use Etrna bond for the actual roof repair. I needed to peel it back about 10 inches to expose and work the roof framing and then laid it back down with the EB on top and all around.

I did not want to EB over the new skylight flange since the first attempt (on the old bubble did not stick.) Also- did not want anything over the new, except for Dicor, so that if the skylight ever needed future replacement then it would be easier to only remove sealant for any new bubble install.

BTW- there is a strip of butyl between the new EB on top of the roof and under the skylight flange with the sealant over it all including new SS fasteners.

[Beaker]

Climb up the ladder and fall thru the skylight?
Seems odd.

d3500ram: Looks terrific!!! Although I would have used eternabond.

[theoldwizard1]

jesseannie wrote:
I am a believer!

Come back in a year and tell us how well it held up.

[Grit_dog]

fred42 wrote:
Sorry to go slightly off topic, but if the skylight itself has a small crack, what product would work on that?

Presuming you're not talking about the $20 crank up vent. If so you can get a new cover piece super cheap.
If you want transparent and last a long time, I would use a piece of clear paint protective film like 3M Clear Bra or similar.
And I wouldn't be afraid to put it on the inside instead and save the trip onto the roof if you were so inclined.

[d3500ram]

fred42 wrote:
Sorry to go slightly off topic, but if the skylight itself has a small crack, what product would work on that?

I would use a good caulk or sealnat.
I used Quad Max on my camper:
https://www.ositough.com/en/products/view-all-products/window-sealant-window-caulking-quad-max.html

When I did maintenance one time before my skylight overhaul repair, I tried Eterna-Bond on the flat flanges where it meets the roof. I did not have good luck with that method. I thoroughly cleaned the surface as that is very important, but it did not stick which prompted me to completely remove the EB (not fun on the portion of the roof where it DID adhere.

I have read where others have used EB on the skylight with better results than me. I guess you could try it on a sample area otherwise another method might need to be used.

[fred42]

Sorry to go slightly off topic, but if the skylight itself has a small crack, what product would work on that?

[dedmiston]

jesseannie wrote:
I am always hesitant to post an experience I have had that others may benefit from on this forum.
There are always those who are more experienced and have different opinions, and are always more than willing to share them.
This worked for me I thought I would share.
I am probably better off being an observer and not posting.

Jesseannie

I'm so sorry, jesseannie. Civility is at an all-time low these days.

I wish I knew the cure.

However, I don't think the solution is for good people to withdraw.

I wish that more people would heed Thumper's mom's advice. And along those lines, a lot of people's mothers would be disappointed if they saw how their kids were behaving online.

[d3500ram]

If you had a leak at one time (even if it is sealed now with whatever method) you still may have a ticking time bomb. What I mean is that depending on how much moisture got in, there could be potential for damage.

When I had my campers, I would perform religious maintenance on them. Even with that regiment schedule, there was an instance where water got in near my skylight... I think it might have been from the adjacent vent.

in addition to removing and resealing with self leveling roof sealant made for RV's I ended up replacing the vent and skylight as there was more deterioration than I could have imagined (and all this even with pretty strict inspection and upkeep... the potential is there.) I also had to perform minor repair of the roof frame as well.

I guess what I am saying is even though there is no leak at this time, keep an eye on possible future compromised roof structure.

Before:



After:

[jesseannie]

I am always hesitant to post an experience I have had that others may benefit from on this forum.
There are always those who are more experienced and have different opinions, and are always more than willing to share them.
This worked for me I thought I would share.
I am probably better off being an observer and not posting.

Jesseannie

[jesseannie]

ajriding wrote:
So, using the Dicor you covered 6 inches, the same girth as you did with flexseal?
Did you dicore over the screws too?
I can't imagine Dicore Lap sealant not working. I suspect user error, so curious what your method was.
Dicore is good for RVs since it is a good idea to re-do this every few years anyway. Dicore is easy to remove and re-apply.
Sounds like by a few years the flexseal will deteriorate so can be cleaned away with a small wisk broom at least.

I covered the area thoroughly I know what I am doing, I spent 50 years in commercial construction.
The issue with the Dicor for this job in my opinion is the small hairline cracks and fissures that happen after application and I doesn't "flow" into those small spaces like a liquid.
Thanks for your upbeat post.

[gbopp]

Let us know how it's holding up in 6 or 8 months.

[NJRVer]

IAMICHABOD wrote:
Well then you may be interested in This Recent Thread about Flex Seal :B

In rainy Oregon UV may not be a problem..

Use Henry 887 instead.

[ajriding]

So, using the Dicor you covered 6 inches, the same girth as you did with flexseal?
Did you dicore over the screws too?
I can't imagine Dicore Lap sealant not working. I suspect user error, so curious what your method was.
Dicore is good for RVs since it is a good idea to re-do this every few years anyway. Dicore is easy to remove and re-apply.
Sounds like by a few years the flexseal will deteriorate so can be cleaned away with a small wisk broom at least.