Resealing roof on travel trailer

kcult

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My camper has developed a leak. I don't have a very local shop to take this to for repair (don't say Brown's). Figured I'll do it myself.

Has anyone done this to theirs? Do you have a preferred product or method? My limited research says there's stuff you can apply over old seal and stuff you use after you scrape the old seal away.

Thanks!
 
I understand there is an elastomeric rubber product that is the best. It's pricey supposedly worth it!

I would check with the RV places.
 
I had roof issues a little over a year ago. Got the white elastomeric coating in a bucket and applied it to the roof on my M O B I L E H O M E and haven’t had an issue since. Took three buckets to do my roof. Should be able to do yours with less than one should you decide to go that route
 
I had roof issues a little over a year ago. Got the white elastomeric coating in a bucket and applied it to the roof on my M O B I L E H O M E and haven’t had an issue since. Took three buckets to do my roof. Should be able to do yours with less than one should you decide to go that route
Same here. The white elastomeric is what you want. I do it to my 6x12 enclosed about every 5 years, and I used it on my Class A.
Clean the roof good, tape up stuff if you have to, roll on with a medium-ish nap, use a brush for small spots, good to go.
I get it at wal mart. It's not bad, less than $20/gallon iirc. One gallon easily does my trailer, and less than two to cover the 24' class A.

eta- As an added benefit it reflects the heat off the roof.
 
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My camper has developed a leak. I don't have a very local shop to take this to for repair (don't say Brown's). Figured I'll do it myself.

Has anyone done this to theirs? Do you have a preferred product or method? My limited research says there's stuff you can apply over old seal and stuff you use after you scrape the old seal away.

Thanks!
Does the camper have a rubber membrane sheet roof?

My parents used that elastic seal and things got worse because the issue was in the metal roof edging. After rolling that product on it made it close to impossible to make the repair. If your leak seems to be around the walls, don’t put that coating on.
 
^This... More info needed. What's the trailer construction/roof built with? Where's the leak? That paint stuff doesn't really fix many situations. If it's a hole in a membrane you need to either replace it or find an appropriate patch for the material. If it's trim or penetration leak, you have more options. Plenty of good caulk based products for penetration seals. Hard to beat butyl for sealing edge trim or under gaskets around penetrations that can be unscrewed and reinstalled.
 
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Does the camper have a rubber membrane sheet roof?

My parents used that elastic seal and things got worse because the issue was in the metal roof edging. After rolling that product on it made it close to impossible to make the repair. If your leak seems to be around the walls, don’t put that coating on.

^This... More info needed. What's the trailer construction/roof built with? Where's the leak? That paint stuff doesn't really fix many situations. If it's a hole in a membrane you need to either replace it or find an appropriate patch for the material. If it's trim or penetration leak, you have more options. Plenty of good caulk based products for penetration seals. Hard to beat butyl for sealing edge trim or under gaskets around penetrations that can be unscrewed and reinstalled.

I don't know what the roof is made of. I would assume it would be whatever the industry standard is for a ~23ft camper, built in 2015. The water comes in at just off center at the front of the camper.

I've been on top once and all I know is there is a huge bead of some type of sealant/caulking that runs around the entire perimeter of the roof. My first thought was that it had finally hardened or flexed to the point of losing its seal in that spot.
 
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If your roof is EPDM then you can use Dicor self leveling lap sealant around the seams. I check our travel trailer roof about every 3 to 4 months. Clean the area with some mineral spirits first then let it dry. You need to mind the weather for application. I probably have put 10-15 gallons on ours. I'm kidding, kinda'. I uses a generous amount on any area that looks questionable. Anywhere it looks cracked, split or dried out. Ours is almost 10 years old and is dry (knock on wood).
 
If your roof is EPDM then you can use Dicor self leveling lap sealant around the seams. I check our travel trailer roof about every 3 to 4 months. Clean the area with some mineral spirits first then let it dry. You need to mind the weather for application. I probably have put 10-15 gallons on ours. I'm kidding, kinda'. I uses a generous amount on any area that looks questionable. Anywhere it looks cracked, split or dried out. Ours is almost 10 years old and is dry (knock on wood).

Are you removing the old stuff?
 
Are you removing the old stuff?

You can or just add to it. If it looks pretty bad I would scrape it off just be really careful not to puncture the membrane. I haven't scraped any off of mine yet.

You can also use Eternabond tape which is more involved but more permanent in a sense. I keep a roll in our camper just in case we get a tear or something while on the road. Some folks will tape their seams with that stuff. I'm sure there are several videos on Youtube.
 
If your roof is EPDM then you can use Dicor self leveling lap sealant around the seams. I check our travel trailer roof about every 3 to 4 months. Clean the area with some mineral spirits first then let it dry. You need to mind the weather for application. I probably have put 10-15 gallons on ours. I'm kidding, kinda'. I uses a generous amount on any area that looks questionable. Anywhere it looks cracked, split or dried out. Ours is almost 10 years old and is dry (knock on wood).

This for sure. Was just getting on to type it out. I have a rubber roof (2015 Apex UltraLite) and have used this when I upgraded the bathroom fan. It's literally what it's made for. Like @skiles says, remove the old stuff if it looks bad and clean up with mineral spirits. That self-leveling sealant is thick but it runs a bit while it's setting up.
 
Roof leaks are the number 1 camper killer! Still amazes me that camper manufacturers make flat roofs. Airstream got it right - that's why there are a lot of old Airstreams still hanging around. Good luck with your repair. If your experience is similar to mine, you will do it again, and again, and again......
 
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