Join Dustin Simpson as he gives you a quick run down on how to prep and clean the roof prior to sealing it with RV roofing tools and products that he uses from his repair shop.
How do I clean and prep the RV roof sealants and surface before resealing with Alpha or Dicor self leveling sealants?
– Start by sweeping or blowing off anything loose on the roof surface.
– Once the surface is clean from debris you can wipe down the area with Acrysol body degreaser.
– AcrySol helps remove any of the old dirt and oils from the roof and sealant surface. This will not leave a film or residue on the surface allowing the new sealant to bond to the surface of the roof and old sealant. I like to use terry cloth towels or paper towels when cleaning sealant surface, this helps to remove the dirt and oils.
– If everything is secured properly and then you are ready to begin resealing process. Do not forget to double all the moldings, this is your time to add an additional screws or tri-fold rivets.
– You will notice in the pictures below that the dirty roof sealants are now back white again. Once you have the roof and sealants surface clean as you can get it. You can then start the sealing process with the lap seal or non sag sealants.
Examples Pictures: Noticed how dirty the sealant was vs white clean area of the sealant?
The molding was coming loose on both side and caused the side sealant to separate on side seams, around the gutter and at the roof line edge. You can see the gap difference from the moldings from the first picture to the left to right as the last picture reflects how much it tightened back down in place.
Additional screws where installed to help secure the molding in place, note that the moldings are pre drilled every 6 inches. In a lot of cases the molding are cut short and no screw is installed at the end, this happens all the time during production. That’s one of the biggest issue when units come in for leaks, we find the molding have lifted or broken free.
Pictures below are of the opposite side, same procedure was done to both sides. The sealants have not cured all the way and are still self leveling. I applied black sealant to match the cap and side of the roof edges. I also applied sealant in the insert molding edges on both sides about a foot down to help shield the water from getting past them on roof surface.
We hope you enjoy these reminders and tips, don’t forget to keep up on your maintenance!
Below is a list of the products we used during the repairs.
- Acrysol Cleaner
- Scraper Tool CRL Blue Stick
- Tapered Tip Stick and Handle
- The Best Caulking Gun
- Dicor Lap Sealants Self Leveling Black
- Dicor Lap Sealants Self Leveling White
More from Dustin
Dustin owns and operates California RV Specialists, an independent RV repair shop located in Lodi, CA. He thrives on sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm of RV repair and maintenance with his team, customers, and virtual friends.
Make sure you check out our website, California RV Specialists, and their YouTube channel for more helpful information, and see our published articles on RVtravel.com and other social media pages.
Dustin proudly operates the business alongside his wife, Ashley; but the true pair that run the show are their Boston Terriers, Arvie and Hitch.
