Most of the appliances on my roof do not have any type of sealant over the bolts or mounting plates .
I have read that Foretravel does not use any but worry that a leak may occur that could have been prevented. My ceiling is vinyl so I will not notice a leak till it's way too late.
Any recommendations as to which product to use ? Caulking or tape?
Thanks
Lt, I have used Dicor self leveling with good success.
Yes to both products. Self leveling Dicor or tape will require attention and reapplication at some point (I'd check annually) but is easy to remove if you need to replace a fixture it seals, fridge vent, etc.
If you want a near permanent solution in an area not likely to need removal for many years (cap seams for example), I'd use Eternabond. Google it and look at YouTube videos. Fantastic product! Much harder to remove but will not crack, age or peel.
RV Leak Repair Tapes & Sealants | EternaBond (http://www.eternabond.com/RV-Leak-Repair-Products-s/22.htm)
Just a reminder,you may have to remove the bolts someday,Foretravel did'nt seal over them for a reason,they are sealed underneath.
I finished painting our roof just before winter started. It took me weeks to remove all the self leveling Dicor from all the places it was applied. I absolutely hate it. I used heat guns, knives, etc and cut and burned myself, everyday..The vents that were not replaced were cleaned with all the Dicor removed. Dicor cracks and allows water to get underneath and travel. On top of that, it looks REALLY sloppy. My feeling is the roof should look a tidy as the rest of the coach.
I bought all stainless screws and washers duplicating the oval head and also screws with washers underneath. I installed all the skylights/vents with a flat soft tape between the rooof and the vent/skylight flange and then sealed all the stainless screws with silicone as I installed them. There is not any sealant visible now with only the heads of the oval headed stainless screws and the stainless screws with the stainless washers visible now. The screws were not painted and are easily removable along with the vents, etc. It takes longer doing it this way but looks so much better. The same was done with the solar panels with the screws sealed with silicone. Vinyl electrical flex conduit was used so there is no solar wiring that is not in conduit on the roof.
Boxes of stainless screws and washers are available very inexpensively on ebay and only take a couple of days to arrive.
Pierce
When I get back up to the coach I will photograph the roof and post the photos.
Good old silicone. Foretravel used it for a reason. Dicor is for rubber roofs, and does not last.
I replaced my sky light, used putty tape, waited a few days in the sun, trimmed it again, then sealed edge with silicone.. If it was good enough for Ray Fore, it is good enough for me.
Been scarping and re-sealing rubber roofs all summer. Dicor is fine when you glob it on like the factory sticks and staples coaches. Horrible to take off.
The tape is fine, IF you are going over an existing tape job by over lapping the old with wider tape, or doing a repair. You'll never get it off easy.
Chris
BTW. Use butyl tape, not the clay tape
I remember that I would use the heat gun until the Dicor was starting to turn brown. Then it started to get soft so I would put a sharp knife under the edge and try to peal it off while I moved the heat gun. Then I would slip and burn myself on the stainless nozzle. Heat, pry, burn, heat, pry burn, repeated ten thousand times. Heat the screw heads and while they were hot, hammer a phillips screwdriver into them and try to unscrew them. Once the screws were all removed, heat the flange and force a knife underneath and pry up. The powered vent over the stove had to be destroyed to get it off. Have not even talked about the aluminum grab rails all around the rear of the roof at the back. Batwing antenna and the air horns were a pleasure also.
It should be like "Logan's Run". When the jewel in the palm of your hand starts glowing, the coach goes to the wrecker.
Pierce