# Replacing The Skylight



## Reverie

I have been chasing a slow water leak for weeks now. The water and waste pipes all checked out leak free. I have finally located at least PART of the problem in my Gray Water Vent Stack. The cover/cap has dry rotted to the point it was crumbling and water was seeping in through rain, accumulating inside the cover and then entering the roof through the opening for the vent pipe. In the process of removing the cap I discovered that the cap base, which fits around the vent stack was similarly rotten.

In the process of removing the caulking to take the Cover/Cap assembly off I had to remove some caulking from the edge of the Domed Skylight over the tub. That is when the fun really started. I immediately noticed that the screws securing the skylight were rusted on the outside and the inside. I could see the skylight itself was cracked slightly in places along the edge. As I traced this and removed more caulking I found where water was leaking in around the edge but would travel along the flaps of roof membrane and run inside the ceiling. I had experienced a pretty significant leak about a year ago that was also centered on the skylight. I fixed that by shooting more Dicor sealant around the Skylight and it appeared to fix it. This problem appears to be separate from the earlier problem.

I would up pulling the caulk from all the way around and then removing the Skylight. THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! I discovered upon removing the Skylight, the skylight had a number of small cracks where the screws had been tightened when the built the trailer. The aft/right holes were completely opened.

I opted to replace the Skylight. Let me tell you, buying a Skylight turned out to be an adventure unto itself. When I finally received it I went ahead and bought new screws as well and a roll of Butyl Tape. I scraped as much of the old Butyl and caulk off of roof as I could to give it a clean surface. I used two layers of tape and new screws to fasten the new Skylight. I did the same for the new Cover/Cap assembly. I sealed each of the screws separately with caulk to make sure no rain came in through that route.

I have a couple of questions for the experts out there:

1. I was advised to use two layers of Butyl Tape by the Technician at the camper place. Was this a good idea? I didn't cinch the screws down hard, just enough to compress the tape layers and securely hold the screws.

2. Should I trim the oozed Butyl material before using the lap sealant?

I will post some picture later but I am soliciting the advice now.

Thanks,

Reverie


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## wolfwood

I can't help with the technical stuff but did want to congratulate you on finding the source of your elusive leak(s)! Well done!!!!


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## California Jim

I think you'll be fine Rev. Sounds like you got it. Trimming off the excess Butyl before lap sealing sounds like a good idea to me. The sealed surfaces shouldn't even know the difference, and you'll get a more uniform "lay" of the new sealant.

I'll be interested in seeing your pictures too. My sunroof has become a golden-brown dome from the UV rays and I'm getting tired of polishing it to clean it up. A new one is in order.

Good job


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## Rollrs45

I would go ahead and trim the excess, the tech at my dealer said the same thing. The best tool I've found was a plastic knife. I've used the tape on several repairs and I trim my excess, no problems thus far either. You may also want to wait a day or two before placing the sealant. For some reason when I use the tape, it always seems to squeeze out a little more product after I've trimmed it. Now I just wait a day or two to trim.

Mike


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## Ghosty

California Jim said:


> I would go ahead and trim the excess, the tech at my dealer said the same thing. The best tool I've found was a plastic knife. I've used the tape on several repairs and I trim my excess, no problems thus far either. You may also want to wait a day or two before placing the sealant. For some reason when I use the tape, it always seems to squeeze out a little more product after I've trimmed it. Now I just wait a day or two to trim.
> 
> Mike


Agree with both -- tape is fine and trim up what you can --


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## aplvlykat

The other guy's pretty much nailed it, trim the excess, let it sit in the sun for a day then trim it again and seal with dicor.
Jim, my skylight was also starting to turn yellow from the sun. I tried washing, waxing but it would alway seem to turn back. I finally found something that premenantly fixed the problem, Meguiras PlastX. It not only cleans it but it removed the oxidation back to new clear plastic. It took about 1 hour using my orbital polisher. You might want to give it a try before you replace it. Kirk


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## California Jim

aplvlykat said:


> The other guy's pretty much nailed it, trim the excess, let it sit in the sun for a day then trim it again and seal with dicor.
> Jim, my skylight was also starting to turn yellow from the sun. I tried washing, waxing but it would alway seem to turn back. I finally found something that premenantly fixed the problem, Meguiras PlastX. It not only cleans it but it removed the oxidation back to new clear plastic. It took about 1 hour using my orbital polisher. You might want to give it a try before you replace it. Kirk


HA! Great minds think alike







That is exactly what I'm using, although I've yet to break out the tools and have been doing it by hand. Ouch, my arms hurt just thinking about all that polishing. I'll definately get the orbital out next time









I also use PlastX on all our clear headlights, side view mirrors, etc... the stuff works pretty well. But again, all by hand.


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## BigBadBrain

California Jim said:


> The other guy's pretty much nailed it, trim the excess, let it sit in the sun for a day then trim it again and seal with dicor.
> Jim, my skylight was also starting to turn yellow from the sun. I tried washing, waxing but it would alway seem to turn back. I finally found something that premenantly fixed the problem, Meguiras PlastX. It not only cleans it but it removed the oxidation back to new clear plastic. It took about 1 hour using my orbital polisher. You might want to give it a try before you replace it. Kirk


HA! Great minds think alike







That is exactly what I'm using, although I've yet to break out the tools and have been doing it by hand. Ouch, my arms hurt just thinking about all that polishing. I'll definately get the orbital out next time









I also use PlastX on all our clear headlights, side view mirrors, etc... the stuff works pretty well. But again, all by hand.
[/quote]

And the plastic of the skylight doesn't yellow after using this? How does that work? Is the yellowing due to oxidation of the surface layer? I thought it was a UV issue with the plastic.


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## California Jim

Actually mine got oxidized again after using PlastX the first time. Gotta do it again now


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## Reverie

I replaced my "clear" skylight with a white one. The light diffuses nicely in the bathroom. It remains to be seen if this remains nicely opaque or not, but judging by the other white hatches it should stand up well and not discolor like the clear one did.

Reverie


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## NDJollyMon

Yes...it does take quite awhile to get the skylight replacements from Keystone!

Also...the get very brittle with time. Be careful up there! My skylight just arrived since the Oak Tree Incident.


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## 3LEES

Reverie said:


> I replaced my "clear" skylight with a white one. The light diffuses nicely in the bathroom. It remains to be seen if this remains nicely opaque or not, but judging by the other white hatches it should stand up well and not discolor like the clear one did.
> 
> Reverie


Nick,

Now that makes a LOT of sense! I have yet to meet an Outbacker who gets into the shower to look at the stars...









When my skylights starts to deteriorate, that is exactly what I will do.


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## aplvlykat

BBB, I don't know exactly how it works but the bottle says it removes surface oxidation and scratches. Mine was yellowing and I used my random orbital polisher on it and it is nice and clear again. I also did my Suburban, S-10 Blazer and my daughters Grand Am's headlight covers, they were all dull , now they are nice and clear, the stuff works. How long it will last, time will tell. If the skylight cracks or breaks then I to will replace it with a white cover. Kirk


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