# Total Roof Reseal



## mmblantz (Jul 1, 2007)

I have an 05 28RSS. I had a small drip develop over the winter that my wife noticed while checking the towels in the bathroom closet. I tried to find the leak but had no luck, it only comes through in hard rains and when I washed it to inspect. I called Midstate RV in Byron, GA and arranged to have it looked at while also having a tornado installed in the black tank. Now they tell me that I need a complete roof reseal due to exposure. It will require scraping all of the old caulk off & resealing everything on the roof. This is quoted as a 10hr job @ about $850.00. When lookin along the edges, i did notice some deteriotation and am now very bummed that i did not invest in a $250 cover. Unfortunately, I just kept putting it off and now have to pay the price. I guess what I'm trying to say is....get a cover and keep it covered even if it is a pain. Anybody else ever experience this with a unit as new as this?


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Sounds a little extreme to me for an 05 to have it's roof sealant that deteriorated and need that much work to bring it back.

If you get up on the roof you can do your own inspection, what you are looking for is cracks in the roof sealant around all of the roof fixtures, vents, skylight, refrigerator exhaust, etc. Even a very small crack can cause a leak. Remove any loose sealant, clean the sealant that is left and apply fresh sealant, you can buy it at the dealer in a caulking tube for about 6 bucks and use the other 844 for camping. Along the edges of where the roof meets the gutter can be recaulked with silicone caulking.

A tiny crack like this one can cause a leak, that's exactly what happened to us but it's an easy fix if you're the least bit handy










Mike


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

camping479 said:


> Sounds a little extreme to me for an 05 to have it's roof sealant that deteriorated and need that much work to bring it back.
> 
> If you get up on the roof you can do your own inspection, what you are looking for is cracks in the roof sealant around all of the roof fixtures, vents, skylight, refrigerator exhaust, etc. Even a very small crack can cause a leak. Remove any loose sealant, clean the sealant that is left and apply fresh sealant, you can buy it at the dealer in a caulking tube for about 6 bucks and use the other 844 for camping. Along the edges of where the roof meets the gutter can be recaulked with silicone caulking.
> 
> Mike


I'll second that

Do it yourself

John


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

X3 !!! At least give it a try first. do your best cleaning up the weathered areas and apply the new sealant. id try that before dropping the $850.


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## FlashG (Jun 23, 2007)

People swear by "Eterna Bond" tape. You could use Eterna bond on the large areas like the transition seams and such.
The tape is not inexpensive - but will stick to anything and is permanant. Big roll at Camping World is around $80 bucks.

I would clean the roof well and remove any loose sealants before applying.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

camping479 said:


> Sounds a little extreme to me for an 05 to have it's roof sealant that deteriorated and need that much work to bring it back.
> 
> If you get up on the roof you can do your own inspection, what you are looking for is cracks in the roof sealant around all of the roof fixtures, vents, skylight, refrigerator exhaust, etc. Even a very small crack can cause a leak. Remove any loose sealant, clean the sealant that is left and apply fresh sealant, you can buy it at the dealer in a caulking tube for about 6 bucks and use the other 844 for camping. Along the edges of where the roof meets the gutter can be recaulked with silicone caulking.
> 
> ...


Mike - It looks like you got a little close to your finger with that Eddie Bauer knife!!







.

My 05 has never been covered and enjoys the Snow/cold winter and the HOT/dry summer weather outside. Only had one small spots last year that needed attention but I still need to look at it this year. That said it is dry inside after a near record snow fall this winter so I do not think I will find much wrong.

To the OP I think the $850 is way over the top. The sealant in general should have plenty of life left in it and you should be able to inspect and just address the spots that need repair.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Year round California sun here beaming on my "old" 2004. Certainly no need to remove all of the old caulking. Just repair as necessary. It's easy. Use Dicor self leveling sealant as needed in any questionable areas. When in doubt just caulk it. $850 bucks....Sheesh







.


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## lizriley (Oct 27, 2007)

We had a somewhat similar situation with that dealer. We bought a used Outback from a 'friend'. Little did we know there was a 4 inch tear in the roof (live and learn!). That same dealer immediately wanted to replace the entire roof. After a lot of fretting and research we decided to fix it with that tape (I can't remember what it is called exactly). It has been fine ever since. It really made me mad that Mid State didn't even suggest patching it.

We now only deal with Suncoast RV. They are just across the interstate from MidState. They won my loyalty when they talked me out of adding slide awnings. I was wanting to put them on to stop some leaking. They told me that awnings were not meant to stop leaks. As a result I saved a heap of money and they earned my loyalty.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

riz said:


> We had a somewhat similar situation with that dealer. We bought a used Outback from a 'friend'. Little did we know there was a 4 inch tear in the roof (live and learn!). That same dealer immediately wanted to replace the entire roof. After a lot of fretting and research we decided to fix it with that tape (I can't remember what it is called exactly). It has been fine ever since. It really made me mad that Mid State didn't even suggest patching it.
> 
> *We now only deal with Suncoast RV. They are just across the interstate from MidState. They won my loyalty when they talked me out of adding slide awnings. I was wanting to put them on to stop some leaking. They told me that awnings were not meant to stop leaks. As a result I saved a heap of money and they earned my loyalty.*


That is great how customer service and not an attempt to get all your money (even if you thought you wanted to spend it)earned your bussiness. Sure wish there were more dealers out there like that.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

CamperAndy said:


> We had a somewhat similar situation with that dealer. We bought a used Outback from a 'friend'. Little did we know there was a 4 inch tear in the roof (live and learn!). That same dealer immediately wanted to replace the entire roof. After a lot of fretting and research we decided to fix it with that tape (I can't remember what it is called exactly). It has been fine ever since. It really made me mad that Mid State didn't even suggest patching it.
> 
> *We now only deal with Suncoast RV. They are just across the interstate from MidState. They won my loyalty when they talked me out of adding slide awnings. I was wanting to put them on to stop some leaking. They told me that awnings were not meant to stop leaks. As a result I saved a heap of money and they earned my loyalty.*


That is great how customer service and not an attempt to get all your money (even if you thought you wanted to spend it)earned your bussiness. Sure wish there were more dealers out there like that.
[/quote]
Ill second that !!


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## mmblantz (Jul 1, 2007)

Thanks for the input guys...I just stopped the work order. The service counter guy"Greg" himmed & hawwed and couldn't justify to me other than say that it needed it and it was only way to avoid bringing back again...and that it's cracked all over. I didn't see cracks all over. Now I guess me & my bad back will do it....I'm thinking mainly around the skylites and toilet vent. live & learn. Probably wont take it back there again based on some of your posts. Anybody have service experience with the new Camping World in Byron, GA? ---Mike B


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

mmblantz said:


> ....it was only way to avoid bringing back again...


Defiant and lying (or perhaps ignorant) right to the end. At least they're consistent.

So if that's the only way to keep it from coming back again, then what happened to the brand new roof and sealant that was up there when it was made? Um yeah, it cracked. And so will anything that they do too. It will eventually crack. They all do.

Caulking is the simplest of maintenance, and something we all can do ourselves. Whether it's done from scratch, or laid over your existing cracks, it WILL seal, and it will be fine.

Now go buy yourself something nice with the $840 you saved. ($850-$10 for the Dicor).


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## blackadarn (Feb 24, 2008)

I am soon going up on my roof to look around. How much weight can you put on the roof? I weight 170lbs. Too much or am I ok?

Neil


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

blackadarn said:


> I am soon going up on my roof to look around. How much weight can you put on the roof? I weight 170lbs. Too much or am I ok?
> 
> Neil


You're pretty light!








In short, it should hold. Don't jump up and down, try to spread out the weight and try to put pressure where the roof doesn't sag (These are the roof trusses). We had 3 guys up there for the PDI, and 180 was the lightest...


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Good call on saving the $$. Let us know how the repair goes!


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Nathan said:


> I am soon going up on my roof to look around. How much weight can you put on the roof? I weight 170lbs. Too much or am I ok?
> 
> Neil


You're pretty light!








In short, it should hold. Don't jump up and down, try to spread out the weight and try to put pressure where the roof doesn't sag (These are the roof trusses). We had 3 guys up there for the PDI, and 180 was the lightest...








[/quote]

I keep an old interior luan, hollow-core door, stored in my garage. I lay it across two saw-horses for a handy work surface, but it also serves well as a place to park my lard butt when I get up on the Outback roof. It spans 3-4 roof beams and lets me move around a little easier - and without the worry of appearing suddenly inside the Outback - like Santa Clause at Christmas time.









Any large piece of plywood or OSB would work, but just be careful to not let any sharp edges or corners create more caulking opportunities (unless you just really need the practice).

But the door is light ('cause it's hollow) and easy to move around. (Hopefully, everyone is smart enough to remove the lock-set and the hinges - but just in case . . .)

Mike


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## nascarcamper (Jan 27, 2005)

I was just reading about touching up caulking and my manual says to use a small amount of mineral spirits soaked in a rag to wipe down the surface to be touched up. After cleaning let it sit for about 15 minutes and you're good to go.


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## mmblantz (Jul 1, 2007)

Just a closing note on the reseal....I bought myself 6 tubes of dicor self leveling and climbed back up top. I poked and proded every square inch of the factory caulk job and found a spot at corner of bathroom skylight that was very soft in comparision to the rest. That was my leak.....an exposed screw head that allowed moisture a way in. I cut it out and squirted fresh up underneath edge and then a fresh coat all around skylight. After that, I lost it and started caulking every little nook & cranny around everything on to of trailer and the entire lenght of the top where it meetes the sides & front/rear seals. May have been a little overkill, it took 4 tubes and a vicodin for my back afterwards but now I'm confident it wont leak. After 2 heavy downpours....not a drop in bathroom.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Glad you got the leak!! They can be frustrating to find sometimes, it was a good move on your part to seal anything that looked like it needed it.

Mike


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Now you have lots of money left over for camping, beer and hot dogs!!


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