Can anyone tell me what they are using to fill seams on the exterior.

[JMSx2]

Silver Frost is the color of the exterior of my '05 LY. I'm starting to see cracks in the caulking.

[gloran]

Probably your caulk was color matched to the full body paint of your motorhome. You may have to find a supplier that offers custom colored caulk, or replace with clear, after removing damaged caulk.

[Airstream12557]

Any RV supply place should have a caulk for your fiberglass roof. I forget the name of the caulk, but it is self leveling. I cut out any cracked area or any unstuck area with a razor knife (be careful) , clean the exposed area with rubbing alcohol, and apply the new caulk. The color matches what is around the vents, AC, etc on top. Any caulk applied in areas that may be seen from the ground was painted at the factory on my rig. Pay close attention to the seams between the roof and the end caps. When the caulk is applied, it remains flowable for a while and levels out and makes a smooth surface.

Sam

[Michigander]

Originally Posted by JMSx2

Silver Frost is the color of the exterior of my '05 LY. I'm starting to see cracks in the caulking.

We have the same year and color LYG MH as you. When we first got it in August, 2007, it had been sitting (baking) on a lot in the hot Florida sun for over a year.

The seams needed some attention and I used Dicor Lap sealant. It comes in two colors, white and dove grey. There is also a choice of non-leveling/non-sag or self-leveling.

My local RV store had it and I also picked up some from camping world.

I fortified every horizontal seam on the roof and came down the side of the roof shoulder until it hit the wall.

On the edges I used the dove color and white everywhere else. Color matching is nearly impossible and not a big deal on the roof. Nobody can see the top anyways.

It's much more important to have a good seal than worry about roof color.

Dicor was recommended to me by a very good friend who is a long time and very experienced motorhomer. He always has had excellent advice for me and to date has not steered me wrong.

PM me if you'd like and I can give you more details.

Bob

[Michigander]

Jeff,

I just got back from the barn where I keep my motorhome. The guy I rent space from is an avid and long time motorhomer.

He recommends you use DOW Corning 999-A Silicone Building and Glazing Sealant. It is a clear preparation. He showed me where he used it on his MH and it looks great!

Cut a small amount of the tip of the tube off, maybe an eighth inch hole, and apply to your seams. Angle the cut on the tip.

Right away, after you lay a bead down, dip your finger in a bowl of pretty soapy water made with regular liquid dish soap and a little water. The solution should feel soapy.

Run your finger along the bead and smooth it into the seam. You should end up with a nice concave seam.

This stuff is different from regular silicone and will not yellow out in the sun.

Good luck! And keep me posted.

Bob

(BTW, Dick, my motorhome friend has never steered my wrong.)

[jrkeef]

We just bought a 30' 2000 Land Yacht. During most of its life the prior owner kept it stored under cover but it had been outside for the last year or so. I have found no evidence of leaks but some of the caulked seems look cracked and dirty. A avid diy Airstreamer told me to use a caulk containing 100% silcone. He looked at mine and recommended a diluted bleach solution to clean the existing caulk washed off quickly then caulk over the old caulk removing any loose caulk with the 100% silicone caulk. I haven't done that yet but it sounded right to me????

[CanoeStream]

Two things never to do with an Airstream you don't want to leak? Don't pressure wash. Don't use silicone.

All aluminum oxidizes within moments of its first exposure to air. This surface is very unpredictable in maintaining adhesion with silicone -- either it will be a bond so tough that set silicone is impossible to remove -- or worse, it will sneakily have no bond at all and leak like a sieve. It actually will do both on the same job. A terrible material to use on aluminum.

The answers are SikaFlex 221 (color: gray) for normal caulking and then Acryl-R for wicking into the lapped aluminum seams. Read this post here ... and this one too.

You could frustrate yourself trying to seal a hundred feet of scabby looking seams and then find leak damage from the next four feet of seams you didn't seal. The gold test is to find a SealTech machine and someone who knows how to use it. Sure, they'll charge to seal you back up again. But the downside is learning the hard way about the Airstream motto -- 'They All Leak'.

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

Two things never to do with an Airstream you don't want to leak? Don't pressure wash. Don't use silicone.

All aluminum oxidizes within moments of its first exposure to air. This surface is very unpredictable in maintaining adhesion with silicone -- either it will be a bond so tough that set silicone is impossible to remove -- or worse, it will sneakily have no bond at all and leak like a sieve. It actually will do both on the same job. A terrible material to use on aluminum.

The answers are SikaFlex 221 (color: gray) for normal caulking and then Acryl-R for wicking into the lapped aluminum seams. Read this post here ... and this one too.

You could frustrate yourself trying to seal a hundred feet of scabby looking seams and then find leak damage from the next four feet of seams you didn't seal. The gold test is to find a SealTech machine and someone who knows how to use it. Sure, they'll charge to seal you back up again. But the downside is learning the hard way about the Airstream motto -- 'They All Leak'.

What Aluminum?
They are talking about fiberglass Airstream motorhomes.
Does this advise still apply without aluminum?

[92landyacht]

The corner rounds that run the length of the roof are made of aluminum. I second never using silicone on any exterior surfaces.

[jrkeef]

Good to know about the silicone, fortunately I am retired and prone to procrastination so I haven't bought the all silicone caulk yet much less used it on my Land Yacht. Thanks

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by 92landyacht

The corner rounds that run the length of the roof are made of aluminum. I second never using silicone on any exterior surfaces.

OK I never noticed the quarter rounds up there.

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by jrkeef

Good to know about the silicone, fortunately I am retired and prone to procrastination so I haven't bought the all silicone caulk yet much less used it on my Land Yacht. Thanks

You know the weird thing about those so called 100% silicone products. How can 1 company make more then 30 different products that are all 100% silicone without deceptive marketing?




I know they actually say "made with 100% silicone" so they make sure that's pure then mix a lot of other chemicals with it so it doesn't matter if it was ever 100% pure silicone.

[blkmagikca]

I used to have a '94 LY motor home and learned the hard way about fixing the roof seams. Given that your flat roof is fiberglass (similar to the decking on a boat) and the corner rounds are aluminum, if you don't properly seal the seams you will have leaks.

What I ended up doing (after having several RV repair centers work on it) was to clean all the roof seams with minerals spirits, and check that all the rivets were intact (I actually replaced about 10 of them). All old caulking was carefully removed and I laid a bead of Dircor self-leveling sealant. The next day (after the Dicor had firmed up) I put down Eternabond tape. This was a 3-man operation: one to hold the roll and keep it straight, one to initially stick it down and the third to use a roller to finally get it bonded. After the Eternabond tape was installed, I put a bead of Dicor sealant along the leading edges of the front and rear tapes.

The corners are critical and the most difficult to do. The Eternabond tape has zero-tolerance - once it is stuck down, you cannot unstick it and move it. So plan *EXACTLY* where the tape will be, particularly how the tape on the front and rear caps will fit over the longitudinal tapes.

As well, pay careful attention to where you place the tape around the roof vents.

Do NOT use any silicone sealant on the roof seams. The PO who sold me the motorhome had done so, and while it looked OK, the service tech at RV Canada (an AS dealer) showed me how it all lifted with his fingernail and peeled right off.

[92landyacht]

Pretty much what I did with my 92 LY. Calk seams and then Eternabond everything.

[gloran]

AS eliminated the long quarter rounds down each side so you don't have to deal with the extra seams. The fiberglas wraps around and caps over the side walls on the newer models all in one piece, no aluminum on WasBro MH.