I read in the manual or somewhere every 5 years. It’s about the same time as you should replace the tires. I suppose it depends upon the storage situation and the amount of travel an AS has on it. Anyway I have a 2017 and in 2012 I’m taking it in to get it done. Ounce of prevention is worth pound of cure.
I hear 5 years. Taking mine to the mothership this summer for that and many other updates. It’s a 2012 - not a drop of leaks so I’m a little nervous about having it done because they scrape the old goop out first.
2012 25' FB International
Trent Woods
, North Carolina
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,120
Mine only lasted 2 years, a visual inspection showed cracking and peeling. Probably depends on the factory crew caulking your trailer. You should inspect it every year, but inside storage should last a long time.
Larry
I inspect every year in the spring. And do a complete strip/remove and reseal every 5. Removing the old sealant is very important to doing a proper resealing job. Piling more sealant on a failing seam is a recipe for future problems.
2012 25' FB International
Trent Woods
, North Carolina
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,120
I have attempted to overcome this issue with 3M Extreme sealant tape 4412. You clean up the old seams then apply this tape over the old. It was designed for sealing aluminum roofs and i expect it to last for as long as I own my AIrstream. The root problem is that Airstream does not use the best sealants available for this; my dealer would not use a marine caulk that I requested because it is not Airstream approved. There are marine sealants that would last a long, long time, also.
Larry
Our 26u is three years old now and wondering if we should have ours resealed. Any idea the cost to have this done a Jackson Center and how long it takes? Also do they any kind of leak test after the work is complete? Thank you!
2012 25' FB International
Trent Woods
, North Carolina
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,120
My dealer charged $900 and it took them three weeks from the time I dropped it off. I have no idea how long it actually took them to do the work, but you certainly need to let the caulk cure before you start driving down the road. My dealer used Dicor.
Larry
I have attempted to overcome this issue with 3M Extreme sealant tape 4412. You clean up the old seams then apply this tape over the old. It was designed for sealing aluminum roofs and i expect it to last for as long as I own my AIrstream. The root problem is that Airstream does not use the best sealants available for this; my dealer would not use a marine caulk that I requested because it is not Airstream approved. There are marine sealants that would last a long, long time, also.
Larry
My trailer is only a couple years old, can I just apply the sealant tape over the existing caulking? Also after applying the tape do you then apply any caulking or is the tape in lieu of the caulking?
__________________
2018 Classic 30
2012 F250 6.7l
US Army Watercraft Engineering Officer
2012 25' FB International
Trent Woods
, North Carolina
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,120
NO! You must follow the 3M instructions which require you to clean the dirt and crumbling caulk off all surfaces. I believe it specifies using isopropyl alcohol. These things are only as good as the preparation that you do. You do not use caulk after applying it, you just press it down hard.
Larry
when it came time to reseal the seams and rivets; I had the whole roof done with "Bus Kote". Not only did I have that done, the FF's were removed as well as the vents. The only thing NOT removed was the AC.
Two years now and all is well and the A$$ is left out in the elements.
There is a separate thread on the subject.
We have a 2010 and we ended up with leaks in 2018 and had everything on the AS resealed as we also had two leaks up by the windows. It was quite expensive (10K).
I have a 2016 Flying Cloud. Only leak I've had so far is the sealant around the backup camera.
That said, at 4.5 years old it will be going into Vinnie's Northbay in June for a complete roof reseal and fantastic fan vent covers (along with other work).
__________________
Jamie
2016 25' RBT Flying Cloud "Bullseye"
2016 Chevy 2500 High Country Duramax Diesel
WBCCI #9026 Delmarva Unit
2005 22' International CCD
Im Fang
, Canton Freiburg
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by lsbrodsky
I have attempted to overcome this issue with 3M Extreme sealant tape 4412. You clean up the old seams then apply this tape over the old. It was designed for sealing aluminum roofs and i expect it to last for as long as I own my AIrstream. The root problem is that Airstream does not use the best sealants available for this; my dealer would not use a marine caulk that I requested because it is not Airstream approved. There are marine sealants that would last a long, long time, also.
Larry
Thanks for this tip. I used another silver construction tape but it didn't hold up. This looks much better. Can you tell me please the width and length you bought? I see it for sale online- where did you buy it?
2012 25' FB International
Trent Woods
, North Carolina
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,120
Quote:
Originally Posted by david.steed
Thanks for this tip. I used another silver construction tape but it didn't hold up. This looks much better. Can you tell me please the width and length you bought? I see it for sale online- where did you buy it?
David
I bought 2 rolls of 18 yards, 2 inch tape. I always get this kind of stuff from McMaster even if it costs more than Amazon: https://www.mcmaster.com/7593a9-7593A4
A good friend of ours had a dealer use Eternabond on the seams after cleaning the caulking. Eternabond comes in different widths, and I believe they used something like a 4 inch wide roll. From my experience using Eternabond on other RVs, it is as close to permanent as anything that is used on RV roofs.
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