Roof Center Trim Caulking

BradS7535 · 07-09-2016, 11:13 AM

So I've read most of the topics on the roof trim pieces and caulking them but I just wanted some clarification hopefully. When I washed my TM last weekend I noticed that the caulk had slightly separated from the roof center trim piece (still well attached to the roof, pic below).

1) Does this mean I WILL have a leak if/when it rains in SoCal?
2) Is there a caulk seal below this trim piece that is the main seal from leaks?
3) From what I've read, it seems like this is a common occurrence of the caulk not sticking to the plastic trim piece. Is it a major problem to leave it like this if there are no leaks, or what do you guys do about it? Seems like even slight movement in the roofs could cause even new caulk to separate from the plastic trim and it would be a pain to have to re-caulk every time it separates.

I'm wanting to put my Solar panel on, but due to the size it will straddle the center trim. I'm going to see how difficult it is to unbolt the panel from the z-brackets if it is mounted to the roof to make sure I can remove the panels later if I need to re-caulk the center trim piece.

Your thoughts and suggestions are as always, appreciated.

grubbyjeans · 07-09-2016, 04:25 PM

I just recently had to re-caulk mine due to a leak. It was a very small leak and difficult to find.

The leak manifested as a window leak (front window). We noticed water sitting in the lower corner of the window frame and found that the curtains would get wet while driving in rain. Since they were behind the vinyl flap and there were [NO] other wet areas in the front of the trailer, I was pretty sure that the bottom seal was not allowing water to be blown in. Additionally, it was always clean water.

We were at the factory last summer and I had them reseal the clearance lights and after that didn't solve the problem, I re-caulked the out side of the window and the seams across the front of the trailer.

Since nothing else prevented the leak I just took a chance that the center seal was the problem. When I removed it I found shrunken sealant all along the strip. I completely removed it, cleaned the surface and strip. I then applied exterior silicon sealer to the seam and reattached the strip.

After cleaning the ooze that was squashed out when attaching the strip it was clear that I had a good seal. We've had no more leaks since.

Clean the surface along the strip and apply painter's tape on both sides of the strip leaving a gap of ~1/8" between the tape and seam strip before removing the strip. I chose to apply caulk and press the strip into it rather than trying to force caulk under the edges of the trim strip. Cleanup after caulk only involves wiping the excess away from the strip and removing the tape.

[email protected] · 07-09-2016, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradS7535

So I've read most of the topics on the roof trim pieces and caulking them but I just wanted some clarification hopefully. When I washed my TM last weekend I noticed that the caulk had slightly separated from the roof center trim piece (still well attached to the roof, pic below).

1) Does this mean I WILL have a leak if/when it rains in SoCal?
2) Is there a caulk seal below this trim piece that is the main seal from leaks?
3) From what I've read, it seems like this is a common occurrence of the caulk not sticking to the plastic trim piece. Is it a major problem to leave it like this if there are no leaks, or what do you guys do about it? Seems like even slight movement in the roofs could cause even new caulk to separate from the plastic trim and it would be a pain to have to re-caulk every time it separates.

I'm wanting to put my Solar panel on, but due to the size it will straddle the center trim. I'm going to see how difficult it is to unbolt the panel from the z-brackets if it is mounted to the roof to make sure I can remove the panels later if I need to re-caulk the center trim piece.

Your thoughts and suggestions are as always, appreciated.

Once again you can go look at my website to see how I dealt with the leaks that I HAD....but not anymore and hopefully not ever again....and hopefully this will give you some ideas...your roof trim does look better than the puny little strip I had down the middle on mine...
3M makes some really good marine caulk I think it's called 4900 or 5200??? see if you can find some...I know I discuss it on my website under "The Roof"....(once again, PUSHING my website...AHHHH...that felt GOOD!)
Tom

Shane826 · 07-09-2016, 08:36 PM

Is the trim strip flat on the bottom or does it protrude down into the seam? Is it at all rigid, or would it come rolled? I ask because a previous owner of my 3326 put so much lap sealant or window putty or something on the center strip I doubt I'll be able to clean the strip without ruining it. I'd rather just replace it, and it would be much easier to find some generic piece to use.

tentcamper · 07-10-2016, 08:24 AM

our 2003 the strip has never been caulked and never leaked. That strip of trim in put up there to cover where the two roof aluminium sections come together. Those sections overlap and are either glued or epoxied together.

When at the factory I asked if it needed caulking and the answer was is it leaking or is it lose? If so yes. But they said most don't leak.

Craigrrr · 07-10-2016, 08:57 AM

mine was like yours Brad, the seal was just coming apart , so I did remove the old and put in fresh sealant / caulking I just did not want to take the chance when we go to the rainy part of the country

grubbyjeans · 07-11-2016, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tentcamper

our 2003 the strip has never been caulked and never leaked. That strip of trim in put up there to cover where the two roof aluminium sections come together. Those sections overlap and are either glued or epoxied together.

When at the factory I asked if it needed caulking and the answer was is it leaking or is it lose? If so yes. But they said most don't leak.

The leak we had was in that area. Water would seep under the trim strip in the areas where the caulk had shrunken. It would then run along the gap between the top surfaces to the top of the window frame. There it would run across the window frame to the inside because it was behind the caulking on the exterior of the window frame.

BradS7535 · 02-08-2017, 11:07 AM

Happy New year to all! Been awhile since I've posted. Went camping a few weeks ago to New Brighton State Beach up in Monterey County and it rained the last day we were there. When we got back to the camper the front curb-side window curtain was wet and there was water on the flaps and some under the front bed mattress. After setting up the TM my bubble levels said the trailer was level, but my eyes were telling me that the front curb-side looked lower (hence why the water was possibly running to that corner).

When we first got the TM, CustomRV re-caulked all the items on the roof (A/C, vents, antenna) and those all look good. I haven't had a chance to look at the marker lights and such, but would the center seam caulk separation (pic in my original post) possibly be a cause of this leak?

I've read through the other leak threads and have read either cleaning and re-caulking or some have mentioned using eternabond tape. Has anyone used a spray rubber sealant before to fix a leak on their TM like this Rust-Oleum Spray? They have a clear and white version. Was thinking if I taped off maybe 1/4" on either side of the center trim piece and sprayed this down it would work. Thoughts?

**Bill** · 02-08-2017, 12:41 PM

According to the RustOleum FAQ page, the LeakSeal product will not stick to silicone caulk or ABS plastic. The page says nothing about acrylic caulk, so maybe it is OK there, but I don't know if that is what is on the TM.

Bill

BradS7535 · 02-08-2017, 01:40 PM

I was thinking I would remove the caulk along the edge of the center trim piece. But if the trim piece is ABS plastic, then it probably wouldn't work.