Roof Center Trim Caulking

[Bill]

I don't think it is ABS, since ABS is black.

I didn't intend to confuse things in this thread by mentioning ABS. I included it in the list of no-no's since I had just finished reading the thread about attaching a drain pipe to the gray water tank (which is ABS) and wondering if anyone would try using the Rust-Oleum spray on that.

Bottom line - by far the hardest part of any caulking job is the prep, meaning removal of the existing caulk. Especially if it is silicone-based. Almost nothing sticks to silicone, including more silicone. And the TM strip is probably caulked with silicone.

Bill

[BradS7535]

Thanks for the clarification Bill. Anyone have any experience with the Rustoleum LeakSeal? Seems like an easy(er) way to seal up that top trim.

[grubbyjeans]

Originally Posted by Bill

I don't think it is ABS, since ABS is black.

...........
Bill

ABS isn't always black. I came from an Apache to Trailmanor. The road cover (roof of the trailer) is vacuformed abs in white. Over the years, as the material aged, it became very brittle and often cracked. We bought abs pellets and melted them down in MEK for use in repairing the cracks.

The MEK would turn the pellets into a pliable paste that we brushed into the cracks. The MEK would then soften the original material and 'weld' the crack with the new material.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...llets&_sacat=0

When I resealed my centerline, ....... see post#2

[Shane826]

i suspect mine is leaking also. I'm replacing the entire strip as the current one is pretty beat up. Just a thought, but if you're in there anyway it may be a good idea to run a bead of lap sealant or Eterna-Bond over the actual seam under the trim piece. If you just caulk the trim piece you're not really sealing where the water will eventually actually enter the roof.

[BradS7535]

Originally Posted by Shane826

i suspect mine is leaking also. I'm replacing the entire strip as the current one is pretty beat up. Just a thought, but if you're in there anyway it may be a good idea to run a bead of lap sealant or Eterna-Bond over the actual seam under the trim piece. If you just caulk the trim piece you're not really sealing where the water will eventually actually enter the roof.

Good idea Shane. I think I will either get a 4" wide roll of eternabond and roll that over the trim piece and cover the whole thing, or get a 2" roll and remove the trim piece and put the eternabond over the gap and then put the trim back on. Any preference between those two options? Don't want to break the trim piece removing it, but also want the most robust and clean looking solution.

[Shane826]

Choice B sounds like the way to go. I got a new trim piece from TrailManor. It wasn't expensive, they charged me $2.32/ft.

[BradS7535]

Originally Posted by Shane826

Choice B sounds like the way to go. I got a new trim piece from TrailManor. It wasn't expensive, they charged me $2.32/ft.

What did you end up doing? Sealant or eternabond under? Is the trim piece flat on the bottom? Just wondering how it went.

[Shane826]

I have all the materials rounded up and will perform the repair when the weather warms up so everything cures and sticks. But I will put a piece of tape over the seal and then the trim over that for appearance. The trim is NOT flat, and if I remember, it's like a shallow "n" shape and has 3M double sided tape on the edges. I'll try to get a picture of the trim piece after work.

[BradS7535]

So I think I found where the water is coming in. Sprayed the hose around the roof in different spots and checked for leaking. Water started coming in when I sprayed the front curbside corner of the roof, where the awning attached. Found a small hole in the caulk on the top trim piece (pictures). Also saw some weird caulking "loop" on the awning bracket. I can't really tell but it looks like there is one of those "weep" holes behind the awning and they tried not to cover it with caulk (2nd photo). Hard to see the hole in the picture. Can anyone confirm if this is indeed a weep hole or if they just did a crappy job caulking here and there should be caulk down between the awning and body?

Sorry for image size, posted and took the photos directly from my phone.

Update: I'm not sure if it is a weep hole, but I'm going to have to fix that caulk loop. I tested to see exactly where the water is coming in so I poured a little water into that area (not on the corner trim where the hole in the caulk is in the first picture) but between the awning and shell and the water came straight inside down the front right corner wall.

[Shane826]

Interesting. I'm not sure what I'm looking at here but I was under the impression the caulk between the awning and wall was just to keep water from pouring down over the door?

Also here's a pic of the roof trim cross-section.