RV seal and seam upkeep is likely one of the most essential upkeep duties for any RV proprietor, and it’s one I at all times, at all times be sure that to remain on prime of. Your RV’s seals are what hold water out of the camper, stopping mildew and wood rot—each main points that no one needs to take care of.
Sadly, many individuals don’t have any thought methods to go about resealing their RV. That’s why I’m right here at the moment. Under is every thing I’ve realized through the years about RV seal and seam upkeep. On this article I share methods to examine, restore, or change RV seals within the roof, partitions, and slide outs.
How one can Examine Three Widespread RV Seals: Exterior Wall Seams, Roof and Slide Out Seals.
To be able to make sure you catch leaks as quickly as attainable, it is vital that you just test your RV seals and seams commonly. Some suggest doing a radical inspection each six months, however we predict each 4 months might be a good safer guess.
Exterior Wall Seams
When checking your seals, go over every seam rigorously, searching for holes, cracks,or locations the place the sealant is lifting. All of those are potential entry factors for water and ought to be resealed instantly.
Roof Seals
You’ll additionally wish to try your RV roof. If the roof is discolored in locations, it is perhaps time to recoat the whole factor. Search for tears or holes within the rubber roof. These will have to be fastened whilst you’re up there.
Slide Out Seals
Lastly, be sure you examine your slide seals. These are inclined to grow to be melted, cracked, and misshapen over time. Search for something that appears out of the odd and change broken slide seals immediately.
Unsure you may keep in mind to do that each 4–6 months? RV Life Maintenance can assist you retain monitor of your RV upkeep and can even ship you reminders when it’s time to sort out the subsequent job.
Tricks to Reseal, Patch, Recoat, or Exchange Unhealthy RV Seals
Inspecting for dangerous seals and seams in your leisure car is barely half of the job. The true work begins while you sort out this common upkeep chore. Let’s take a look at what you must do in case your RV has dangerous seals or seams that want consideration.
Resealing Your RV Roof
Your RV roof seams ought to be resealed a minimum of yearly, and any tears or harm to the roof ought to be coated immediately. In the meantime, the RV roof itself will doubtless solely have to be recoated as soon as each few years.
Earlier than doing any of these items, you’ll want to make sure your roof is walkable. If it isn’t, it will likely be essential to have a very good ladder you may transfer simply. You’ll additionally wish to give the roof a good cleaning to take away particles, mud, and guarantee no matter sealant you utilize sticks correctly.
As soon as your roof is clear, you may dive proper in, ensuring to follow top quality, RV-specific seal merchandise and coating options so as to keep away from harm.
Resealing RV Roof Seams
To reseal roof seams:
- Clear filth from the world effectively, ensuring to not permit moisture beneath the sealant.
- Take away any free items of sealant.
- Cowl the outdated sealant and the seam utterly utilizing a caulking gun and Dicor RV lap sealant.
- Permit the brand new sealant to treatment earlier than being uncovered to rain.
Patching Roof Tears and Holes
To patch tears of holes within the roof:
- Clear the world effectively, ensuring to not permit moisture beneath the rubber.
- Cowl the outlet or tear with a bit of pressure-sensitive EternaBond tape.
- Press the EternaBond into place, making certain all sides are caught down.
Recoating Your RV Roof
To redcoat your RV roof:
- Clear the whole roof effectively.
- Cowl the entrance, again, and sides of the RV with painters plastic and painters tape to keep away from extra drips.
- Roll an RV-specific coating product made by producers reminiscent of Dicor. Roll onto the roof utilizing a paint curler with an extended deal with. Make sure you comply with product directions exactly.
- Permit to dry utterly.
Resealing Wall Seams
Along with your RV roof resealed, the subsequent step is to restore the opposite seams in your RV. For a fast job, merely use a caulk gun to use Dicor non-sag sealant to the offending seams.
Typically it’s higher to take away home windows, vents, storage bay doorways, and different bits and items from the perimeters of the RV and reseal from beneath the sides. To do that:
- Unscrew the half from the RV wall (in the case of your RV’s window seals, chances are you’ll have to search for window screws contained in the RV) and take away the components that have to be resealed.
- Take away the outdated butyl tape from the bottom of the piece and replace it with new butyl tape, ensuring to get good protection.
- Screw the piece again into the RV wall.
- Reseal across the edges with Dicor non-sag sealant.
- Permit to treatment.
Notes for utilizing non-sag sealant: Utilizing a moist finger to unfold the sealant may be useful. Mineral spirits can take away sealant for those who occur to drip, however might harm paint, so watch out.
Tricks to Exchange RV Slide Seals
Let’s say you’re having hassle with RV slide-out seals. The method for replacing RV slide out seals is completely different from one RV to the subsequent, and from one kind of seal to the subsequent (many RVs make use of two forms of slide seals). Usually, you’ll both be coping with seals that slide into place alongside a monitor, seals that may be pushed or clicked into place, or seals which might be caught in place with an adhesive.
These seals which might be run into place alongside a monitor or click on into place are fairly simple to interchange. Simply use some endurance, as it may get tedious, particularly when reaching above your head.
Within the case of adhesive seals nonetheless, you’ll want to make use of a putty knife to softly pry the seal off of the RV. From there, clear the outdated adhesive from the RV utilizing a product that doesn’t harm the RV paint (we are inclined to have good luck with cautious utility of mineral spirits). You’ll be able to then change the seals utilizing an adhesive reminiscent of Loctite Super Glue, or you may put money into push-on seals that click on into place as a substitute.
Lastly obtained an opportunity at the moment to do some work on changing the seals at the moment as there was little likelihood of rain. It took about 2 hours yesterday simply to get the seal off the entrance facet of the slide as I had to determine a very good course of alongside the way in which. A few essential notes.
@newRVer, Replacement Slide Seals, ForestRiverForums.com
This video may allow you to higher perceive slide out seal substitute:
By staying on prime of this comparatively simple RV upkeep process, now we have been in a position to hold our RV in good situation and revel in a number of years of RVing with only a few leaks or pricey repairs. I extremely suggest you do the identical!