Sealants
I just found this source for Parlastic, the sealant that LD uses:
http://www.miniblindonline.com/poseysupply/parroofseal1.html
I don't know how this compares in price to the LD factory, but I think LD is reluctant to ship it because it's considered hazmat (that's what I've heard, anyway). Greg 5/3/01
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The manufacturer for Parlastic is HB Fuller Company in Elkhart, IN...according to the tube I have.
I re-sealed the roof on the '85 Twin/King we had just before the "El Nino" season a couple years ago. Tough and time consuming job to remove all the old hard, cracked and yellowed sealant. I don't know if this stuff comes in quarts, but it is handy to use the 10 oz tube with a caulking gun to get a nice bead then smooth a bit with a putty knife dipped in rubbing alcohol or paint thinner(so the sealant doesn't stick to the putty knife). It might not go on too easily scooping it out of a quart can. 9/7/01
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If you keep any motorhome long enough, no matter how well it's mantained, you are going to have a leak that wasn't anticipated.That said, most leaks can be prevented if your maintainece is comprehensive enough. Problem is knowing all that should be done.
For example, Steve's Hehr window leak in driving rain. I have never read or heard of cleaning under the window tracks and the LD manual has no instructions. It may be obvious now but it wasn't before. My neighbor's RV developted a leak in the TV antenna, a hidden seal went bad. The owner manual had no maintenance instructions.
The ceiling on my LD developed a roof leak in the summer with the A/C running. After tearing the unit apart, I found the evaporator condensate drained was plugged., overflowing the tray. No mention of this in the owners manual and it hidden from view.
Still, most leaks occur because the owner doesn't want or have the time to yearly go through the whole RV looking for problems. We need to to find and use more effective sealants with longer lifespans. One very promising product I'v seen is Eternalbond. A roof sealing tape that has been used in industrial roofing for many years. It stays flexible and holds up to sun when correctly installed.
http://www.eternabond.com/leak_repair_products.htm
I'm still looking for a better sealant for the windows and side seams. I switched over to marine polyurethane several years ago. It last longer than silicone but still needs replacing every few years.A commercial debonder is available for removing and cleaning polyurethane. Silicone does not have a product like this that I know of.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=201&prr
fnbr=3543&outlet=
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=201&prr
fnbr=65583&outlet=
I had a rear window leak. The water was coming between the rubber seal and the glass. Instead of a using a messy sealant, I used "Captain Tolleys"s Creeping Crack Cure"....great name.It is a very thin sealant that used capilary action to pull it into fine cracks.It cleans up well.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=201&prr
fnbr=2740&outlet=
If other members have found better products amd methods, let us know. I'm all for less work and more play. 2/22/02
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Have you tried the Parlastic or PR-255 sealants that LD uses and recommends for this? Both are polyurethane sealants and are in LD's words "The best we know of long-term sealant". They also tell you to NEVER use silcone based sealants on the exterior of your motorhome. This is also what RVCG says. Silicone sealants tend to develop hairline fractures between the surfaces being sealed that draw water in by the same capillary action that the window sealant you used on your rig uses. This is becoming a more well known fact about silicone sealants adhering to metal and several other surfaces, though I'm sure GE would down play this problem!
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I have been working on the roof of my "83" 22' TB for about a month now trying to remove the old sealant. Lazy Daze recommended (over the phone) that I use a heat gun and a plastic putty knife. The heat gun made the sealant soft, but also sofened the plastic putty knife. I finally used a metal putty knife - very carefully. I was told to use acetone to remove the sealant that was left. What a job! I decided to have Lazy Daze put the new sealant on. I also removed all of the vents, and am recaulking them with butyl tape. 3/24/02
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"Does anyone know what kind od sealant Lazy Daze uses to seal the seams on the roof? "
It is called Parlastic. It is a polyurethane with ultraviolet nhibitors. LD sells it or see:
http://www.notjustparts.com/product.asp?pid=3819
Larry 6/18/02
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It may also be worth considering Eternabond tape sealant.
http://www.campingworld.com/browse/products/index.cfm?deptID=&subOf=146&prodID=1627
I say "may" because I haven't tried it myself... but I have seen a number of favorable reports from other RVers.
Eternabond is a 4"-wide self-adhesive tape, available in either white or aluminum finish (paintable). "Adheres to almost any surface (except silicone) instantly and permanently. Will not harden, shrink, streak or ooze," says the description.
The advantage of Eternabond over Parlastic is that you can reportedly apply it over an old seam with minimal preparation--whereas with Parlastic, you must clean off ALL the old sealant, right down to the metal. Those who have done it say that's a real pain-in-the-ass job, with lots of time spent on your knees scraping off the old hardened stuff, applying nasty solvents and scrubbing away the remainders.
Camping World sells Eternabond on 37' x 4" rolls, and also in 6" x 6" patches. I carry a couple of the patches in Gertie's "Spares & Repairs" bin for emergency tank repairs--the stuff is nbelievably sticky and stays flexible from -70 degrees F. to +240 degrees, so it should do a pretty good job of stopping any leak. Again, I haven't used it myself (yet)...but those who have report that it really does the job. Andy 6/18/02
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If you recall, a while back I replaced all the wood around my propane tank because it was rotted out. I finally got around to covering the wood with a coat of undercoating spray.
I have an AutoZone that's walking distance from my house, I don't buy any major car parts from them, but stuff like spray on undercoating I figured would be safe to buy. They had 2 kinds, both from Dupli-Color, the same company that makes those cans of "matching" automotive spray paints. The cheapy can was about $2, I think it was a 16 oz. can. The more expensive can was $4, and included rubberized "soundproofing", and was a little bigger can at 17 oz. It was labeled "Professional Undercoat and Sound Eliminator".
I kind of wondered/worried that if this stuff was made to adhere to metal, it might not be effective on wood. The rubberized stuff said on the label it was good for protecting trees after pruning, so I figured it would work, the $2 stuff didn't have any mention of anything but covering metal. So I went with the $4 stuff.
It worked great. There were a couple places were there was a seam between 2 panels and I wanted a "bead" between them. I just got the can close and went slow and it made a nice bead in the crack. It dried to a nice tough rubbery consistency. Kind of like the spray on bed-liner. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same stuff.
A couple of things I noticed or would do differently:
1. The wood was new so there was no need to clean it, this made life very easy. So, the sooner you cover the new wood the easier it will be on you.
2. I would wear disposable gloves. I didn't and wish I had. When I sprayed in tight spots, the back of my hand hit a panel I had already done, and there was some backsplatter when I got in close. Anyway, I got some on my hands and it took Acetone, Carb Cleaner, and WD-40 to get this stuff off. After trying to get this stuff off my hands (it wasn't even fully dry) I feel pretty confident it is going to stay on that wood.
Things I did correctly: I wore old close I use for "grimy" work. A long sleeve shirt, and goggles. I didn't cover my hair, this might be a good idea too. I almost didn't wear the long sleeve shirt because it would be hot, so I decided I'd wait and work in the morning. It was only 85 degreees :) here in Texas in the morn, so I could wear it without passing out. The reason the long sleeve shirt turned out to be important is that you get an occasional glob that drops off onto the ground (and you don't always notice it), and then your arm hits it as you roll or slide over it to get a new spraying angle. I had some good smears on the back of the arms and forearms of my old shirt. Chuck 8/3/02
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After reading about a LD entry door bottom wood replacement on this forum, I decided to post the following:
Some of us have underbody wood on our Lazy Daze Motorhomes that needs better protection to achieve maximum service life.
Over the years, the construction of the LD, like most Motorhomes, has changed. Among those changes has been a reduction in the amount of unsealed underbody wood, or underbody wood protected only by a coat of black paint that does not provide waterproofing in service. If such underbody wood exists on your Motorhome, you might want to ensure that it is protected from exposure to dirty road water.
On our 2001 LD MB, there were only two underbody locations where wood was exposed with porous black paint as the finish. I found these last summer during a routine underbody check with our LD on a lift. I noticed them because in one location, the paint was slightly dinged by road debris and white wood was showing. Looking more closely, the wood was still damp from a week-old road trip, during which it had rained. Over time, this type of exposure would cause the wood to soften and rot.
The two locations on our LD are: 1. A wood strip across the back of the coach between the underbody floor and the rear bumper pan, and 2. A wood strip running forward – aft at the intersection of the
underbody floor and the left rear lower storage compartment. All other wood used in the underbody area on our LD was extremely well sealed and protected during original build. I do have to admit that I have not yet checked under the front running boards for similar coarse-grained wood exposure. It needs to be well sealed in that area.
I waited until the wood in the above two underbody locations was fully dry and then undercoated the exposed strips, using a pressure can of automotive undercoating. That is available at automobile
accessory or NAPA parts stores. This is a messy job because the undercoating spray is not easily contained. I used plastic sheeting on the storage area concrete, an old pair of coveralls, hat, plastic
gloves and plastic safety goggles. All had to be discarded after three coats of undercoating had been applied. All the underbody wood on our LD is now well protected.
The above is something you might want to put on your list for next summer when the weather and your LD are both very dry.
Don McG 12/22/03
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I'm not sure what the original product is that they put under the chassis, but I can make a recommendation for a great product to re-apply. You can buy Herculiner in gallon cans at lots of different parts stores. Costco probably has the best deal on it. It goes on with a roller that comes with the kit. This stuff is extremely tough. I actually used it to line the engine compartment of my 69 Bronco and it has held up extremely well under very tough conditions, high heat, brake fluid, gas all sorts of stuff spilling on it. The best advice I can give you is to make sure your prep work is well done before applying it. It will adhere to anything but if what you paint it over falls off it will be gone. I would probably use a wire brush disc on a die grinder or drill and take off as much of the old stuff as possible before applying. Also take care to keep it off your skin as it is extremely hard to remove. I would wear a paint smock and full face shield and latex gloves for applying it under a motorhome. I guarantee if you do a good job of applying Herculiner it will hold up longer than your motorhome. Dan 11/9/07
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The general "rule of thumb" is to reseal every about ten years or so as I understand it. A good friend just had his roof resealed at the "Factory" in September and I was really surprised at what they did on his rig. It looked like they trowled on the white polymer sealant. I do not know if they removed the old sealant first or not. The original stuff looks like "honey" and then solidifies. The job really looked amateur and was not smooth at all. I do not know what he paid for the reseal as he had other work done as well. I understand the cost is about $1,000, but you should check with the Factory. After seeing this reseal, I would use EternaBond (DIY) tape ($100?) well before the seams go bad. That is what I did to my own 2001 rig a year ago or more.
Terry Tanner 10/2/09
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I was going to Eternabond a 1992 LD when I found that the Factory seam had been generously coated with a coat or two of trailer roof sealant.
The trailer roof sealant barely dissolved when trying all the solvent I had on hand. I also found big rusty hole, under the sealant, in one of the front corners, an area prone to leaks.
So the choice was made to remove it all off.
I had bought a Rockwell Vibratory tool several months ago for another job and had wondered about how well it would work for removing roof sealant. http://rockwelltools.com/RK5101K.htm
I installed a sharp scrapper blade and started slicing and wow!,this thing moves.
It took about two hours of actual work (and a couple water and sharpening breaks)to remove the big stuff plus another hour of using a grinder to buff off the remaining sealant. Most of the surface was cleaned down to bare metal. The roof then got two lacquer thinner scrubs, a etching solution treatment, was washed and dried, wiped again with lacquer thinner and was then allowed to bake in the sun. Next a thick bead of 3M-5200 sealant was applied to the all exposed seams and pushed in and smoothed with a gloved finger. http://tinyurl.com/5ajghn
The Eternabond was then carefully applied, trimmed and rolled. Any remaining bare metal was painted.
The whole job took 6-7 very busy hours.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/sets/72157624693172984/
This is the type of seal I wish the Factory would have installed originally.
I also wish they would slightly dome the roof to prevent the formation of Lake Newton.
Larry 8/10/10
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A few months ago, I read a great posting by Larry complete with a link, which showed step by step pictures of him taking on the arduous task of resealing the LD roof seams in just one days time!
http://tinyurl.com/28xkfuz
I found a similar but much cheaper tool at Harbor Freight Reg priced at $39.99 that I bought on sale for $29.99.
A recent call to the factory informed me that they are now sealing the roof seams with PL PolyUrethan Sealant for Doors & Windows which is available at Home Depot.
They previously used PR-255 Pro-Series Sealant by OSI SEALANTS, INC. which I understand is no longer available!
Ed 11/19/10
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While wandering about the vendor area at the Tampa RV show the other
day, I came across this RV roof coating company that I found quite
interesting. After reading the many post by LD owners that are faced
with 10-year period roof seam re-sealing project, I was wondering if
this would be a viable alternative. The company rep said that the
coating can be applied not only to rubber roof, but also to fiberglass
and aluminum roofs. He removes all the old calking around all roof
openings, replaces any damages sub structure, primes the surface, and
sprays on a thick (3/16") Dow vinyl-type flexible material. Then a non-
slip granular layer is sprayed on followed by the final white coating.
The demo model showing the sealing around roof vents was impressive. I
asked about the additional weight which was around 100+lbs. He charges
by the linear foot. You would have to call for the price.
Here is the web site. <http://www.rvroof.com>
See what you all think. I am sure there are both
pluses & minuses to this for a LD roof.
Mike Coachman 1/15/11