Dicor Lap Sealant for Your RV
Maintain the seals around your RV roof vents, antennas, and anything else attached to the roof is important to keep out leaks. Most RV roof leaks start where there has been a hole cut in the roof, such as to install a fan. The edges of the roof vents, fans and antennas are sealed with Dicor lap sealant.
However, this lap sealer doesn’t last forever, and will eventually develop cracks, allowing water to get in. It will be a lot cheaper to renew the lap sealer on your roof than it will be to fix the damage from leaks.
Check the Roof Seals for Cracks
Every few months, go up on your roof to make sure everything looks good; take a look at everything that’s been sealed with lap sealant, and look closely for any cracks. This could be anything from a hairline crack to a big crevice.
Especially check around where the bathroom vents attach, and where the ladder attaches to the roof. These areas crack the most. Once you reach the front of the RV, look double-check for cracks on your way back to the ladder.
Tools for the Job
The first thing you’ll need is a tube of self-leveling Dicor lap sealant. You may need to get this at an RV supply store.
You’ll also need:
- A caulking gun
- Mineral spirits
- Rags and paper towels
- Rubber gloves
Clean the Old Sealant
In order for the new layer of Dicor to properly apply, you’ll need to clean the grime and dirt off the old lap sealant. That is what the mineral spirits and rags are for. Rub the old sealant with the mineral spirits until it looks white again. Do all of the areas at once and let it dry thoroughly.
Sealing the Roof
Once all of your seal areas are clean and dry, it’s time to load the tube of Dicor self-leveling lap sealant into the caulking gun. Now go over all of the areas that have cracks, starting at the back of the RV and working forward. Apply the lap sealant generously, and you don’t need to worry about it looking neat or pretty. Just make sure everything is well covered.
Since the lap sealant is self-leveling, it seeps in and fills the cracks on its own. What you’ll have when you are done is a layer of lap sealant with no visible cracks. You can use up the entire tube of lap sealant since it doesn’t really keep; it will inevitably dry up in the tube before you can use it again.
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