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Old 09-19-2018, 02:24 PM   #1
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Question How long should caulking hold up before it needs to be redone?

I've had our 2011 Crossroads Zinger trailer for close to three year now. When I first got it I went through everything and cleaned out the old caulking on all of the joints, and redid it. Then last summer I noticed that some of that caulking had started to crack and look pretty bad so I redid a bunch of it again.

And now this summer/fall I've started to notice that once again, I can see several spots were the caulking around things has started to pull away and/or crack...and needs to be redone.

I've always used the high quality (and expensive) RV caulk, and it just doesn't seem to last very long.

Is that pretty normal, or am I doing it wrong??

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Old 09-19-2018, 02:35 PM   #2
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Dicor 501LSW is suppose to be the best. Some remove the caulk completely and install Eternabond tape which is more permanent and less susceptible to the elements as long as it's in a less visible location. The key is totally removing ALL of the old material, clean surface very well with alcohol or acetone, then re-apply.
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Old 09-19-2018, 02:52 PM   #3
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I hope that the caulking on mine lasts at least a Month past the time when I finally sell it...

Gtitz is right: it's all about surface prep...
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Old 09-19-2018, 03:00 PM   #4
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so what is everyone's tip to removing caulk? On the bottom of my list of favorite things to do....
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Old 09-19-2018, 03:38 PM   #5
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Take it to a commercial roofer or a dealer and let them do it. Mobile home roofers would be a good source if an RV dealer isn't convenient. Too much to risk doing it wrong for me. Not me!!
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Old 09-19-2018, 04:09 PM   #6
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Agreed: this is best left to the folks who have insurance to protect you from their mistakes.
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Old 09-19-2018, 04:16 PM   #7
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As part of a general maintenance routine you should be checking the roof caulk and reapplying at least yearly (e.g. at least once per season climb up there and put more on areas that look light, cracked, etc.).

Don't necessarily need to remove, just add more.
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Old 09-19-2018, 04:27 PM   #8
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Reminds me a neighbor a few years ago that tried to sweat copper pipes on a water heater. It kept leaking....he kept laying in the solder wherever he saw it dripping...it ended up with a baseball size lump of solder...still leaking.
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Old 09-19-2018, 04:32 PM   #9
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That's about how all of my home projects end up looking: like a "lump of mess"!
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Old 09-19-2018, 05:35 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by JamieGeek View Post
As part of a general maintenance routine you should be checking the roof caulk and reapplying at least yearly (e.g. at least once per season climb up there and put more on areas that look light, cracked, etc.).

Don't necessarily need to remove, just add more.

I'm not talking about the self leveling caulking on the roof.......I'm talking about the calking on all of the vertical and horizontal surfaces of the trailer. That stuff just doesn't last long at all. Give it a year and it's cracking and/or pulling away from the joint.



I use DICON self leveling caulking for the roof....and it works great. Unfortunately, the DICON lap joint non-sagging stuff for everything else is pretty crummy stuff.



The guys at the local RV store actually told me that they try to steer everyone away from the DICON products because they are consonantly getting complaints about it....where many of the other brands they carry seem to hold up much better.
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Old 09-19-2018, 05:36 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by lazinskm View Post
so what is everyone's tip to removing caulk? On the bottom of my list of favorite things to do....

I pick up a few of those sharp plastic scrappers made to remove caulk....it turns it into a much less painful job.
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Old 09-19-2018, 06:10 PM   #12
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To be safe, it should be inspected every six months. How long it lasts, is dependent on how much sun and weather exposure it is subjected to. On my former DP, after almost twelve years the original caulking was still good, but it was stored inside when not in use.
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Old 09-19-2018, 11:16 PM   #13
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Don't know what Fleetwood used on my 03 Southwind, but it was good stuff. It was clear on the vertical surfaces. The coach sat outside (covered in winter), and never had a leak, never re-caulked anything and it looked great after 15 years. I'd really like to know what it was...
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