![]() Have a small tub, denatured alcohol, and rags nearby to clean up as you go. The is to get the old caulk as flush to the rubber surface as possible. It’s not necessary to remove all the caulk there will be areas where that’s impossible without damaging the rubber membrane. Multiple layers of old lap sealant that was easily pryed apart It’s easiest to do this when outdoor temperatures are above 80 degrees, otherwise you could use a hot air gun or blow dryer to carefully heat the caulk. To avoid tearing a rubber roof membrane or scratching an aluminum roof, shimmy the tool around the edge of the caulk until it begins to lift. To remove it, use a plastic putty knife or other tool with dull edges. I prefer to remove old caulk rather than blob more on top. Again, use the chalk to draw circles around those areas that need attention.Īir pockets, cracks and crevices within several layers of old lap sealant ![]() Look for signs of brittleness, cracks, pinholes, small cratering, or edges that easily lift up. Then begin inspecting the old caulk, and areas around fitting that may have hairline gaps. Once it’s dry, use chalk to draw a circle around any areas that have poor drainage. After rinsing everything off, pay attention to where water may be pooling especially around the caulk. When you’re ready to inspect your roof, begin by giving the roof and the caulk a good cleaning. By inspecting older applications of caulk, you might be able to identify small pinholes and craters as well as dry or brittle caulk mounds. We’ve even found caulk mounds that seeped out tiny water beads when pressed, presumably due to pinholes. We’ve found air pockets between layers of caulk. We’ve removed old caulk that peeled off easily due to the dirt and grime underneath. The previous owner may not have cleaned the old caulk before plopping more mounds of new caulk on top. If you are not the first owner of the camper, you should closely inspect every caulked area on the roof. ![]() You are supposed to inspect your roof at least once a year and apply caulk as needed. Andthe edges of those thick blobs seem to be dirt magnets.If you need to recaulk on area on your camper’s roof, you first have to clean all those dirty mounds and, per the manufacturer, apply more mounds of caulk on top of the old caulk rather than removing it. Even a professionally applied application of lap sealant around an air vent looks more like a mini retention pond after a rain. It seems counter-intuitive to the goal of preventing water intrusion because the application doesn’t necessarily encourage water to drain away. And if someone has recaulked an area, there are even more blobs on top of the older blobs. ![]() Huge blobs of caulk are just puddled over and around fittings. If (like me) you are the type of person who applies caulk with the goal of getting professional-looking, smooth joints, then the application and appearance of lap sealant on a camper roof will throw you for a loop.Lap sealant looks more like someone was trying to put icing on a cupcake. ![]()
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