Eternabond tape on new 5th

Anyone got thoughts on applying Eternabond to brand new unit? Was thinking about a run around with lap and then tape all seams, windows and ladder, on roof only.

Had roof issues with seams on last unit. Once I repaired with Eternabond it never had another issue.

There is a thread where someone repaired their roof and did exactly what you described.  Looked sharp - not that anyone ever sees it but more importantly it looked like it gave the caulking protection and would last a long time. 

I say as long as you seal it good - go for it!

Ok - I went back and found the link for you.  Of course only the final pics are of interest to you but this guy did a nice job and it looks more trustworthy than a new one!

http://www.rvforum.net/miscfiles/RV_re-roof.pdf

I never heard of it being applied as a preventive measure.  Certainly, it is a great product, and isn't going to hurt anything.  Sounds like a good idea to me.

Thanks for the replys. The attachment was on a repaired roof.  I am going to spend about $150 for the tape and another $50 on lap sealant. so for $200 insurance policy I am gonna do it...

Worth it for piece of mind. I think I am going to do it come spring.

Do it, you won't regret it .

It saved me during an emergency when a storm tossed a tree limb through my galley roof.

I fell in love with the Eternabond tape.

I eventually did my entire roof.  ;D

Laugh all you want, I have no leaks.

I totally was gonna do that on my old trailer!!!!

Eternabond works like magic when applied properly.  But you only get one chance and it can be tricky on irregular surfaces.  Not easy to remove.

Even at an estimated $100 per foot, I'm seriously considering Rhino Shield on my roof.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

blowout100 said:

I am going to spend about $150 for the tape and another $50 on lap sealant. so for $200 insurance policy I am gonna do it...

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You'll certainly never regret it!  One of the YouTube RV channels I follow is called "Love Your RV" and that owner has several videos showing the copious amounts of Eternabond he has used to seal nearly everything that faces UP on the roof (including slides) of his full-time 5th wheel.

On my previous motorhome, I Eternabonded all the seams and never used the extra Eternabond products sold... cleaner and prep spray.  But I think I may buy them when I do my trailer this Spring.  Prep is key with Eternabond installation, and for an extra ~$40 I'll know it's done right.  The tape on my motorhome started to peel in a few areas, when I sold it after a few years.  It was probably user error (on my part) with application on a not-completely-clean roof surface.

srs713 said:

Even at an estimated $100 per foot, I'm seriously considering Rhino Shield on my roof.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

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Will that add much weight?  Would you go over the membrane or rip the membrane up?

DearMissMermaid said:

Do it, you won't regret it .

It saved me during an emergency when a storm tossed a tree limb through my galley roof.

I fell in love with the Eternabond tape.

I eventually did my entire roof.  ;D

Laugh all you want, I have no leaks.

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Do you mean every square inch of the roof?  That would cost a fortune????

srs713 said:

Even at an estimated $100 per foot, I'm seriously considering Rhino Shield on my roof.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

KandT said:

Will that add much weight?  Would you go over the membrane or rip the membrane up?

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I'd have to ask the company about those details. They are up in South Carolina. I talked to one of the owners at an RV show here in Atlanta. I just like the idea that it is one solid piece of material covering the whole roof.

geodrake said:

I never heard of it being applied as a preventive measure.  Certainly, it is a great product, and isn't going to hurt anything.  Sounds like a good idea to me.

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I did. Better to be proactive than reactive. If one plans on using it to repair a leak, why not "repair" it before the RV gets damaged.

There are some videos of people who have done it, youtube

KandT said:

Will that add much weight?  Would you go over the membrane or rip the membrane up?

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I had mine done at rvroof.com
similar idea....although they claim a better product than the bedliner stuff.  Do your own research.....
I can't remember the exact number he estimated, but it wasn't a lot of weight in my case. I remember thinking it was not significant.....  If I had to guess it might have been 100#.  I have not weighed or verified.
and yes, he did go over the membrane as long is it was adhered well....which in my case was perfectly fine, like new.  My issue was at the perimeter....bad installation at the factory.

to the original question.... I think I would strongly consider doing what you are proposing
but,
while I was researching eternabond for my repairs, I found a lot of photos and videos of eternabond failure which would give me pause.  In one case the stuff had been stretched a bit on install, and the protective plastic layer delaminated over time..... I can't really remember what caused the other failures.
anyway, quite a mess and hard to remove.

I did eternabond on all seams on my former 5th wheel to prevent leaks before they occurred.  I'd have to say it was a success.  After 8 years - no leaks.

Ron

KandT said:

Do you mean every square inch of the roof?  That would cost a fortune????

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Let's see... about 8x25 feet =200 square feet

I bought 50 foot by 6 inch  Eternabond from Amazon at about $85 per roll, so that is 25 square feet per roll, 8 rolls, so yeah, it adds up to about $680

Did I say I am completely dry? No leaks?  ;D

Far cheaper than a new roof. It looks great. It holds up fabulously. It cleans up white and nice. It appears to be thicker than the OEM  rubber roof, so yeah I am super happy.

I had no labor costs because I have a super friend and we work together on projects. I did do some bribery by cooking his favorite meals and traveling in the rig for fun. 

It took me about a year to get it done, I ordered one roll at a time. It was slow going due to other circumstances but one day it was completed!

We cleaned each roof section thoroughly first. Dried it up with microfiber rags, then sun baked it for a day. Then started laying the Eternabond strips. You get ONE chance to place it right. Instructions come with it how to fix boo-boos.

In a few areas where we needed to make custom cuts to lay down the tape, we first made templates with wax paper.

The first two pics are the roof in progress.

I had been given a quote of $6,000 to replace the roof. A repairman told me one day that I could just tape the entire roof and call it a done deal.  ;D

Ironically I was traveling with roof tape for emergencies when a tree branch stab crashed through my galley roof making a small hole. I was at a remote beach with 2 weeks to go on my reservation,  30 miles from a repair place and it was the weekend. I used the emergency tape to fix the hole. First I cleaned it all up, then since the hole was like a dimple, I used small pieces of tape to fill in the dimple, then some larger ones to flattened it out over the top. A few minutes later, the next storm rolled in while I was still pressing the tape into place.

It has remained dry ever since. That's what impressed me. Plus the aggressive glue on Eternabond is phenomenal.

Don't use any knockoffs, use the real thing, Eternabond.

The inside ceiling now had a hole to hide. I bought one of those plastic rectangle blank plates to hide an electric outlet and screwed that into the ceiling.  8)

I used to live on far flung islands where we were always coming up with strange methods to "get it done!" and move on.