[email protected]
New member
I recently purchased my first RV. It was not a "planned " purchase. That's my way of saying that I didn't know jack about anything that had to do with an RV. Except, I know a good investment when I see one. The RV is a 1993 Fleetwood Wilderness Fifth Wheel 29 foot long rig weighing in at over 5800 lbs. I paid VERY LITTLE $ for the RV. On first sight it was obvious that it had been neglected for some time but was already half restored with brand new floors and laminate tiles throughout. The most obvious damage was 2 water leaks, one at each end of the camper, that had caused the ceiling to hang down and tear. I checked the title and when it was clean, I paid the man and started doing homework. One leak was caused by a branch that shot through the roof piercing the ceiling. The other leak was a simple crack in the caulk around a skylight. Eternabond is what I used to fix both. Cost was under $100 and time spent not counting research was 3 hours. While on the roof I was looking for any tears or cracks in the granulated surface that who knows why it made its way up onto a flat roof in the first place. Anyway I noticed a few problem areas so went to patch them when I noticed that with every step I took I was CREATING a problem. The granulated surface was not all the way plush with the original aluminum roof where the roof of the fifth wheel slopes down and flattens out. I wasn't prepared for that problem and had spent extra money on less important things because I thought I had the roof problem licked. So my new crossroad was to sell it immediately. Which I couldn't do without telling every potential buyer about the impending expense they would have to endure if they bought it. Or I could start doing more research and find the easiest, most cost efficient way to redo the entire roof using the best materials that would last forever....on top of a granulated surface. LOL!!! Of course that's not entirely possible so I decided to stick with easy and forever. It will just eat into my expected profit margin I projected making from the unexpected investment. Okay, there are ALOT of products out there. Not many will adhesive to granulated surfaces. But most products can if you use it in combination with another product and ect,ect......I took a salesman advice and purchased Lucas 8000 Silicone Overcoat. That same day I find out that silicone is cryptanyte to Eternabond products. Then I find out theres a 1 year warranty on the silicone product and that it is only 98% waterproof. Translation...for every 100 rain drops that fall, 2 are coming inside somewhere. And back to where I started after 1 year. BTW...5 gallons shipped to me was nearly $300. It remains unopened and the receipt wringle free. Silicone doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Have any of ya'll ever used it before? Can you tell me about your experience? And does anyone have a better alternative? I found aluminum rolls with a thick adhesive on the underside. Kind of like Eternabonds aluminum product but this is pretty strong aluminum. It comes in roles 36" by 33 feet long. Two roles would be perfect on my RV. Overlapping and overhanging will give me a chance to use the Eternabond I purchased before I found out that silicone would kill it. Has anyone heard of these aluminum rolls? Has anyone ever used them and is willing to tell me the good and/or the bad with this material? And suggestions!! Always open to suggestions!!!! Thank you for your time.
