Flex Seal to repair rubber roof?????

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Greyhauler

Greyhauler

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Joined
May 28, 2017
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41
Location
S.E. coast of GA.
As with any structure the roof is important. Friends in Fl. said they know a few folks that have used flex seal to stop leaks on RV rubber roofs. Anyone here have first, second hand knowledge of this product use? Pretty sure most of us with rubber roofs are sick and tired of continuing, new leaks in their roofs. Got a quote for the online once and for all roof coating, $3,700.00 for a 31' RV. Cleaning the roof very well and a few cans of Flex Seal sounds way better. What say you?
 
99.9% of the time it's the seams & edges that leak and I fail to see any advantage of using Flex Seal vs Dicor lap sealant or a tape like Eternabond. And if the roof surface needs over-coating because the membrane is worn thin, then any of the EPDM coatings, e.g. Liquid Roof or Kool Seal RV, would do the job as well or better.

However, at $14.99/gal Flex Seal is cheap, so if it works anywhere near as well as Liquid Roof, it's a bargain.

Comparing a quote for somebody else to do all the labor vs you doing a DIY with something like Flex Seal is almost apples vs oranges.  There is a lot of labor involved, so that $3700 is 90+% paying someone else to do the job and less than 10% for the coating product.

You probably need 5-6 gallons of whatever product you choose for a 30 footer.
 
I will never buy any again as long as I live.
Some of the gutters on my house are aluminum and others on additions are plastic.
Both types had leaks at the seams from old age.
I followed their instructions exactly, removed the old sealant, sanded smooth and cleaned with alcohol.
The very first rain storm some of them leaked, and after less than a year, everyone of them was leaking.

Good luck f you use it !

Jack L
 
Dont fall for the stupid ad tricks like sawing a boat in half. "it could save you thousands". Bs Buy some eternabond tape instead. It really could save you thousands if it prevents a leak. Dont cheap out on roof repairs. Once an rv has leaked, the value drops significantly. Cheers
 
I'll add that it is rarely necessary to overcoat the entire roof just because there is a leak somewhere. I guess people sometimes do it as a shotgun approach - they figure if they cover everything they don't have to look for the one small spot that leaks. Which of course assumes they do a careful and thorough job of it, not missing the one edge that is actually leaking.  Further, overcoating doesn't stop new leaks from appearing a year down the road as the stresses of road travel cause seams to separate again.

And don't saw your RV in half to fix the leaks!  ;)
 
Back issues hinder my attemps at roof maintanence, inspection ECT. Seems there are no reliable service centers around here. Would like to find some place that can inspect and fix roof. Guess this is a common problem. Thanks for the replys!
 
Flex seal is all hype and JUNK!! the spry cans are the consistency of water and don't "seal",, the white turns to a mustard color in a short time.>>>D
 
One of the TV stations tested FlexSeal spray by sealing a large kitchen strainer with it. For comparison, they also sprayed a matching strainer with a rubberized automotive undercoating that sells for half the price at Walmart. Both initially held water well, but after 23 days, the FlexSeal strainer had water seeping out the bottom, while the undercoating was still dry on the outside. At 30 days, the FlexSeal strainer was empty, and the undercoated strainer was still full with no seepage at all. They left the undercoated strainer for an additional 30 days, and it was still holding perfectly.
 
Just to add another note, I thought Flex Seal was a petroleum based product, and I am under the impression that one should not use that kind of product on RV roof membranes. Could be wrong though, I'm getting old and forgetful in my old age.  ;D
 
Thanks for the reports on flex seal. Like much " wonder" what ever on tv its all bull, just a rip off. Cant find anyone here thats used it, just a couple of guys second hand reports from JAX. Need to find decent repair service.
 
About the only thing I've seen missing when using standard rubberized undercoating rattle cans versus Flex Seal is the pitchman yelling "But wait! There's more!" :)
 
i use henry 208 wet patch. its done the job quite well on every leak i've been able to find. only downside is its black, so it stands out on a white RV

Edit: I've been advised that this isn't a type of product recommended for our roofs, so although it's working for me, you may not want to use it on an otherwise good roof
 
Before anyone tries using the Henry's suggested above, take a look at the SDS. It contains asphalt and a lot of petroleum products, and should not be used on a TPO or EPDM roof.
 
Flex seal is garbage, if any of the repairs in the commercial were left in the sun for 30 days or more, the flex seal will dry out and blow away in the wind. Have tried it on our 2006 Winnebago Voyage 38J and it looked good at first. But after 7 days in the hot Florida sun and driving over 60 mph for 500 miles, there is not more than 1% of the flex seal still on the roof, DON"T USE IT
 
Labor using flex seal vs Dicor is almost the same, but if you consider Dicor will last a lot longer and doesn't damage the roof, that Flex Seal will cost more and labor WILL add up because you would have to redo it.
Do something right the first time its cheaper this way.
 
Personally I would be reluctant to use products not recommended and proven to work on rubber roofs.  Dicor self leveling sealant and Eternabond tape are proven and safe products and are my choices.
 
I guess I'm going to be the odd ball here about flex seal, I used it in quarts to coat my plywood battery box that sits behind the front grill and takes a lot of water, I put a heavy coat on it inside and out and is holding up very well although its not out in direct sunlight. I also used the spray can for inside the bottom of the trunk after I cleaned up some rust. I used eternabond tape on my roof 5 years ago and its still holding up although, if I were to do it again I would have cleaned the sealant off the seams and reapplied self leveling sealant for a better and more factory looking job, Eternabond and Dicor self leveling sealant are proven for the Rv industry for sure
 
  I used Eternabond on my last rig, and will again on this one as it ages.  It's not hard to install if you take your time and is supposed to last a VERY long time.  I also keep some in the rig and around the house - they stuff is VERY handy.


  The only downside is that once it is stuck - it is stuck.  Very hard to remove.


-Chak

 
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