DIY maintenance when and what.

[brodi3man]

So i pick up my jayco jay feather TT this week.  My wife and I were discussing taking it to the local dealer for a full checkup.  After much thought i started to feel this is something i could do myself and save a few.  So im here to ask what should be checked and inspected and how often?  My biggest fear is allowing a roof leak.

TIA!
Brodie

some info:
2006 Jayco Jay feather M-23B
TPO - Roof
tow vehicle: 2005 Expedition
prodigy brake controller

 

[migamag]

if your concerned about leaks, check the sealant at all the edges of your roof, perimeter and around roof-top components. if the sealant has lost adhesion, remove it and apply new sealant.

 

[brodi3man]

I understand. 
My biggest fear is roof leaks. So im guessing...
1. check front and back seams
2. check seam on both sides.
3. check all roof vents.
4. check AC seal and bolts.

It looks like a putty is used fro the vents and front/back seal.  This putty should still be plyable? 
I apologize, I may be thinking too far into this.  Give me brakes / electrical / plumbing and im solid but the roof seals scare me cuz im not 100% on what needs maintenance and what is still good.  I also dont wanna pay a dealer tech a couple bills to pop his head over the edge and say looks fine.  

 

[migamag]

personally, i don't like the pliable stuff used by most manufacturers. on a TT that we use to have, it lost its adhesion at the forward edge and that led to a leak. i removed all the sealant along that edge and resealed with 100% silicone.

when it comes to sealing, you can never over think it...water will make its way into anything if allowed.

 

[34footer]

Wheel bearings, brakes, lights and other electrical connections.
J

 

[Juanita and me]

Not sure about a TPO Roof but somewhere it says not to use silicone sealants on my 5Th wheel but I have an EDPM rubber roof. Maybe somebody can set me straight. Agree seams etc should be checked on a regular basis. My Keystone manual tells me when and what.

Marty
2005 Challenger by Keystone (if that means anything?)

 

[mike eddleman]

I am getting ready to take out first long trip in out 1999 Bounder. Well long to us leaving Atlanta and going to Orlando. So I needed to do the man thing and get it ready. I changed the oil, fuel filter, air filter and then my wife decided we needed new shocks. well that's when it got fun. I paid 300.00 for shocks. checked everywhere and that was the cheapest price. I got the first front wheel off and saw I had to have deep well in pact sockets and a 1 1/8 wrench. parts store run. didn't take long before I saw I needed another socket because the wrench wouldn't go on the nut That in a recess hole. another parts store run. got the other socket and bought another wrench just for good measure. it took  two hours to change the first shock. another two hours to get the other front one changed. I told my wife a least the hard ones were done the back are out in the open and easy to get to. Well they were easy to get to and that was a good thing. after trying the impact and finely holding on the drive shaft and pushing the pull bar with both feet I got One bolt to break loose. and it was the easy one. I got my son to come over to help. Now I'm not a small feller. 6-3 and almost 300lbs and he's 6-4 and 280. with all that beef under their should be a easy job. wrong. took another 3 hours and a lot of grunting to get the bolts broke loose. they had never been replaced and were just stuck. So 8 hours later we have new shocks. the local dealer gets 200.00 a hour labor. They told me about 4 hours. It took me all day but I guess I saved 800.00 less the 100.00 it took to buy the tools.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The problem with silicone is that nothing else sticks to it. Often even more silicone won't adhere, so every trace has to be removed to re-caulk or even touch up a bad spot.  There is some evidence that the oils in the silicone may permeate an EPDM roof as well, loosening the adhesive bond or maybe weakening the material itself. I see material;s Science papers on the subject, but cannot begin to understand them.

EPDM roof material manufacturers generally recommend NOT using silicone. There are several formulations/brands of caulks designed for or known to be compatible with EPDM, so those are safer to use. And they work very well besides. Dicor EPDM Lap Sealant, Alpha Systems Lap Sealant and Geocel Tripolymer Sealant are all excellent choices. 
Dicor and Alpha are the major manufacturers for EPDM and TPO roof materials in the US. Odds are nearly 100% that your RV "rubber" roof material came from one of the other.

 

[34footer]

So 8 hours later we have new shocks. the local dealer gets 200.00 a hour labor. They told me about 4 hours. It took me all day but I guess I saved 800.00 less the 100.00 it took to buy the tools.

200.00 per hour? That's a ripoff!
J