Factory roof seal ?

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SCVJeff

SCVJeff

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Looking at my 2006 Meridian roof with 1/2kw of solar, a very early Trav’ler and some other things that I have installed with Dicor throughout the years, then I look at the original Winnebago thick brownish super flexible seam sealer looking exactly like the day it was applied from the factory without any sign of wear whatsoever while the Dicor always eventually seems to dry out and crack. Why shouldn’t I be calling Winnebago or Lichseten, etc. for a can of THAT stuff? Had anyone ever used it, and if so, whats it called?
 
SCVJeff said:
Why shouldn’t I be calling Winnebago or Lichseten, etc. for a can of THAT stuff? Had anyone ever used it, and if so, whats it called?
Click to expand...
There you go:

winnebagoparts.com

Self Leveling Silicone - Pair

This is a pair of Nuco 311 self leveling silicone that Winnebago Ind uses on the roofs of their units. It is used to seal up just about everything on the roof; radio antennas, skylights, TV antennas…
winnebagoparts.com winnebagoparts.com
 
It’s Silicone? WOW.. I had no idea.. Silicone is always considered bad news to use, but here we are. Thanks!!
 
As noted on the pic posted by uchu, you should be calling, contacting WBGO with the unit info, to verify that the silcone product was, indeed used, by the factory.

"If you would like to make 100% sure this is correct for your application, please contact us at 800-933-7742 with your Serial # or VIN #."
 
Yep, it's the 311 silicone. The stuff is amazing, isn't it? The theory with the Dicor is you can apply it over itself and it will adhere, not with silicone. But given the durability of this silicone it could be argued you wouldn't have to reapply in the first place. I've read the same argument about using Dicor fiberglass coating, it can be re-coated but it's basically a paint, vs something like Henry's tropi-cool which is a thick silicone coating. Maybe it would be more difficult to re-coat the Henry's but good bet if properly applied it would be the last time you'd have to do it during your ownership.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
Elaborating a bit on Mark's reply...

The internet spreads far too much angst about "silicone". As Mark explained, the concern is about re-coating or painting over the sealer. Pure silicone is a superb sealer but it's oily and nothing sticks to it. It is commonly used for some RV applications, e.g. sealing around window frames, but not typically recommended for use on rubber roof seams. However, silicones are sometimes used on a fiberglass roofs to seal the penetrations (things that protrude thru the roof or are screwed down to it). Pure silicone is more stretchy than non-silicone caulks and the oily component helps it last indefinitely.

Furthermore, there are many silicone-blend sealers that do not have the oily residue and the re-coating issue. These can be used most anywhere. DAP makes several of them and they are easily identified by the word "paintable" on the label - take a look the next time you are in a hardware store or home center.

You can buy Heng's NuFlex 311 many places, including Amazon, Ebay, marine stores, and some RV stores. Even Camping World.
 
Agreed.. I have to replace Winnebagos incredibly cheap steel horn mount plate that’s rusted far beyond restoration, as well as a new Trav’ler mounting plate. Both are a simple seal from metal to fiberglass so nothing special. I have dealt with Dicor on and off for 30 years and have had to periodically go back, rough-up, and recoat… again. All the while glance over at other things like vents and antenna mounts that as as solid as the day the RV was born. Gotta rethink my material.. :)
 
When I was younger, I owned a silicone compounding plant. There are more than 2000 different silicones. People are always saying "Don't use silicone." They never tell you which one of the 2000 you shouldn't use. Nuco 311 and Tropicool, the roof coating, are oxime cure products, high quality flowable sealants. They're non corrosive to metal and have excellent adhesion to many substrates. Acid cure silicones, which are what you usually find in hardware stores, can be corrosive to metal and not as good adhesion as oxime. What silicone won't adhere to silicone? Did you clean the silicone with a solvent before attempting to adhere to it? When I sealed my roof with the Henrys Tropicool I also used it to coat all of the plastic vent covers.
 
SCVJeff said:
Agreed.. I have to replace Winnebagos incredibly cheap steel horn mount plate that’s rusted far beyond restoration, as well as a new Trav’ler mounting plate....:)
Click to expand...
The sheet steel air horn mounting plate is another one of those "why did they do that". I caught the rust in time to treat with Ospho. Winnie could have spent 75 cents more to use aluminum plate instead of steel.
 
Maybe the right question to ask then is what would be the procedure to properly prep silicone for reapplication? Are there incompatibilities between different types? I think the "can't recoat" comes mostly from trying to apply a lap sealant like Dicor over the top of silicone, which absolutely doesn't work. So it's "common knowledge" you don't use silicones on RV roofs because once you do, you can't use most anything else over the top of it. I've had more or less success over the years re-sealing things with silicone, generally the major part of it is removing the compromised seal as just gooping more over the top isn't going to last. Prepped right it's pretty darn durable, I've got some utility boxes on my radio tower where the silicone bead I put on them almost 20 years ago have "tanned" but are still pliable and solidly adhering. When I first got my RV I remarked over the 311 seal WBGO used and how well it had held up in New Mexico sun. When I get around to replacing my cracked skylight there is no doubt I'll be repeating that process.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
This why I like this forum. I had heard the "NO SILICONE!!!!" chat several times. I use Dicor and Eternabond products.

Ahhh, DANG IT Tileman! As your info sinks in I realize I now have to learn more about silicone!

Inconsiderate jerk, grumble, grumble, grumble ... ;)
 
Few of the RV owners trying to fix or avoid roof leaks have much knowledge of chemistry or caulks & sealants in general, so gurus warn them off with a simple "Don't use silicone sealant on the roof". The nature of the internet is that these warnings get misquoted, trumpeted widely, and re-applied in places that the original warning never envisioned.

The silicones that are too often inappropriately used on RV roofs are RTV silicone and the common kitchen & bath plumbing clear silicone sealers. Just about all of them will require removal rather than overcoating. That's not a problem for the thin beads around window frames and such, but a pair of 3" wide, 30 ft long strips along roof seams is a major chore.
 
I have a 22 year old Winnebago roof that I have been maintaining for almost 5 years now. I think Winnebago used the 311 product but I never positively identified what was used. All my repairs have been done around penetrations of the roof. I have not had and seam issues so far which are isolated to the front and rear endcaps. They rolled the pvc sheets down the side wall about 3 inches into a grip like track and it looks like 311 may have been used there too but I am not sure. The endcap seams have some really good stuff on them and I have always wanted to identify what it is. Those seams are stock and in great shape.

All of my roof maintenance has used the old GE silicone. I did need to caulk over one of my repairs and scrapped all of the existing silicone off before applying the new. So far all of the repairs have been very durable and still look good. I also always clean everything and then wipe it down with rubbing alcohol. The prep work is very important.

There is a product called "Breaker Tape". Breaker tape is applied over the existing sealant and the new sealant is applied in a wider bead over the tape. This eliminates the need to remove the old sealant and protects the new sealant from falling victim to the old's failing state. This type of application isn't useful all of the time, but it is another method and option.
 
Sealants are important enough at Winnebago to have a dedicated manager for defining and sourcing suitable product for a specific applications (at least they did have.)
 
This is one of these threads that should probably turn into a sticky after a little cleaning up. I do pretty good with my own maint. and modifications, but was always led to believe silicone was a complete No-No, all the time wondering why frankly, Dicor always comes apart over time, and this (come to fine out) Silicon seal just keeps working. Hopefully it’ll bond to whatever Dicor is left over that I can’t get off on the upcoming surgery..
 
Ah, stainless steel! Love it!

I could see where the water pooled - the rust was significant. In Winnie's eternal quest to drive down manufacturing expenses, they moved the air horns to the front (near the headlights.) No more pretty and functional air horns (as opposed to the sound being blocked by the front cap) - I suppose, haven't looked at the newer models.
 
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