Scrape and Seal Roof

[Rick Vyncke]

Our recent acquisition (2004 Marquis) is in the shop getting miscellaneous items repaired.  Shop called today and said the Technician recommends scraping and re-sealing the entire roof (8-10 labor hours).  Basically they remove all of the sealer on all roof components, scrape, clean and re-seal.  They also said that nothing is leaking but, given the age of the coach that we should consider having it done.

Any advice would be appreciated since we're looking at maintenance in excess of $1,000 just for this job.  Should I be concerned about creating leaks where none exist?

I don't doubt this should be done... but how often?  I will be keeping the coach in indoor storage and it only comes out for weekend trips and vacation once or twice per year.

Thank you in advance.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate the helpful advice

[Gerald Farris]

Rick,
I personally would not spend $1,000 on a problem that you do not have. You should have the sealer on you roof checked and "touched-up" annually. The roof seams are not the most common source of leaks in a Beaver, therefore I do not see scraping and resealing the roof as a cost effective repair.

Gerald

[Bill Sprague]

Mine is 9 years old.  At about 4 years I "repainted" the seams with gooey sealant I bought from Monaco that was supposed to match what the factory used.  It has not leaked.  It is about time to do it again because I can seem some age cracking.  But I'm not scraping the old stuff off.  Start to finish, it was about a two hour job.

I may use "Eternabond" tape this time.

[Rick Vyncke]

Thanks for the feedback.

What are the most common sources of leaks in a Beaver?  Anything in particular I should keep an eye on?

[Bill Sprague]

Mine have been from cracked clearance lights in the front and the slideouts.  

[Gerald Farris]

Rick,
The number one source of a water leak is probably from sun cracked clearance lights. The most costly water leaks are usually in the walls because they can exist for a lengthy time before being noticed, and by the time they are noticed there is already considerable damage like delamination or rotten wood. The most common source of wall leaks are window frames, the seam where the roof cap meets the wall, and the Girard awning mounting box (SMC era coaches).

Gerald

[Rick Vyncke]

Thanks again Gerald!  

[Roland DuBree]

I solved the caulked cap joints on roof by just covering with the 6" wide DiCore rubber roof patch tape sold at Camping World.  No scraping, etc..  Just clean, let dry and install tape. Good stuff.