Just Wondering

madharry

would it be a good idea to get my camper resealed alround ,its 13 years old but i notice some of the rubber sealing is starting to look perished ,any help appreicated on cost etc,

peasant

Never touch a running system, especially if there is no sign of trouble.

The main sealing portion of your seals is actually inside the gaps, where you can't see it. The visible sealing usually is just surplus that squirted out when they were putting the sealant in. Scraping that off and applying a new layer isn't a good idea really as you might do damage to the real seal underneath.

What you could do (and what I have done) to make you feel better is apply fresh sealant on top of the perished stuff (after some cleaning and scraping off of moss etc)

The best sealant imo is this stuff

as it seals perfectly, doesn't get hard or brittle and doesn't stick too much either, so you can scrape it off again if you made a mess of it.

Aidan_M_M

Where do you get that , Peasant? I use mostly Wurth or SikaFlex . How do you rate it towards them?

peasant

This is the only bit of English info I could find on it:

SEALANTS


Dekaseal 8936: Poly-IsoButylene (PIB)

Although the chemistry is related to the better known Butyl, PIB has several advantages for the RV manufacturer, user and service manager:

PIB saves time in production on cleaning.

It is much more flexible than Butyl during its entire life en is therefore less prone to cause leakage

it is easy to remove for repairs, even after many years

Like Butyl, PIB has no adhesive strength: it is purely meant for sealing of mechanically (screwed) connected joints.

Available colors: light grey, grey and black.


Features:

Very good UV-resistance and ageing properties

Can be used within temperatures from –30°C to +100°C

Long-term durability experience, many references

Long storage life, up to two years

PIB cannot be painted over and its use is therefore strictly in out-of-sight applications.

In your RV, Dekaseal 8936 can be used for:

Sealing of glass to rubber

Sealing of molds and trims

Sealing of doors and utility hatches

http://www.nedcan.com/sales/diffutherm/index.html

I got mine from Germany, over there the containers in the picture are available in most camping shops.

You could order a tester from ebay maybe
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260410746316

(would be nice to have an Irish stockist ...maybe you'll like it so much that you'll stock it? )

Aidan_M_M

I might get a carton and try it... I refer to that type of stuff as "soft setting" , great for behind panels , sealing joints that aren't exposed to sunlight .

peasant

I've used it on the outside as well. Smeared over some old, porous looking sealant and managed to actually plug a leak like that.

It weathers fairly well. Its main application would be for fitting windows and hatches. The fact that you can peel it off again after a while (if needed) makes it very useful for small, temporary or DIY repairs as well.

Especially on older motorhomes, where a full, professional re-seal with proper re-building of all joints is cost prohibitive it's a great way of just refreshing those old, tired seals by simply smearing that stuff over it. Not pretty, admittedly, but it works.

Aidan_M_M

Sadly I can't get away with smearing it over the top! You'd often be tempted..but the customers'd not like it. :P

peasant

don't say that ...I'd happily pay a professional to do a good botch-job.

Especially when the alternatives are:

- do it yourself and let everybody see that you did it yourself (and for the first time)

- get the whole motorhome ripped apart at the seams and professionally re-sealed and pay a fortune in labour cost


All depends on the age of your motorhome and the size of your wallet of course (in my case "ancient and small" would apply )