Resealing Your RV 101

It's always a good time to consider the health of your RV. After all, you wouldn't want minimal, easily fixable damage to turn into a long project that prevents you from camping at all.

Some of the most important things to add to your to-do list when diving into preventative maintenance are the seals. Leaks are an RV’s worst nightmare, and even the tiniest hole letting in the smallest amount of water can lead to catastrophic damage. For this reason, we highly recommend heading outside and getting to work on resealing your RV as soon as possible.

The problem with this is that not everyone knows where to begin with such a project. In fact, many RVers don't even realize this is a job that needs doing, and have therefore never even looked into how to do it. Fortunately, the sealing process is not at all difficult. Messy and time-consuming perhaps, but fairly straightforward and easy to figure out.

Here are our top tips for doing the job right.

Get Ahead of the Game

The first thing to note is that the sooner you do this the better. The goal is to stay ahead of the game and never even let that tiny trickle of water make its way into your home-on-wheels. For this reason, we recommend resealing the RV about once a year, whether or not the seals look worn. This will keep you out of trouble by preventing stray leaks from forming.

Related Read: Tips for Fixing Leaky RV Roofs

Choose the Correct Products

Whether you're sealing the side seams of your RV, around the doors, or the roof seams, there is a correct product for the job, and it is crucial that you pick up the right one. Generally speaking, you will not be able to find the right products for these jobs at a local hardware store. Head instead to a local RV supply shop, or use Amazon to seek out RV-specific sealing products.

Wondering what you're looking for? Look for these options:

• Pro Flex RV — This is the stuff you'll need for sealing corner seams and ensuring no water gets in around doors and windows. This comes in a few different colors, but clear seems to work best for most RVs.

• Dicor EPDM Lap Sealant — This sealant is formulated specifically for EPDM roofs and works very well. That said, you will want to ensure your roof is EPDM before using this product. Not sure which kind of roof you have? Watch this to find out.

• Dicor Ultra Sealant System — If you determine that your roof is TPO rather than EPDM, you will need to purchase a TPO-specific product. In our opinion, the best option for this is the Dicor Ultra Sealant System. It is important to know however that this is a two-step process and requires both the primer and the sealant.

Remove Old Seals

Some people feel it is okay to put new sealant over old seals and call it good. The problem is that any old cracking or crumbling sealant does not provide a solid surface for the new sealant to latch onto, leading to leak issues despite the effort put in.

Related Read: DIY: Trailer Roof Sealing Made Easy

For this reason, you will need to remove all old sealant when replacing corner seals or the seals around the doors and windows. On the roof, just make sure to remove all crumbling and cracked sealant in order to provide a good foundation for the new stuff.

In many cases, removal of the side seals requires a razor blade. Meanwhile, the roof seals should be removed using something a bit blunt such as a putty knife, because the rubber roof can easily be cut and damaged. Therefore, you'll need to be very careful not to puncture the rubber roof membrane.

Clean Well

After removing the old sealant and before adding the new, be sure to clean the surface well using denatured alcohol. This will remove any dirt or debris that could cause bonding issues, leaving the area ready for a new layer of sealant.

Apply the Sealant

With a clean and solid surface to work with, you're ready to apply the sealant. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions on your product of choice in order to ensure the end seals are of the best quality.

Usually, this means cutting the tip from a tube of Pro Flex (or similar) and applying a bead of sealant to all seams on the sides of the RV using a caulk gun. Meanwhile, you'll need to take care of the roof seams with lap sealant, again using a caulk gun and making sure to cover the seam itself—as well as the space on either side—completely.

Grab Water

This particular step applies only to the seams on the sides of the RV, but is one many campers find helpful. Simply grab a cup of soapy water, dip your finger into it, and use that finger to smooth out each bead of sealant before moving on to the next. This helps the finished product look clean and professional even if you've never used a caulk gun before in your life.

Look for Tears

As far as the roof goes, you'll definitely want to keep your eye out for tears in the membrane while you're up there. If you happen to find one, clean the area well with denatured alcohol and use Eternabond tape or a roof patch kit to repair the area right away.

As we mentioned before, resealing your RV really isn't hard. However, it is well worthwhile when you're left with a rig that lasts for years to come. After all, you wouldn’t want a bit of mold or some nasty water damage to halt your camping plans in the years to come, right?

So go ahead and slap on some sunscreen, grab a water bottle, gather your tools, and spend a weekend protecting your trailer or motorhome against wet weather. You'll be glad you did!