Self-leveling sealant

Maddgopher

Advanced Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2022
Messages
70
Location
Southern Mississippi
Good afternoon. What is the best technique to remove old self-leveling sealant from the roof? It appears the the sealant on the top of my trailer is turning loose from vent boots and around the front cap, in places. I intend to put dicor back in its place but need to know the best route to take in removal of the old stuff first.
thanks.
 
I use a plastic spudger for electronics. Works great and minimizes any potential for rips or tears in the roof material.

https://a.co/d/4xxFE1A

You can also use a bit of localized heat to soften it up a bit too. Just work it progressively around each roof protrusion.

If you use Dicor, there is an EPDM/TPO cleaner primer available. If not you can use isopropyl alcohol to clean prior to reapplying.

Bill
 
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I use a plastic spudger for electronics. Works great and minimizes any potential for rips or tears in the roof material.

https://a.co/d/4xxFE1A

If you use Dicor, there is an EPDM/TPO cleaner primer available. If not you can use isopropyl alcohol to clean prior to reapplying.

Bill

Thank you, Redapple. I also wonder if anyone else with a 2021 model is experiencing the same? It appears that the sealant used is not Dicor because it has set up hard or harder than Dicor does.
 
Thank you, Redapple. I also wonder if anyone else with a 2021 model is experiencing the same? It appears that the sealant used is not Dicor because it has set up hard or harder than Dicor does.

Later model GD RVs use the Alpha Systems EPDM roofing material - and they have their own sealants. You might go to their web site and see if they have any recommendations.

Rob
 
It might not make a difference for the original question, but Rob mentioned "later model" GD rigs having EPDM roofs. We have a 2019 Imagine with a TPO roof, which may be an "earlier model" or, perhaps, the higher-end units are different than our "later model" rig. The difference between EPDM and TPO can be significant when choosing a caulk to replace what was removed.
 
Per Grand Design website, construction includes TPO roof.

Maybe different model lines use different materials.

Bill
 
On topic, but a little different question here. Before buying our new-to-us camper (Imagine 2800BH) the original owner took it to the dealer to have the roof resealed as part of regular maintenance. It's been more than two weeks since that was completed, and the sealant is still "wet". I'm able to pull up and off the sealant that the dealer used. I let the original owners know (since they are friends of ours) and they are pretty disappointed in the dealership. NOW my question is should I contact Alpha Inc company for recommendations on removing and replacing this wet sealant? I am super leery of taking it to a dealer if they are not capable of doing it right the first time. Thanks for any feedback.
 
I have a 2022 Imagine 2400BH and I changed out some of the roof vents with fans and therefore had to remove sealant and replace it. The owners manual said the roof membrane was Superflex which is a TPO membrane and said only to use Alpha System sealants like non sag 1010. I used Alpha’s 1021 self leveling sealant since it was in a flat surface and it skinned over by the next day but when I looked again a month or two later it has become tacky again and leaves, stick and dirt had all stuck to it. The next spring (2023) I removed and bought new sealant and tried it again and got the same results. The 1021 sealant not only stayed sticky but never hardened up and was flexible as chewing gum. You could pull it and put your thumb impression/dent in it and it would stay.

Now this year (2024) I called Alpha Systems and they had told me that the 1021 sealant is a pretty flexible sealant even when cured but should not have remained sticky and that stickiness is a defect. They reported to me that there had been a bad batch of sealant back in the spring of 2023 (I think).

They then questioned whether I had the Superflex membrane which has more of an orange peel texture or the AlphaPly membrane which has more of a fine sandpaper feel. Both are TPO membranes but recommend different sealants. I sent them pictures and they identified it as AlphaPly in contrast to what the manual says and are shipping me free new AlphaThane 5121 sealant to try that should match what came in the camper already. The current sealant is more pillowy in look and feels slightly soft but definitely a solid, fully cured all the way through, rubber.

I’ll try to report back here once I get the product and try it out.
 
I feel if it is easy for me to remove then it's more likely to peel from the roof more readily over the natural coarse of time and lead to water leaks. Yes it required some elbow grease but what I did was use a metal putty knife, except mine is been highly used and the corners are very rounded now, I would use it to to push and slice through the sealant but on top of the vent flange that lays flat with the roof to lower my risk of accidentally slicing through the membrane as the old fan flange is a hard plastic. This would reveal the screws so I could unscrew the vent and then peel the vent away and remove. I would not try to remove the sealant down to the AlphaPly membrane itself but would get close and leave a 1/8 to 1/16 skin so as not risk slicing into the membrane. I would gently scrap and remove any butyl tape left over from the old vent on the roof membrane. Then add new butyl tape to the new fan flange and screw it down in place of the old. I then put the sealant over the fan flange and over any of the existing sealant. The only issue I've had is in the selection of the sealant itself since the Grand Design manual was outdated and said I had the Superflex membrane when I actually have the AlphaPly and then also recommended the universal sealant which I don't like and also happen to have gotten a bad batch.
putty_knife.jpg
 

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