Caulking

Should the chaulk on the outside of the trailer be replaced from time to time?

Our 2201TL roof looks like its painted metal, aluminum maybe, and there is heavy chaulking on all of the seams. I don't have any leaks that I know of but I was wondering if perhaps the chaulking should be replaced from time to time and if so what type of chaulk should be used?

caulking

Keeping the trailer caulked and water out is the most important maintance you can do for your trailer. The most needed areas for recaulking is around windows ( should be ck'ed at least 2 times a year) and replace any weathered or leaking caulk. You should seal around roof vents, and any place where a hole has been cut or where the roof has been sealed before at least 1st per year. Resel the front and rear cap seams 1st a year also.

Sylcone caulk (clear) is best and is easy to work with and any mistakes don't show up like a sore thum.

If you have a rubber roof I would use Dycore or any other sealant designed for rubber roof.
Sylcone will not stick to the rubber and the seal will fale very soon.

Thanks Sam,

What type of caulking should be used?

Neal

Sam ... can you recommend a brand and model number of Silicone caulk (clear)?? I just replaced a roof vent with a fantastic fan unit and am going to redo it again this weekend as I don't like how my caulking job turned out. Seemed that the caulk was too stiff and would not flow evenly. I was using a white roof caulk from Camping World.

I use dap brand caulk I get from Lowes or Home Depo. The clear is what I prefer as you can never get the right color match to look good. When caulking the wormer the weather the better. I do not caulk if the out side temp is below 50 deg. As the caulk is so stiff it is hard to get out of the tube. another trick I use is to spray my finger with a silicone spray before wiping up any extra caulk, then wiping the extra caulk off the finger with a paper towel. This will give you a smoother finish. Some people use water but I think the spray is much better and it keeps the silicone from pulling all the hairs off your finger. Some people perfer to use a scraper or wedge to trim the extra caulk but with the finger you can make the job look like pro with a little caushion and a light tuch.

I just purchased a hi lo a few weeks back. I suspected leaking and sure enough I pulled back the shelving out right under the front window. It has been leaking for a very long time. The frame bars were all rust and the wood was wet. I caulked the whole outside but not the roof yet...its on my agenda if it would ever quit raining here! I checked and still leaking but not nearly as bad. The wetest is right along the outside wall where the curve starts and along the actual metal frame bar the goes across width wise. Is it possible that a seam across the roof is leaking and running down aong the bar? I got an excellent deal so would just like to fix the problem. Thanks for any replies!

I just recaulked the roof using Dyco C10 free flow seal. Tough stuff to work with, runs just like elmers glue. I did it Tuesday and still is a little mushy. Does anyone know how long it takes to stiffen up? It does not say anything about dry time on tube. Hope this solves my leak problem!

caulking

Dyco never drys completly, it does reach a rubber like consistency. The fact that Dyco stays flexable is why It works so well. When a sealant drys completly and gets hard, it tends to crack as the trailer moves down the road. That is why we need to use a product like Dyco.
Sam

Thanks! It is like rubber but didn't know if that was to be expected