roof of 1206

[Timburn]

Hello,
 New member here. I have leak in the ceiling of my Jayco 1206. Most of the water comes out of the outlet for the reading light. Center ceiling for those non jayco owners. I read several threads re: sealers and caulks. Questions are: can I crawl (220 lb) around on the roof to work on it? Does anyone have any insight as to how the center seam is put together before I start to tear it apart? On another note. The hot water heater is shot. Will a Suburban drop right in to replace a Attwood? does anyone have stong feelings about either of these brands. Suburban is cheaper, which is a good thing.

Thanks in advance
Tim D.

[austinado16]

I can tell you how my Starcraft roof is assembled and maybe that will help:

Plastic filler strip trim is pressed into an extruded metal channel.  Pick out the plastic trim (it will probably be brittle and break, but it is available in all sorts of colors and widths new for cheap) and then unscrew the clutch head screws that hold the extruded trim to the roof.  There is a 1x2 stringer under there, running right down the middle of the roof.  Then the extruded metal trim pulls up (carefully).

The left and right halves of the roof aluminum skin overlap.

So you have a couple of repair choices.

1)Don't take any of it apart, and just re-caulk the sides of that extruded metal trim where it meets the roof.  Your local RV place will have self-leveling roof caulk in white or tan (and it's paintable) that works great for this job.

2)Take the plastic trim out, seal around the screws and seal the sides of the extruded metal.

3) Remove the extruded metal trim, seal the seam in the aluminum skin, put down a stripe of "Eternabond Tape" and then bed the extruded metal trim into that, caulk the sides of the trim and put the new plastic filler strip in.

No matter what you do, get the leak stopped on the first attempt or you're roof is ruined.  The ceiling is filled with rigid styroam panels about 1" thick.  They get full of water, and start to rot the wood stringers in the roof, and the ceiling material that's glued to them.  Pretty soon you have a roof that's caving in, and a ceiling that's blistering and then peeling.  Also, the moisture causes the metal roof skin to electrolosize with the steel screws and pretty soon the aluminum looks like swiss cheese.

If you're storing the camper outside, do yourself a favor and either buy a cover for it, or one of those silver domed portable garages that Harbor Freight sells(what I've done).  Best money you'll spend.   My roof was destroyed for the most part and it was a huge project to repair/salvage.

Can't help you on the water heater except to say; if the Suburban is the right size, then all it needs is a propane connection, and a water connection and you're back in business.

[spicyville1]

I have used Eternabond. It works great. Expensive but you will get what you pay for.
http://www.eternabond.com/

[fleagalbaum]

my 1994 1207 has a split roof and it leaked in the same spots.  It seems there is an indent in the roof at the front and the back where water pools.

I lifted out the center rubber seal and took all the screws out of the roof.

(I weight 240 lbs and was a bit leery to kneel around on the roof, but it didn't break. )

Then I took a razor knife and cut all the caulking away and removed the   center aluminum channel.  the goo on there is just duct seal and it is easily peeled off.  You can buy more at any electrical supplier, it is called duct seal and is used to seal holes drilled in walls so conduit can be passed through.

I didnt use duct seal, I had some acoustical sealer for vapor barrier, it is really sticky and in hind sight, I shouldnt of have because it will be a pain in the rear to remove next time.

Then I screwed the channel back on, I had to use a few bigger screws at the one end because of the slight water damage.  then laid the rubber strip back in and caulked the edges with proflex rv sealant.

I also passed a bead on all the other roof joints.

you might want to check the plug in for the light inside as mine was corroded.  You can buy a new jack at Radio shack.

No leaks yet with some pretty good downpours.

Hope this helps.

[greatdane]

New to PUP camper maintenance.....glad I found this site!

I believe I have the same situation as probably everyone with a close to 10 year old Jayco PU with the neglected roof seam. (99 Jayco 12UDST).

Here's what I did-

Remove screw cover, remove screws in aluminum channel, clean off all old cap seal tape. (that was a messy deal).

I put down the 2" eternabond tape over the roof seam, reinstalled the butyl tape on top of that, reinstalled the metal channel over.

Now the question-when the channel is screwed down, how tight are the screws typically( I assume enough to remove the space and seal the channel), and what is the best way to trim off the excess neatly.
Is silicon caulk the correct product to seal the edge of the channel to the eternabond tape?

I planed on using silicon caulk over the edge of the metal channel to the eternabond tape, and on the edge of the roof sides(aluminum roof skin and edge).  

If this doesn't keep out the water, I plan on using the 4" eternabond tape over the whole deal.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and help.

[greatdane]

I have the  externabond tape down, butyl tape, and aluminum strip screwed down.

I did a test run on a spare piece of the tape, and for the record, silicone caulk does not adhere to the white backing portion of the tape.

Any Ideas/suggestions what type of sealer will?

Next steps are Dicor and RV Proflex.

[pistonslap]

My roof had a small leak. All I did was dig all the old stuff out, went to Lowes and got a tube of the good silicone tub and shower caulk (the kind that takes 48 hrs. to dry). I don't know how it will hold up over time but I left the camper set up in front of my house for a very rainy week and no leaks.

[stewartlittle]

Had the same prob on my Jayco.Sealed it once and a year later it leaked again.

This is what I finally done last year.Took the alu. seam cover off and use a wire brush to remove most of the old sealant.Pryed up the seam and put some polyurothane under it and screwed it back down.The put  more polyurothane over the seam,and the put more on the bottom side of the seam cover and put it on.
A few weeks ago I put a new vynal strip in the slot and covered it with Kool Seal Patch,then two coats of elastomeric I got at Lowe's.
Of course,EternaBond probly would has save time then and in the future,but I'll see how it holds up.It should after all that,if not-EternaBond time.

I weigh a big whoppin 140 lbs.,but I put a few 1'' x 6'' decking boards,5' 6' long up there to help dispurse the weight.