As a country we kiwi's love our outdoors, and this is never more apparent than through the warmer summer months when we all go to find our own slice of this beautiful country.
Those who own a caravan or motorhome might be starting to remember about that pesky leak that appeared last holidays that you've been meaning to get fixed before the next trip. Well, resist the temptation to get up on the roof with a silicone tube and seal off the lap joins and any visible pin holes. At best that is just a temporary fix and won't last for long.
First lets consider why your Caravan or Motorhome roof is leaking
There are generally 2 main reasons why a motorhome or caravan leaks:
Old Van/ Camper: After 20 - 35 years of hot Kiwi summers and cold winters, combined with our high UV index, it is only to be expected that the roof seals are going to deteriorate after some time and in need of some repair.
Mechanical Action: This will also be a factor in the above reason, but campers and caravans travel the same kilometers and ride the same bumps you do in the vehicle to get to your destination. The majority of caravans however, don't feature the same suspension spec's as most modern vehicles or materials designed to cope with the many vibrations. Over time this and the many kilometers can lead to a weakening of surface joins and seals.
How do you fix the Caravan or Motorhome roof?
If you want to make a repair that's going to last and protect you from the elements when your on holiday, the best solution is to completely clean the surface, followed by the application of a caravan roof sealant that forms a flexible membrane to fully waterproof the roof yet cope with vibrations. We will break this process down into bite size chunks below:
Step 1: Clean the roof of all moss, mould, lichen and any other objects that have gathered.
Step 2: Lift all lap joins and apply an MS sealer between them (not over them), and apply peel & stick tape if you need to.
Step 3: Prime the roof surface with a epoxy primer similar to the Kemseal WBE
Step 4: Brush or spray a coating of a liquid silicone/ rubber sealant on all edges and down any lap joins. This is also when you embed the tape if you are using the fabric reinforcing tape polyester reinforcing bandage
Step 5: Apply x2 full coats of the liquid silicone/ rubber sealant over the entire caravan or camper roof to fully reseal. Such a product is the Kemseal S-80 Liquid silicone applied coating that cures to form a flexible but completely water proof roof!
You can get all the products needed at Stratacote so just ask us if you're feeling overwhelmed with the steps... Contact Us Here
Note: By following the above 5 steps you will have a totally repaired and watertight roof that is also flexible to cope with all mechanical travel vibration (Kemseal S-80 liquid silicone when cured has an elongation factor of + or - 200%) Kemseal S-80 in the colour white also meets the US standard for Cool roof heat reflective properties, this helps to make your carvan or motorhome cooler in the summer months.
Happy camping!