Deleted

[Mpgrver]

Deleted

 

[Dahillbilly]

I would do a little research on You tube, lots of info there. Others will chime on here also

 

[centerline]

Hello all,

I need to reseal the exterior of my 2011 MPG 183. Two years ago I had the caulking fail around one of the three rear red marker lights (upper rear). Last year I had the front window leak. I’ve since repaired both, but now it’s time to reseal the entire exterior. I made the mistake of using a silicone for part of the sides ( it looks horrible and it’s hardened to a sticky mess that isn’t easy to remove).

Please let me know what sealant or caulk works best ? Any tips or links to videos on caulking RVs and removing hardened silicon would be much appreciated! Thanks !!

im not sure how big of gap you are trying to seal, but for recaulking a normal joint, here is how I do it, and would suggest you try, to see if it works better for you....

silicone can work, but if you want it to last you need to prep the surfaces more than if using some other caulkings... personally, I think proper surface prep is about 85% of a successful job...... Its my practice to always clean the surface well with soap and water, then after it dries, I wipe it with alcohol, then i use a very narrow piece of scotch brite pad and scrub the line where the caulking is going to be.....

then i mask it off with tape, staying about 1/16" of an inch away from the edge of the gap, on BOTH sides of the gap.... then i wipe it with alcohol again and let it dry good...

then I apply a small bead of sealant down the gap, and then push it into the crack, (without pushing so hard that it wipes it OUT of the crack) with my finger as I fair it out...... then pull the tape immediately after fairing it out before it has a chance to skin over... if it skins over, the skin seems to always stick to the tape, and as the tape is lifted, it will pull the skin off the uncured sealant, which you dont want to happen. but if you get the tape off before the caulking skins over, the tape comes off leaving a clean, straight edge on the caulking..... then with a wet finger, I very lightly fair down the tape edge of the sealant.... it makes a professional looking job and will adhere to the surface forever...

as to the brand/type of caulking, I will leave that for someone else to say, as when I need to reseal something I use marine sealant, which may be better for some things, but is too adhesive for other things that may need to be taken apart without damage...
one has to know the properties of the sealant they plan to use, otherwise it could be a problem as some point...

 

[Flick]

im not sure how big of gap you are trying to seal, but for recaulking a normal joint, here is how I do it, and would suggest you try, to see if it works better for you....

silicone can work, but if you want it to last you need to prep the surfaces more than if using some other caulkings... personally, I think proper surface prep is about 85% of a successful job...... Its my practice to always clean the surface well with soap and water, then after it dries, I wipe it with alcohol, then i use a very narrow piece of scotch brite pad and scrub the line where the caulking is going to be.....

then i mask it off with tape, staying about 1/16" of an inch away from the edge of the gap, on BOTH sides of the gap.... then i wipe it with alcohol again and let it dry good...

then I apply a small bead of sealant down the gap, and then push it into the crack, (without pushing so hard that it wipes it OUT of the crack) with my finger as I fair it out...... then pull the tape immediately after fairing it out before it has a chance to skin over... if it skins over, the skin seems to always stick to the tape, and as the tape is lifted, it will pull the skin off the uncured sealant, which you dont want to happen. but if you get the tape off before the caulking skins over, the tape comes off leaving a clean, straight edge on the caulking..... then with a wet finger, I very lightly fair down the tape edge of the sealant.... it makes a professional looking job and will adhere to the surface forever...

as to the brand/type of caulking, I will leave that for someone else to say, as when I need to reseal something I use marine sealant, which may be better for some things, but is too adhesive for other things that may need to be taken apart without damage...
one has to know the properties of the sealant they plan to use, otherwise it could be a problem as some point...

lou. i must admit. that is one of the best write ups on how to caulk something that i have ever read. that is exactly how i would do it minus the alcohol wipe after the tape is applied. the guy will not go wrong using your method. i’m sure someone will tell jim what caulk to use because i also agree that marine sealant is to permanent.

 

[centerline]

lou. i must admit. that is one of the best write ups on how to caulk something that i have ever read. that is exactly how i would do it minus the alcohol wipe after the tape is applied. the guy will not go wrong using your method. i’m sure someone will tell jim what caulk to use because i also agree that marine sealant is to permanent.

I always give it that extra wipe down with alcohol because i never know when my greasy fingers might touch somewhere critical when masking....

 

[wdk450]

Besides caulking around the windows, maybe you want to redirect water away from the window cutout/window area with a flexible, self-adhesive, window rain gutter like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/J-Rain-Gut...tick-RV-Truck-Car-Windows-Boats-/231899057418

I have something like this on my big rear window mainly to keep the water streak lines down.