Wednesday, January 11, 2012

100/% Silicone Calking--NOT




Last weekend we took the motor home out to get it cleaned up for the upcoming weekend at James Island. Brahm is coming for a work related two days, and is going to stay the weekend with us. We booked a couple of nights at an RV park in James Island South Carolina.  I thought we should clean it up.  The cost of re-winterizing it will be about $20 for 5 gallons of antifreeze. While cleaning the RV, I ran into a big problem with silicone caulking.  The previous owner used silicone to seal and patch some areas on the sides and around where the top meets the side. I do not recommend using silicone on the outside of any RV. The problem is that it will mold from the bottom out.  Further there are not an easy way to remove it once it has cured. Just as a silicone caulked bath tub or shower will turn black so will the RV seam. Now I will have to start removing it a little at a time, and replacing it with a non silicone caulking. Silicone can not be painted and it is very hard to remove all the residue for an acceptable looking repair. Anyway this repair will not happen quickly. I will work at it a little at a time. Every time I wash it it will be a reminder of the botched job by someone. I also left the plug out of the hot water tank and drove it home and it sucked the mineral deposits out and sprayed the side where I had just cleaned. All is well now, but here are some pics to remember the long warm weekend by. Great weather though. Be Safe everyone.
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3 comments:

  1. stillhowlynJanuary 17, 2012 at 9:56 PM

    Thanks for the silicone info..good to know! James Island sounds so nice; love the Low Country!

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  2. AllisonJanuary 25, 2012 at 11:53 AM

    I feel for you and the caulking. Owning an RV has made me change the way I think about things, I used to be very focused on done vs. not done. With an RV, it's always going to be something, and the sooner I accept that, the less aggravated I will be. Your photos from the Low Country are very nice, looks like you had a great weekend there. Good luck on selling the house.

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  3. Erik's RV Blog March 3, 2012 at 9:18 PM

    I love seeing the diesel version of our rig. Same colors even! I had to clean off a lot of silicon from the RV dealer. It took hours and my arms were numb after.

    Our work is never done with these rigs but thats what we signed up for even if we didn't realize it at the time. ;)

    Erik

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