It is time to put the cover on for the winter. With a beautiful fall day prior to a winter storm coming in we have just enough time to go to the storage lot, grab the items to be stored in the trailer for the winter, and put the cover on. Everything was going well until I needed to get onto the roof to unfurl the cover.
While getting on the roof I realized I forgot an important step when winterizing the trailer the week before: checking the roof. As I cleared the top of the ladder, I was hoping everything looked good so I could complete putting the cover on. I was not so lucky.
Inspecting around the skylight, several holes in the lap sealant were identified. Maintenance would be required prior to putting the cover on for the winter. Now I have a new checklist rule: whenever I plan on getting on the roof, make sure I bring the following:
- Self Leveling Lap Sealant
- Caulking Gun
- Iso-propyl Alcohol
- Shop Towels
- Knife to Open the Sealant
- Scratch Awl or long nail to Break the Seal on the Seal Leveling Sealant
Since I didn’t bring these supplies with me to the storage lot I needed to drive home, get the supplies, and come back. Luckily I keep tubes of Dicor 501LSW-1 Self-Leveling Sealant in the garage so I can always repair the roof. I have yet to use an entire tube at once, but it is worth the $5 to open a tube maintain the roof.
After an 45 minutes of driving back home, getting the supplies, and returning the to storage lot I was able to start roof maintenance.
Using iso-propyl alcohol and shop towels I removed grease and grime from the existing lap sealant. After letting the surface dry new sealant was applied to plug the holes I had identified around the skylight.
After completing the skylight I inspected the other components on the roof and found additional, suspect cracks in several areas. Repeating the process, each area was addressed and now ready for the winter.
Unfortunately the roof is now covered in wet, self-leveling sealant. While good for the maintenance of the trailer this is not very conducive to putting on the cover for the winter. So I will have to wait for the sealant to dry (and the snow to melt from the pending winter storm) to finish putting the cover on for the winter.
While I am glad to have a nice day to maintain the roof. It would have been better if this was completed the week before when winterizing instead of when I wanted to put the cover on. Checklists and procedures save time when performing regular maintenance on your travel trailer.
Paid links, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
So We Went to The RV Show ... 