Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Sunline RV Forum
Sunline User Photos

Go Back   Sunline Coach Owner's Club > Technical Forums > Repairs and Maintenance
Click Here to Login

Join Sunline Club Forums Today


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 07-25-2016, 06:02 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
johnnybgood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Maryland
Posts: 488
SUN #8237
johnnybgood is an unknown quantity at this point
Butyl Tape Alternative?

I'm trying to restore my 1996 T-1700 Solaris and see the butyl tape around various seams picks up dirt and looks hideous. Is there an alternative?

I used a product called Quad on my old Pop-up and it seemed to perform well. Stays pliable and cures to the point of not attracting dirt.

Any opinions?
__________________

__________________
John
2000 T2370
johnnybgood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2016, 08:20 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Steve Collins's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: New York
Posts: 1,846
SUN #264
Steve Collins is an unknown quantity at this point
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnybgood View Post
I'm trying to restore my 1996 T-1700 Solaris and see the butyl tape around various seams picks up dirt and looks hideous. Is there an alternative?

I used a product called Quad on my old Pop-up and it seemed to perform well. Stays pliable and cures to the point of not attracting dirt.

Any opinions?
I've recommended the butyl putty tape for a long time because:
  • It's right width and thickness for working around windows and doors on RV's.
  • It's the material that was used by the manufacturer to build the rig.
  • It's easy to work with, even for folks that don't have much experience with RV repairs.
  • It's readily available at any RV place and on the net.
The only downside I can see is what you pointed out about it being a dirt magnet.

I haven't done any work on my Cougar except to remount the tail lights and add LED STT and Reverse fixtures. I happened to have a clean ball of RV putty in my kit and just warmed that up and used it. There's very little edge of the putty to collect dirt in that case.

But I will admit that I am willing to consider new products, especially for those that are moderately proficient with DIY projects. I looked up Quad on the net and really liked what I read about it. The quick skin with no dirt collection and the 50% flex retention are big pluses. It's also readily available at Home Depot and similar.

The Cougar is now 5, going on 6 years old and will begin to need some more invasive maintenance in the near future. I have some window/door projects around the house that need doing now so I am going to grab a tube of Quad and give it a try. If it meets expectations, I'll use it on the Cougar from now on.
__________________

__________________

'12 F250 4x4 Super Duty PowerStroke 6.7 diesel
2011 to present: '11 Cougar 326MKS
1999 to 2011: '99 Sunline T-2453
SUN264 * Amateur Radio kd2iat monitoring 146.52
Steve Collins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2016, 09:04 PM   #3
Moderator
 
JohnB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,643
SUN #89
JohnB is on a distinguished road
Good quality butyl sealing tape is hard to beat for water intrusion and dealing with all the flexing of a camper towing down the road. But it does have that one attribute of being a dirt magnet.

I have found using Dicor non-leveling sealant over the exposed edge of butyl works real well. I have used it a lot of it and it lasts a good long time. I'm going on 10 years on the front top corners I used it on first. It has over 25K miles of towing and still no splits and is adhered to the aluminum over the butyl. And the camper lived outside for that last 10 years before the new barn came to store inside.

EPDM Lap Sealants | Dicor Products | Official Website

I use the 551LSW white. Non sag for vertical surfaces.

It takes some practice on how to apply, I find a real fine cut tip on the caulk tube, then use a water wetted finger (dip in water) and smooth out, creates a nice finish. I also have used masking tape and peeled it off before it cured which also worked.

This type will not run on vertical surfaces, is very cleanable, bonds to all the camper surfaces (butyl, aluminum etc) and it can be removed some day if needed.

Hope this helps

John

PS I did look up the Quad from your note. Window Sealant | Window Caulking | OSI QUAD MAX

The statement about do not use in continuous water applications did not make me feel great. Granted when used on a house or a camper, hopefully it is not continuous wet. Would like to know why they stated that. It is in the tech sheet too http://www.ositough.com/content/dam/...ad_max_tds.pdf

It looks really good for a house application.
__________________
Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

Google Custom Search For Sunline Owners Club
JohnB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2016, 02:06 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Steve Collins's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: New York
Posts: 1,846
SUN #264
Steve Collins is an unknown quantity at this point
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnB View Post
PS I did look up the Quad from your note. Window Sealant | Window Caulking | OSI QUAD MAX

The statement about do not use in continuous water applications did not make me feel great. Granted when used on a house or a camper, hopefully it is not continuous wet. Would like to know why they stated that. It is in the tech sheet too http://www.ositough.com/content/dam/...ad_max_tds.pdf

It looks really good for a house application.
When I looked at Quad, there appeared to be several varieties of their products. At least one of them was listed as OK for use in caulking tubs and showers in the reviews section in an answer from someone at Quad, but not on the tds. The wording on several of the data sheets was "not for continuous water immersion" which doesn't really concern me For RV applications. There are very few caulks on the market (beside gutter caulk) that would stand up to continuous immersion.

I still think this product is worth a closer look and a good field test.
__________________

'12 F250 4x4 Super Duty PowerStroke 6.7 diesel
2011 to present: '11 Cougar 326MKS
1999 to 2011: '99 Sunline T-2453
SUN264 * Amateur Radio kd2iat monitoring 146.52
Steve Collins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2016, 06:38 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
johnnybgood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Maryland
Posts: 488
SUN #8237
johnnybgood is an unknown quantity at this point
I'm thinking about cutting out the excess butyl tape around my windows etc, and laying down a bead of Quad.
__________________
John
2000 T2370
johnnybgood is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Putty tape vs. butyl tape sunlight Repairs and Maintenance 5 09-11-2014 05:47 PM
Thick butyl tape rchancey Repairs and Maintenance 6 07-18-2013 05:09 PM
Butyl Tape or Caulk? Roof Vent etc tim Repairs and Maintenance 6 06-10-2011 03:12 AM
Alternative to the Larger RV Hand Rail PTHutch Modifications 1 06-13-2007 06:54 PM
Alternative Use for the Sunline Owner’s Club Magnets PTHutch Modifications 4 04-26-2007 06:29 AM


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sunline RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:35 PM.


×