Camper sealant cleaning

[ArtC2]

I just got back from a great trip through Arizona and Utah including the White Rim Trail in Canyon Lands National Park in my Hallmark UTE pop-up. The sealant around the windows and doors is now almost black from the dirt and dust. I have searched the RV forums and have not found any great solutions to deal with this other than to pull the windows and re-seal. Does anyone have a recommendation on how to clean this up?

Thanks,

Art

 

[mangymarmot]

WD-40 and a toothbrush. Works wonders on those seals.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

I would call their factory and see if they have any tips or tricks.

Pulling things apart wouldnt be my suggestion. It will only make things messier. Breaking the factory seals around the windows doesnt seem like a good idea.

We usually trim that sealant off with a smooth plastic edging tool so it doesnt scratch the camper paint.

 

[zelatore]

Silicon-type sealants like that really love to attract grime. I've never found a good solution for cleaning them either. I've seen guys take a rag damp with acetone and use it. Yup - comes up real clean looking alright. But it leaves the surface slightly sticky so it just gets worse again faster.

 

[subterran]

Having worked with Butyl on my camper, my advise is two-fold. In your photo, you showed where excess butyl has squeezed out from the seams. You should trim off all of the access butyl that is extruding out to minimize surface area for dust collection. Use a plastic paint scraper, as Stan mentioned to avoid scratching the paint. You can use mineral spirits to soften the butyl and clean off most of the dust.

My second bit of advice is "grin and bear it". After you have minimized where dust can collect, unless you intend to meticulously detail every seam all the time, you will just have to live with some dust collection. Especially of you travel much in Utah! There is NO way you're going to defeat the red dust! Know that Butyl is an excellent sealant, but it never dries - it will always remain pliable, and stay tacky to attract dust.

 

[Scoutman]

I was just dealing with this on my roof rebuild as well. Before I could let it go back out of the shop I had to clean all that crap up. Like Subterran said, trim and clean all the excess off first. A plastic disposable knife (picnic utensil) works pretty well too. I used a metal putty knife to get a good sharp edge in some places... Afterwards I cleaned up with Acetone but try to keep it off the painted metal trim cause it will take the paint off. It can soften the plastic trim but cleans the filon siding very well. Afterwards to keep additional ooze and dust attraction I went around every opening with white silicone caulk. I only used Dicor as a sealant on the roof stuff cause it can always be pulled off and redone. As others have said, I would also advise against pulling the window unless you suspect water has penetrated in.

Check out the picts of the finished product in my thread starting on page 12.

This should keep things looking nice for a good long while and keep the butyl tape where it belongs. It's easy to clean up if it ever gets dirty as long as you use a good quality caulk and let it dry completely before it gets dirty. On places like jack brackets where enough of this butyl oozes out (due to heat and stresses on the brackets) that makes the brackets loose over time and eventually leads to leaks and hardware failures.

The finished product...

 

[ArtC2]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I will give Mangymarmot's WD-40 idea a try but I think a thorough clean up like Scoutman and Stan suggested will be the most work but will be the ultimate answer. By the way, Scoutman your rebuild thread is excellent! For those of you that have not tried the White Rim Trail in Canyon Lands don't be worried about taking a full size truck and pop-up, it will fit and the scenery is spectacular. My only recommendation is to take a spotter, there are a number of tight places with shear drop offs and trail crests where visibility is a problem without help.

Art

 

[Joe917]

Never use silicone on your vehicle. It is a leak waiting to happen. Nothing sticks to silicone including more silicone. It makes a good gasket material but a very poor exterior sealant.

 

[Scoutman]

Never use silicone on your vehicle. It is a leak waiting to happen. Nothing sticks to silicone including more silicone. It makes a good gasket material but a very poor exterior sealant.

I had heard this a number of times but after looking at the silicone that was on my camper in a number of spots and it had held up for the past 8 years. I figured I could either put something on that would last or something that would need re-doing after a few years. Time will tell but seeing as how the butyl tape is my primary sealant, the silicone is really a protective sealant for the butyl.

 

[Sock Puppet]

My second bit of advice is "grin and bear it". After you have minimized where dust can collect, unless you intend to meticulously detail every seam all the time, you will just have to live with some dust collection.

This is the path I've chosen!

 

[Nailhead]

I’m very interested in this thread because the sealant on my Alaskan is uniformly hideous everywhere.

Example:

Yuck.

I’m going to try out that plastic paint scraper remedy when the weather warms.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Sparse Gray Hackle]

I’m very interested in this thread because the sealant on my Alaskan is uniformly hideous everywhere.

Example:

Yuck.

I’m going to try out that plastic paint scraper remedy when the weather warms.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That looks like butyl tape squeezing out of the trim to siding joint. Using plastic razor blades and plastic chisels, you could trim it back, or if you pull the trim off, you might consider using white butyl tape. Before I did the latter, I’d have a conversation with Bryan Wheat, or Rick (I think he’s the shop lead) at Alaskan regarding the wisdom of the effort.

 

[Nailhead]

That looks like butyl tape squeezing out of the trim to siding joint. Using plastic razor blades and plastic chisels, you could trim it back, or if you pull the trim off, you might consider using white butyl tape. Before I did the latter, I’d have a conversation with Bryan Wheat, or Rick (I think he’s the shop lead) at Alaskan regarding the wisdom of the effort.

That's the corner slide channel, which won't come off without separating the upper and lower sections of the camper, IIRC. Way too ambitious for the potential benefits, in my opinion. I'll just use some sort of plastic edge tool and some mineral spirits, and call it good.

Bryan and I have had numerous conversations about topics as varied as cabover deflection and dinette cushion size, and I am always grateful for the help he extends the second owner of a mid-'80's camper.

Thank you for the suggestions.