My wife and I manage several RV-related Facebook groups and belong to several others. Join us as we sit down to discuss a recent post highlighting the trend of covering all your RV roof seams with EternaBond tape.
Is this a good or a bad idea? Well, just like politics, folks lean hard one way or the other. While there certainly is a time and place for using EternaBond® tape (e.g., to use it as a patch), I have multiple reasons why you shouldn’t use it to cover all the seams on your RV roof.
Watch the video below to see my reaction when someone tapes their roof seams with EternaBond.
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Reasons why you SHOULDN’T use EternaBond tape
The plastics on your roof get sun/weather-damaged over time and become brittle. Should you need to remove anything from your roof (such as a broken vent or a cracked skylight, or you want to do a TV antenna upgrade), you won’t be able to remove the EternaBond tape without damaging the roof membrane.
The plastic membrane in the tape will get sun damaged, just like all the plastics on your roof. That tape was not designed to be flexible to give and flex with the unit. Eventually, the tape will shrink up and cause the membrane to curl, creating toothpick-sized gaps which will allow water through and cause damage.
Nothing beats maintenance
At the end of the day, a maintenance-free RV just doesn’t exist. Sealants aren’t permanent. Nothing beats maintenance. It needs to be kept clean and touch up the sealants as necessary. You can get a roof coating, which will cover the roof membrane and sealants, but even then, it needs to be cleaned and routinely checked to see if there are any cracks or separations in the coating.
Join the discussion online
Join the fun online! We have multiple Facebook groups where others share their problems, repairs, and upgrades. There are general groups, and groups tailored to your specific RV manufacturer. There is something here for everyone. Here’s a list of all our groups.
More from Dustin
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Dustin owns and operates California RV Specialists, an independent RV repair shop located in Lodi, CA. He thrives on sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm of RV repair and maintenance with his team, customers, and virtual friends.
Be sure to check out his YouTube channel where he shares what’s going on in the shop and the product offerings in the store. Dustin is also very active on Facebook. Join his group, RV Repairs and Tips – What’s in the shop!
Dustin proudly operates the business alongside his wife, Ashley; but the true pair that run the show are their Boston Terriers, Arvie and Hitch.
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Eterna-Bond has worked great on my fiberglass roof for the past 7 years. Still looks new.
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I can see where EternaBond might not work well long term on tpo roofs, but in my experience, it works well on fiberglass roofs. I re- sealed along the front cap where it meets the fiberglass roof on my 5th wheel many years ago & it still looks like I just did the job yesterday, after around 150K miles of fulltime travel.
Yep…great stuff for fiberglass roofs along the cap joints. Newmar actually uses the stuff in production where the caps (front & rear) meet the fiberglass roof. Then the edges of the tape are sealed with a self-leveling sealant. Still requires normal maintenance checks, but works well.
I found through personal use that eternal Bond type tape does not store well. You buy a big roll fix what needs fixing and store the rest for later. I have found after several years that the sticky side loses some of its volume and does not stick nearly as well as when you first bought the stuff.
True, Eternabond has a limited shelf life. There are smaller rolls available though. We have an RV repair shop near us that sell it by the inch. I had a branch fall on my roof and took a small chunk out the the rubber. A 4×4 inch piece covered it.
Cost me about $3. I also used self leveling caulk around the edges, the next day.
Talk to your RV dealer, NOT CW, they may sell you what you need or give you a small piece.
Try putting it in the freezer same thing I would do with Butyl