By Chris Dougherty
Chris Dougherty is a certified RV technician. Here is a letter he received from a reader while he was serving as RVtravel.com’s technical editor.
Dear Chris,
Recently I decided to add some caulking to areas (that I felt needed it) on the exterior of our fiberglass clad trailer to make sure no water could get in. I’ve been told this is a good thing to do. After I did quite a bit along one side, I thought I would check the package to make sure that it goes on white and dries clear. Unfortunately, it does not. I had inadvertently bought white RV caulking. The problem is that our trailer is beige. I needed clear. My question is what is the best way to remove the white caulking so I can replace it with clear? —Astrid
Dear Astrid,
Worry not, a common mistake. Fortunately the same company has a fix for you, as Geocel makes ProflexRV in a clear and beige formulation, among other colors, and can be found on Amazon here.
As for removing the old sealant, I would recommend using a plastic “non-marring” scraper so as not to damage the sidewall of the coach. I use these and they work great!
According to the sealant manufacturer, once cured, solvents will not work on it, so you will need to scrape it off.
##RVT776 ##RVDT1281
I may be not 100% certain on this but believe all the old sealant will have to be removed — even tiny amounts as silicone sealant will not adhere to silicone sealant. Check the manufacturers label or give their customer service number a call to see.