Roof sealer question

Most of us never use roof goop. Ever. Caulk and roof coatings will make things worse and can damage the roof metal.

What you have is "silver slop" and it is very difficult to remove. Peel back all that is loose and sand what remains to feather the edges.

The vent pictured needs to be removed and re-puttied. Try to get most of the cement-like slop off the vent area before you do this. New putty is your main defense against leakage. If the skin around the vent opening has splits, staples or cracks, OSI gutter seal (Lowes in a tube) applied sparingly to each flaw will help. Do not goop and smooth with a paint thinner dipped finger. This is done before you install the vent. In fact, I recommend installing a Fantastic Fan in the old vent's place. After the vent is securely mounted, you can use DICOR self leveling lap sealant around the flange. It covers the screw heads and flange edges. This product is sort of insurance on new installations (not for re-sealing), just an extra layer of protection. It is removable with elbow grease if repairs are needed.

It's hard to tell what was done on the roof edges from the picture. It almost looks as if the edge trim has been painted over. Of course you will want to re-putty edge trim (J rail, L trim, awning rail), so you will be able to see what has been done once that is removed. The putty should re-seal the trim and you probably won't need any other sealant.

NOTE: Many of us use OSI gutter sealant on skin flaws before putty. You can also apply a thin layer to the top edge of the trim but it's usually not necessary.

It's unlikely the roof seams need to be sealed, as they rarely leak, unless a fat guy has rolled around up there.There is Proflex brushable sealant made by Geocel that will fill gaps and cracks in the old silver slop and it also is self leveling. Paint over the seams 2 or 3 times after sanding and feathering. It will stick and is permanent. Do not coat the roof, just areas where the old sealant has deteriorated. And never use Proflex where future repairs may be needed. It's a good product but a patch. Be sparing.

After the above is done, lightly sand the roof metal and paint. I use Rusto oil based enamel. Rolled on, it goes on thick and covers up the patches.

At the end of the day you have to decide what you want to get out of your camper. Most of the folks on this site are working on their for keeps campers. The preventive maintenance you do to begin with will payoff for many years to come. Your working on a piece of American History. When these old girls are going we can’t get them back, Lots of the folks on here think the same way above the old classic cars. I’m trying to shed light on the mindset of the average person here, but maybe it’s just my opinion........... Debra

There is zero water damage on the ceiling so I'm not putting a new roof on it. I guess I thought it would be a good idea to just touch up the visible cracks. If there was ceiling wood damage then I explore other options.

Well put Debra