How to Remove Dicor Lap Sealant (Leveling Caulk) from RV
You can’t have a good RV without top of the line sealant. But sometimes that sealant ages, cracks and lets the water inside. One of the ways to avoid this is to do regular checks on all your seals to make sure they are in top shape and working as they should
How to Remove Dicor Lap Sealant (Leveling Caulk) from RV: One of the best ways to remove old, cracked, and dirty Dicor Lap Sealant is to use a heat gun to soften the sealant. Then you take a putty knife and scrape the old sealant away.
Because even a plastic putty knife can cut your RV’s roof and other parts, you should scrape off as much as possible and let a damp rag do the rest. To learn more about how to remove Dicor Lap Sealant from your RV, just keep reading our article. It tells you how to do it without hurting your RV
Removing Dicor Lap Sealant from RV 101
Removing Self-Leveling Caulk
One of the ways to get rid of old self-leveling sealant is to use a heat gun and a credit card. Of course, you do not want to use a valid credit card, but it is a much safer way to remove old caulking than turning to a utility or putty knife.
Some RV owners do not remove their old self-leveling sealant. They just apply the new over top of the old. Their results have been positive and no leaks have been reported after 5 years of using this method.
Other RV owners, once they scrape off the majority of the old sealant turn to naptha. They pour a little of it on a damp rag and clean up the left over sealant without damaging their RV.
Be careful though when you use naptha. It is a highly flammable product.
Remove Old Sealant from RV Roof
One of the things about removing old sealant is the type of sealant cleaner you use. Not all new Dicor Lap sealant products work with every roof cleaner or sealant removal.
One such brand is EPDM roof cleaner. This cleaner, even if left to dry, may react with the new sealant and cause your RV’s roof to bubble. Also, isopropyl alcohol may react with Dicor products if not given enough time to evaporate away.
Another way to remove Dicor Lap Sealant from your RV is to follow instructions. Dicor puts out a video with the correct instructions to follow. They say to use a rag, clean gently and use mineral spirits.
Then once the mineral spirits have dried, just apply the new Dicor Sealant over top of the old. Creative ways do work but as you have read, those creative ways may react negatively with the new Dicor Sealant, especially if you are using the wrong kind of sealant to replace the old one.
Dicor Lap Sealant Clean Up Tips
There are a variety of tips and tricks you can use to clean up the old sealant before applying the new. Here are a few of those tricks and tips to help shave time off your resealing task:
- Wait for a warm day- the sun can warm up the old caulk for you making it more pliable and easier to remove
- On a cool day- you can use a heat gun but make sure to use the low heat setting. Too much heat will cause you a few extra problems like hurt your RV’s roof or membrane
- Check your roofing style- the new TPO roofing materials may not be compatible with conventional Dicor sealants including the self leveling type
- Customize your tools- you can take a regular scraper, round the corners to a 1/8” radius, then bend the blade at about 1” from the need. This bend should be taken to about 10 degrees. Then lay the blade on the EPDM roof and begin to gently scrape away
- Use non-chlorinated, non-hydrocarbon “Brake Clean”- the key to using this product is not to spray it directly onto the EPDM roof. Spray it on a clean rag and then wipe it over the old sealant to remove any remaining caulk left behind by your scraper
- A torch and a putty knife- one way to remove old sealant is to take a hand-held butane torch and heat up your putty knife. The heated putty knife should cut through the caulk with ease. Then use alcohol or other caulk cleaner and wipe the remaining sealant off
- There is always the hairdryer- if you do not trust yourself with a torch or do not have one, then use your wife’s or daughter’s hairdryer. It works like a heat gun and will warm up the caulk for easier removal. Just keep the hairdryer on low heat
- Leave the old in place- this is the final way to handle Dicor Sealant clean up. Just thoroughly clean the old sealant, remove cracks and damaged sealant then apply the new right over the old
Some Final Words
It is always wise to remove old caulk or Dicor Lap Sealant when you are applying new. This gives you a clean, fresh seal and removes any doubts that the water leaks have been taken care of.
There are two things to keep in mind when applying new caulk to your RV. First, make sure the roof cleaner you use will not react negatively to the new caulk. Not all sealants are made to work with all cleaners, including alcohol.
Second, check your roof type. With new generations of roofs and upgrades made by technology, some Dicor sealants may not work with those new roofing materials. Always double check before applying as some RV owners found bubbling roofs the next day after application.
Also, cleaning up the old caulk demands patience. You have to be careful if you are using a putty knife because one slip and you are looking at a new roof repair you didn’t count on.
There are plenty of tips to guide you in removing the old caulk and they produce good results. Just be careful
