There's nothing more gratifying during RV travel than the sound of an overnight rain on the roof of your RV. It was June in Auburn, California, and I insist I could see animals in pairs beating a hasty farewell. Sure the windows were a little hazy but I couldn't have dreamed that. This had to be the heaviest rain we have ever experienced in the RV. I remember lying there thinking "I should have done something about the seals around the roof vents before now." Fingers crossed, I slept restlessly until the rain quit.

A quick inspection of the RV in the morning and things looked ok.until later. I was sitting on the floor for some quality time with the dogs when I heard it. SPLAT! "What was that!?" SPLAT! We have a cloth covering on our ceiling and it was oozing. Happily for us the restof the trip was warm and dry so stuff dried out before we had a mold or mildew trouble. We were however left with a plentiful water stain on the ceiling. A nice reminder to say, "You should have checked the seals!"

So, my first concern when we got home was to do my usual RV repair "research it to death" ritual. I came across something called EternaBond tape. Let me start by saying this stuff is marvelous. It has a guarantee of 15 years and I've seen where it can be expected to last 18 to 36 years. Hopefully it should be the final time I need to do this RV repair.

Since I presume this repair will last a long time, I wanted to do it the right way. The instructions and video say you can apply it directly ove the old seal but I can be a little anal. The perfectionist in me decided to take off the old seal material. That was quite a job. I don't know what they use but it does not come off easily. I worked on it every evening for a few hours for five days straight. It was too hot to work on it during the day. We have two skylights and four vents so there was quite a bit to remove.

Our roof is fiberglass so I was able to cautiously use a wood chisel to remove it. (That reminds me. I need to have that chisel re-sharpened. Does anyone else remember the "Primitive Pete" films they showed in shop class?) I got the last little bit off with a scraper. I'm not sure that those of you with rubber roofs should think of trying to clear away the old seal. I don't have any experience with rubber roofs but it just sounds too perilous to me. Be sure to do your own research.

So with the old seal removed, all that remained was to wipe the area down with some mineral spirits, cut the tape to size, and install it. You get one try at applying it. Once it comes into contact with something, it's stuck. You'll have a difficult time trying to take it off if you don't get it right the first time. EternaBond has a really valuable video that demonstrates how to apply the tape. They do a much better job explaining than I would.

In the end I'm pleased that I took the time to do away with the old seal. I ended up with a very sleek installation. Hopefully one less RV travel worry.

Would I recommend that you go to the trouble of removing the old seal? No! It's just my habit to be a perfectionist. I just wish the seals were where other people could see them. Maybe I should sell tickets and give tours. : )

Oh, yes. About that stain on the ceiling. I got out the carpet cleaning machine and used the hand wand to clean the ceiling. The stains all came out and you can't even tell there was a leak.

So the moral to this tale.DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR ROOF SEALS!