Flex like the Pros

Rinse. Lather. Repeat. Well, I mentioned back in June we had a few powerful rainstorms come through our area and right through Louis they went! Just when I thought I had him buttoned up, he leaked like crazy! Instead of throwing in the towel, I grabbed several, dried him up and tried again. This time I listened to the experts of the NSSO and the SSCE sites who had talked about using Proflex and Butyl tape to stop leaks. I had used everything BUT these products and, guess what, none of them worked! A previous owner attempted to seal the leaks with roof tar which, I'm sure you can imagine, is like putting a mixture of peanut butter and honey on your roof. It's a gooey mess and attracts everything from road debris to bugs yet does nothing for leaks. I tried every possible bottle of caulking available at Home Depot and Lowe's, resisting the 75 mile drive to the nearest Camper Supply store. Finally, after the June leaks, I decided to make the trek up to Campers Barn where I found the tape and ProFlex. So, I went back to the drawing board, replaced wet wood with dry, ripped out my fabric wall, primed and painted the area inside, reconfigured the bed and put several strips of the Butyl tape on the seams outside of the trailer and added Proflex anywhere I thought might leak. Last night, with a summer storm descending upon us, I decided to sleep in Louis for the night to make sure he was leak free...better to figure that out at home than on a long camping journey! To my surprise, I woke up rested and DRY! Next time, I need to listen to the pros FIRST. But sometimes lessons are found in little mistakes and bumps along the road!
WHAT I DID: one tube of ProFlex cost me $8 and the tape, I believe, was around $36 which made me gasp BUT, it worked! I climbed on my ladder and covered each seam with the butyl tape (comes in white and black) and along the tongue to tail seams on the roof I added ProFlex (with a caulking gun) to any open areas.