Silicone sealer?

[Texas Diesel]

I am needing to replace the sealer on the exterior of my fiberglass Aerolite. A man at an RV place suggested to scrape out the old silicone, wipe with a gasoline dampened rag and apply GE Silicone II Gold, well I did all that and if you rub it lightly the new silicone peels up in sheets. Help! What will stick to the fiberglass and seal the windows, doors, etc??

 

[Crazy Horse]

You can use rubbing alcohol (isopropyl). That is what you should have used first. As long as your surface is cleaned properly 100%, uv resistant silicone will work. Any way- get a clean cloth, saturate it it with rubbing alcohol and follow it up with a dry/clean wipping cloth to get the residue off. The problem with gas or other types of solvents is that it leaves oily residue on the surface that silicone won't stick to.



Once you get the mess cleaned up you can use any 100% silicone or Par Bond. Par Bond is available at most RV stores.

 

[Loren]

Texas Diesel,



Sorry about the late reply. I had to re-register when I changed my e-mail address.



Be sure to use FRESH silicone sealant. I did a bathtub job at home with some old stuff I had around and it never set up.



I called GE, the manufacturer, and the customer service man told me that old silicone sealant won't set up. I asked why they don't date the packages and didn't get an answer.



GE was very understanding. They paid for the sealant, plus some amount (It was a long time ago) for my time to remove the sealant and do the job over.



Now, whenever I do a job more critical than a chicken coop, I buy a new tube.



Loren

 

[Matt42]

Prior to using silicone to seal anything, it's vital to clean the surface with something that isn't a petroleum distillate. Gasoline, lacquer thinner, paint thinner, stoddard solvent, and other solvents are petroleum distillates. Using them to clean the surface is like using 0 weight oil. The silicone won't stick to the resulting film. Isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) or denatured alcohol work fine.



Most factory TSMs have a paragraph buried someplace explaining the problem. The Saturn TSM is very explicit, explaining the problem anywhere a silicone sealer is called for.



I use old silicone for gluing dimes to the sidewalk on Halloween.