Monday, March 5, 2012

Coach lights, roof tops, wash & waxing - OH MY!

Hi ya'll, I've been veeeeeeeeeeeery busy the past several days! In fact, too busy. I hurt. But my labor os the love of my RV & keeping her maintained. Outside looks great now, inside is another story. I still have to take the time to organize & put stuff away. I was rushed into bringing my belongings back into her on Thurs & Friday & have not had the time to really organize anything. Stuff just got tossed in. Then the weather got good. Really good. The inside could wait. Outside, more important outside things had to be done! I was going to redo my roof on Saturday, but the weather was too cold & way too windy. Plus I was in too much pain from moving things back into the RV. So it was a day of pain meds & not doing a whole lot. But Sunday & Monday were busy, busy days. Regardless of pain, I HAD to get these things done. I don't have an expense account towards getting these kind of things done, I must do them myself. But really, I don't mind. I rather like working on Ellie & making her look good. (but now she looks better than me!)  After I taped the plastic on the roof to keep her from leaking before the overhead repairs, I had to take the tape off. In doing so, it also took part of the sealant that was down. But that really didn't matter as it was time to resurface the roof anyhow. So I got busy yesterday. Saturday, I did get out to Camping World to buy the Dicor roof surface stuff. For rubber roofs. Mine is a rubber roof. They must be maintained to provide a longer roof life & to prevent leaks.
So yesterday morning was spent on top of the roof, cleaning it with my car wash brush & rubber roof cleaner. The Dicor stuff is a 2 step process. However, the first step process is a heavy chemical peeling type of product that also helps to adhere the new surface. However, I have some lung issues & was afraid to use step one due to the chemicals in it. So I asked Camping World & they said so long as I used the other roof cleaner stuff I had, it would be ok. Whew, so I was relieved. I also renewed my CW membership as that saved me $10 on the Dicor. Memberships are $25. & it gives you discounts on their store products & you also get a free nights camping along with it. I only renew though when I need to buy supplies. So back to the roof. I cleaned it, then let it dry. Then I went up & put the first coat of rubber sealant on. You use a paint roller to do the deed. It's not a tough process, it's rather like painting. Maybe a little tedious, especially if you are a perfectionist like I am. But not a tough job. Probaby less tough if you are in top condition & don't mind little RV roof ladders!
Then you let the first coat dry, go up & apply a 2nd coat. This will ensure the roof from leaking & keeping in good condition. I'm glad I did it, it's done now for at least another year! And it looks GREAT! :-)

You can see the part where I resurfaced & where I still needed to do. I took the pic midway to show the difference.

Roof done with first coat.

Roof finished! Yay!
I did a video of the roof process too, but it's not been edited yet. I will put that on youtube & also share it on my blog once I get to it.

Another thing I did was replace a coach light that I broke last year. I broke it at a campground. I was trying to park the rig in a pitch black park. It was full of trees & posts. I took the light out with a post. I gave up & left that park & went to a Walmart for the night instead!

Replacing the coach lights is very easy. I replaced all the red coach lights on the rear of my RV last year. It all looks so much better & none leak anymore as they were also properly sealed down during the replacement. I also did a video of this too, but again, it's not edited yet either.

And what did I do today? Well, I washed the RV! It was filthy. It looks soooo much better. And I waxed the truck part, so now Ellie has a lovely shine to her! I'd love to wax the fiberglass again too, but that takes me 2 days & I'm just not up to that deed right now. I waxed her several months ago, so it does need done again. At least the truck part is waxed now though.


I still have tape over the window till I get the glazing bead ordered & replaced. That window leaks otherwise, not a good thing. And I love that bonnet over my front windows! It has sides that roll down to expose screens. It's a great bonnet. I can roll my windows down & get fresh air through the RV & still have the benefit of screens!

One more thing - note the screws laying at my front window ledge & if you look, you will see a bunch of wood debris under my windshield washer. All that was left from the over head rebuild. I can't believe that they left it like that! And to think I drove home with all those loose screws on the windshield! I had no idea. At least none of them ended up in one of my tires! Geez.  

~As always, be kind to your pets, clean up after them on your travels & respect your neighbor~


12 comments:

  1. You have been busy. I am exhausted just reading about all that work. But Ellie looks real good.

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  2. So much work involved in leisure!!

    :-)

    Pearl

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  3. Wow, you've gotten a lot done! You need to relax a bit now, and enjoy yourself for awhile! Thanks for sharing. I love to watch others work hard!

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  4. Maintain, maintain and more maintain...never ending sometime. Just like us...

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  5. Yep, all maintenance. I waxed the fiberglass yesterday. Got 'almost all of it done', but not quite all. Ran out of daylight. Now I'm out of steam...thanks for stopping by ya'll :-)

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  6. Rubber roofs are easy to handle because they are lightweight, and transportation of these isn’t difficult. Good choice, Texcyn. Well, in most cases, preventative maintenance helps keep your roof from leaking. But damages caused by strong winds, for example, may cause immediate leaks.

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    1. You're certainly right about that, Rolf. Aside from that, they are easy to transport. Also, rubber roof shingles are eco-friendly, you know. :) They are made from recycled tires and other materials which were ground into powder and molded into the shape of the shingle. This type of roof is a great choice for those people who are conscious about the state of the environment.

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  7. My back hurts just looking at this!! I wish my back would hold up to doing 36 feet of roof but there is no way, I'd be in the ER after. Just detailing the rig puts me down for the next day.

    It looks great though, great job on the roof!

    Erik

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  8. Whew, you had been very busy then when you cleaned your RV but I'm sure that it's worth the effort. And with the coach lights newly-installed, Ellie will stand out again on the road especially now that she's newly-waxed.

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  9. Thanks for the comments Hale. I just checked out your site, very nice site. I'm also pleased to see your support in your community.
    Yep, Ellie was/is a lot of work, but worth it! :-)

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  10. I’m impressed with the way you handled the fixing jobs without any professional help. Can you deal with my broken side mirror tomorrow? LOL! Kidding aside, I’m sure that your RV will last long because of your commitment and your love for your vehicle. If you don’t mind, can you post photos of the RV’s interiors?

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