Mineral spirits and silicone advice

JimJul · 10-24-2022, 06:02 PM

Any good knowledgable advice is appreciated………I am replacing some older calking on my Escape. After watching advice on You tube from folks that seemed to know what they are doing I removed the old silicone then rubbed off the residue with mineral spirit rag….I then recaulked using a premium silicone………no I read that mineral spirits and silicone do not react well……..can any one answer from knowledge and experience?
Please
Jim

Rossue · 10-24-2022, 06:42 PM

Never use silicone- period. Did you not get the memo from Donna D.? Get it off now while it is relatively easy then use Proflex.

Doug & Betty · 10-24-2022, 07:06 PM

Also, mineral spirits will leave an oily residue which will cause your sealant to not stick well. Use alcohol to clean the surface prior to using the Proflex. Do several alcohol cleanings now to get rid of the oily residue.

RBRV · 10-24-2022, 07:23 PM

I strongly agree, no silicone

Ooshkaboo · 10-24-2022, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimJul

Any good knowledgable advice is appreciated………I am replacing some older calking on my Escape. After watching advice on You tube from folks that seemed to know what they are doing I removed the old silicone then rubbed off the residue with mineral spirit rag….I then recaulked using a premium silicone………no I read that mineral spirits and silicone do not react well……..can any one answer from knowledge and experience?
Please
Jim

I’d let it ride, check on it in a few days and see if it’s holding.
If not you can redo it, if it doesn’t leak, nothing to worry about.

Next time try using a little window cleaner to clean the surface-then if you want a smooth look dip your finger in some lacquer then lightly run your finger across the caulk.

**Donna D.** · 10-24-2022, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rossue

Never use silicone- period. Did you not get the memo from Donna D.? Get it off now while it is relatively easy then use Proflex.

Silicone

It's the Devil's Spawn. Never, ever use it on the exterior of your wonderful Escape trailer. You have been WARNED.

It's crap truly and the only people who will tell you it's fine are those that haven't been around all-molded towables very long.

IF some is good, then lots is better right

This person was chasing a water leak. Shudda taken care of it problem at the beginning....

The ONLY thing that will stick to silicone.... is MORE silicone and THAT's where the ugly problem starts.

RBRV · 10-24-2022, 08:17 PM

No doubt that silicone can work but may cause issues down the road for the next owner. I passed on a Lazy Daze rv that I looked at before I found my Escape and one of the reasons was because I could tell that someone had used silicone on it.

JimJul · 10-24-2022, 11:02 PM

Balanced advice….thank you

JimJul · 10-24-2022, 11:03 PM

Thank everyone so far for your advice…….Jim

Ooshkaboo · 10-25-2022, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Silicone

It's the Devil's Spawn. Never, ever use it on the exterior of your wonderful Escape trailer. You have been WARNED.

It's crap truly and the only people who will tell you it's fine are those that haven't been around all-molded towables very long.

IF some is good, then lots is better right

This person was chasing a water leak. Shudda taken care of it problem at the beginning....

The ONLY thing that will stick to silicone.... is MORE silicone and THAT's where the ugly problem starts.

That’s some poor work by someone, it’s why I try and avoid the hardware stores on the weekends. Those with very little experience are all over the place, makes what I’m trying to do a pain.

RBRV · 10-25-2022, 08:17 AM

Despite all of the shortcomings and cautions, silicone is the first thing that I grab for adhering something to glass or glass to glass. Glass is a different surface that I never expect to have to paint or use some exotic adhesive or sealant on.

**John in Santa Cruz** · 10-25-2022, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RBRV

Despite all of the shortcomings and cautions, silicone is the first thing that I grab for adhering something to glass or glass to glass. Glass is a different surface that I never expect to have to paint or use some exotic adhesive or sealant on.

The modern Urethane sealants, like Proflex, bond nicely to glass.

https://www.geocelusa.com/product/pr...xible-sealant/

**Donna D.** · 10-26-2022, 06:40 AM

Loctite and Permabond both make excellent glass glues. Loctite is known for 'fixing' star cracks in vehicle windshields and Permabond is used for affixing handles and hinges to glass shower doors.

My general go to glue is E-6000.

The only good thing about silicone is it's cheap and readily available. I've seen tubes of it for sale at the grocery store....

RBRV · 10-26-2022, 08:20 AM

Good to know about other glass adhesives. I just stick to what I know when it comes to glass, after servicing and repairing aquariums for over 20 years.

**John in Santa Cruz** · 10-30-2022, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RBRV

Good to know about other glass adhesives. I just stick to what I know when it comes to glass, after servicing and repairing aquariums for over 20 years.

For an aquarium, silicone is the correct choice as once cured it's completely non toxic.

**MrLynn** · 10-31-2022, 08:07 AM

?? I just bought a fresh tube of silicone sealant to use on a replacement exterior shower unit. Looks like Escape used silicone on the original.

What's wrong with it? I used silicone on my Casita (fan cover); no problem that I was ever aware of.

**Donna D.** · 10-31-2022, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrLynn

?? I just bought a fresh tube of silicone sealant to use on a replacement exterior shower unit. Looks like Escape used silicone on the original.

What's wrong with it? I used silicone on my Casita (fan cover); no problem that I was ever aware of.

Did you read every post in this thread? Please do.

Your trailer, your decision. Anyone comes near the exterior of my trailer with a tube of silicone, I'm coming after them with a fork!

Rockhead · 10-31-2022, 08:48 AM

I’ll come after em with a bull cattle prod

max setting

**MrLynn** · 10-31-2022, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Did you read every post in this thread? Please do.

Your trailer, your decision. Anyone comes near the exterior of my trailer with a tube of silicone, I'm coming after them with a fork!

Yes, I had read every post in this thread. No one has explained why we should not use silicon sealant on our fiberglass (plus gel-coat and maybe wax) trailers.

Ooshkaboo · 10-31-2022, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrLynn

?? I just bought a fresh tube of silicone sealant to use on a replacement exterior shower unit. Looks like Escape used silicone on the original.

What's wrong with it? I used silicone on my Casita (fan cover); no problem that I was ever aware of.

It works, it just needs to be used properly.
Correct preparation of surfaces, hitting the right area to get a tight seal.
I’ve been using whatever silicone I’ve had already open for the few small jobs I’ve done,
That said if I had a bigger job on top of the roof, why not go with the upgraded sealant/adhesive.

I’ve used silicone instead of grouting the shower tiles, never needs resealed like grout does.
Plenty of colors that match up just as well as grout options.
I figured If it’s good enough to go around the bathtub…
If needed it makes touching it up a breeze.
I’m sure some will disagree, but most haven’t actually tried it.
On multiple tile jobs it’s been holding up for years.

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