Attaching vent

[Mark]

What do you think would be a better seal against water for the roff vent, roofing tar or silicone? Thanks

[madjack]

...butyl tape, available at any hardware store
madjack

[Mark]

Is that anythink like plumbers putty?

[madjack]

...not in the least, however it kinda looks like it...it comes in a paper backed roll, will never dry out, will seal the vent as well as the screws and should you ever need to remove/repair/replace vent it will do so without a chisel and dynmite. Screw your vent down kinda like you do when tightening lugs on a wheel and take your pocket knife and trim the squish off for a very clean install
madjack

[randy chesnutt]

i use pl roof & flashing sealant. it's real good stuff. i used it thru out my project. i found butyl tape gets dry and cracks. rv now days uses a sealant like this. you can get it at HD. 3.89 a tube i think. it's hard to get off the hands,but it does the job.

[madjack]

...Randy, you are right, severallllll years from now it might dry out and crack but the good thing is, 1) it works well and 2) the vent will be removable without having to do demo work to get it loose. The vent is about the only thing I would use it for, for those reasons, anything else would get SikaFlex or something similar
madjack

[Marck]

I used Bubble Yum.

[doug hodder]

Mark, I don't know what your luck is, but everytime I open up a can of roofing sealer, I can turn around and it is all over everything...super sticky stuff, a mess to clean up, I had to shave the dog in a couple of places...my Fantastic came with a closed cell foam gasket...clear silicone works fine for me and is a lot easier to clean up..you might try 3M 5200 sealant, works great on boats, and I used it on the edges of my aluminum roof where I capped it ......Just my opinion...Doug

[Steve Frederick]

I'm with Madjack, I use the butyl tape for everything. I take smaller sections of it and roll it into a rope to seal vents, plugs, lights, etc.

[madjack]

...what I like about the butyl tape is that once installed the fixture can be removed without resorting to my favorite personal problem solver
madjack

[metoady]

duck tape lots and lots of duck tape
its the wonder sealer fixer holder
1001 uses

[Will Smith]

the tape is also sold at RV stores. Really inexpensive.

[IraRat]

I used the 3M 5200 because I didn't know where the heck to look at HD for the tape and none of their experts knew what I was talking about. (My friend in boating also recommended it.)

And maybe Madjack's right, but I don't think it's all that difficult to remove. Granted, it'll leave some residue in the event you wanted to remove it, but it doesn't dry like rock hard, but instead, it remains a little flexible, which can be scraped off with a blade. It won't rip the wood off or anything.

It wasn't that easy to WORK with though.

[Michael W]

I used silicone to seal the roof vent. I put down a 1/4 inch bead on the roof just outside the opening to assure I got a good seal between the vent flange and roof. For added protection, I also applied a bead around the outside of the vent and placed a dab on top of each screw head. I cleaned up any access with acetone a rag before it set up. You can also wait for it to cure and slice off any extra with a razor blade. Both methods work fine. So far, so good; no leaks. Remember, however, silicone and paint don't mix, so if you are going to do any painting in area, you may wish to consider another alternative or wait to install your vent as a last step.

[Larwyn]

...Randy, you are right, severallllll years from now it might dry out and crack but the good thing is, 1) it works well and 2) the vent will be removable without having to do demo work to get it loose. The vent is about the only thing I would use it for, for those reasons, anything else would get SikaFlex or something similar
madjack

Madjack is right. The vent is very likely to need replacing before the tape starts showing it's age.

But, Madjack, I would have figured you to prefer the tequila/high explosive method of removal..........