candapack Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Afternoon all. Just back from taking van out for a run, first time in 6 weeks. In that time, we've had rain, snow, frost and ice. Just after driving off, water started dripping out of the ventilation covers on the Heki rooflight. Not a lot, maybe a cupful in total, then it stopped. I know the roof was dry before we left, with maybe some overnight frost still on it. This never happens when driving in the rain. I was wondering if it could just be condensation. 2 weeks ago, I put a small oil filled radiator in the van on a low setting. The external cab screens have been on, the windows shut and blinds closed. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 A cupful of water sound like a heck of a lot of condensation and as it had not happened before you have to ask why not - could the answer be snow getting in where a snow flake never ought to venture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Heiki roof lights have two layers of plastic with holes in the inside layer. These holes are well in from the sides and so well protected by the outer layer of plastic and raining in should not be possible. If there was frost on the roof as you set off it might be possible for frost to have formed where it could be blown under the outer plastic and melted through the holes in the inner layer. Assuming there are no cracks or other leaks in the outer layer of plastic, I would guess that it was something of a freak occurence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky 8 Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 I would carefully remove the Helki trim covers and dry around the jointing with a paper towel/tissue to remove any moisture, give it a couple of Minutes and check again with tissue it should still be dry after a short period , if you pick moisture up anywhere you can then concentrate on that point, .....hope its just condensation, I always park our Motorhome on some home made solid wooded Ramps at the front so water does not pool on the roof only raised some 5 inches, the roof stays dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candapack Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 Tracker - 2014-12-16 4:06 PM A cupful of water sound like a heck of a lot of condensation and as it had not happened before you have to ask why not - could the answer be snow getting in where a snow flake never ought to venture? In hindsight, it was probably quite a small cup. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Chris I had exactly this symptom with my Heki 3 just a couple of months ago, and my problem may not be the same, and you don't say what Heki it is, so may not be relevant, but as I discovered it was a failure of the non setting mastic sealant in one very small spot. Good advice to remove the clip on covers and see if you can see any obvious water staining /ingress, I couldn't see any on mine however, it was only on removing the complete inner frame that it was apparent where the problem was, but as I say just in one small point on the corner. I can tell you chapter and verse how I effected renewal of the sealant should you require, I also replaced the damaged inner blackout blind whilst I was at it, and you can remove the inner frame without issues arising from doing so. However it may not be that, as on one occasion with a previous van I hadn't fully turned the crank handle so locking the glazing panel down so causing it ( I think ) to be lifted during high winds and driving rain while parked up and like you had a small amount of water drip down when we moved off, it didn't happen again as I always ensured the handle was fully locked, so assumed it was indeed my fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 From experience ! I had a large eggcup (double yolker) full after an enthusiastic roof clean with a hose. So may not be that watertight in heavy weather, that said our m/home has been driven in very heavy rain at 60 mph without a wet bed ! We had leak on the rear henki. If you take of the cosmetic cover, (gently pull) and expose the underside, we had a slight weep around the frame. It took a while to dry out as the water had spead between the roof and the top of the insulation board. This was not helped as some Rapidos have a loose roof / deck covering similar to that used on a boat deck. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candapack Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 Thanks all. For various reasons, I'll go with the "freak occurrence" suggestion for now, keep an eye on it and hope it doesn't happen again. If it does, I'll investigate as suggested. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 If you are feeling parnoid ! I took the cover off and gently fed the edge of a piece of kitchen roll into the gap between the ceiling and bottom of the Henki frame. The paper acted as a wick and showed that we had a leak quite quickly. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveyB Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 My Heki did the same thing, used to happen once in a blue moon. I would set off and a mouthful of water would drip down. Wouldn't happen in heavy rain, and would be fine for months then it would do it again. Came to a head one stormy night in Edinburgh when the water started pouring in. That was a hell of a night listening to the rain dripping into all the pans I had placed under the drips. Turned out the roof needed resealing. Was dreading the job but it wasn't too bad. I stripped the roof out, cleaned away all the old sealant and refitted with Sikaflex. Took about 2 hours from start to finish. Worse part was that the day I did it was quite windy so was panicing the plastic skylight cover would get blown out of my hands before I had a chance to re afix it (have you seen the price of replacements) Looking at the design, when I had it in pieces, the only explanation for a leak (in my opinion) is the sealant failing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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