tuskany Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Hello everyone, We are about to have a hightop roof conversion on our T4. It will be fitted with a fly-screened roof vent. However, we went to our local campervan dealership today to have a look around and they had a lot of vans parked on the forecourt, so we had a look in a few. What we found was that all the roof vents, although closed, seemed to let a little bit of a cold breeze in. Is this common? If sleeping away during the winter, then a cold van is the last thing you want. :-( And how likely are they to leak during a very hard down pour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 All motorhomes are supposed to have some permanent ventilation. A cheap and recognised way to provide this is to fit rooflights without their perimeter seals. I suspect that is all you have seen. Fully sealed versions are available, and don't let drafts in when closed. However, there must be some other source of permanent ventilation provided instead. Small "mushroom" type ventilators are available for this purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuskany Posted November 11, 2006 Author Share Posted November 11, 2006 Perhaps when I said 'roof vent' I used the wrong choice of wording. The kind we saw were the square flip up or push up roof windows. I don't know what else to call them. They had a screen to pull across which would obviously stop flies and midges getting in. It was a very breezy day today but then that's a good test isn't it. I lifted my hand up and felt a small amount of cool air coming through the closed windows on all the vans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Hi tuskany, Our rear roof vent although sealed around the perimeter actually has a vent through it to ouside air, was this what you experienced if it was that is normal habitation ventilation? Even with the blind across the air can be felt at the edge vents of the fanlight. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuskany Posted November 11, 2006 Author Share Posted November 11, 2006 That's possible I suppose. They may have had a small vent running along the side somewhere. I'll pop back and look again tomorrow. I'm finding it difficult to decide whether to have the vent put in because we will sleep up there. There will also be sliding windows each side of the high top and a rear one which opens outwards. They do seem a bit flimsy though (for want of a better word). I get the impression that they couldn't withstand a serious downpour. How is your one doing Basil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bill h Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Its impossible to prevent air equalising unless the seals are perfect as in a spacecraft situation or a vacuum chamber. Any material joint or bolt hole will allow air to pass through unless sealed. Motor Caravans are designed to allow the free movement of air. bill h Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Unless the vent is fitted badly, it should not leak, even in a torrential downpoor - we've had some of these and have a van with 2 small vents as well as a large Heki and have never had a leak even when travelling on the motorway head on into a storm! I belive it is possible to obtain some vents without the air flow but the ones with the air flow are the most commonly fitted to campers, motorhomes etc. Don't forget not having a roof vent can prevent heat escaping in hot weather, it's okay to have side windows etc but these can leave hot air trapped at roof level which would be very uncomfortable when trying to sleep. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Hi, The only time we get any water splash in is if it is actually open and not tilted to exclude the wind direction, so its fine and never has let water when closed. The way the vent is cut through is with the inner skin at the top of the vent and the outer is around the perimeter so air can pass but water can't. We find it essential in the summer for ventilation. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuskany Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share Posted November 12, 2006 I know what you all mean when you all say it's essential in the summer for ventilation. The thing is though that we don't really get that much hot weather (in the UK). We enjoy going away all year round - more or less - or at least would like to. But if I had to guess, I'd say that it is hot for less than 20% of the year. Talking about cold, has anyone heard of these heaters which are connected to the fuel tank and run on diesel. They are not connected to the engine though. They cost about £650 without fitting. They're called an EBERSPACHER HEATER. hallselectrical.com sell them. I've been deliberating for some time on the best way to keep warm when parked up and they look like a great idea because you never have to charge them and as long as you've got fuel they'll just keep going. There is no worry of the leisure battery running down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Some comments on EBERSPACHER HEATER as I have been involved in fitting them into commercial vehicles for cab heating. They save on gas but use diesel. (not a lot) They are compact. They are noisy, especially at night (my personal opinion) They eat battery amps, think twice about your comments regarding no worries about battery capacity. Do the maths on ampere hours assuming 60% availability of the quoted battery ampere hour capacity. Good luck C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Personaly I would consider the 'trickle' vent you seem to be describing to be escential, hot or cold, if you are to avoid stuffy air etc. In houses it is a requirement for rooms to be ventilated, strangely it appears that a normal living area is twice that for bathrooms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuskany Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share Posted November 12, 2006 [QUOTE]Do the maths on ampere hours assuming 60% availability of the quoted battery ampere hour capacity.[/QUOTE] Thanks for that Clive. Forgive me for not being technically minded but in laymans terms would you say that is a couple of hours use on a standard 650 leisure battery? And how much did you charge to fit them? I agree. I've decided to have the vent fitted. I don't want mould to start appearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 [QUOTE]tuskany - 2006-11-11 5:45 PM That's possible I suppose. They may have had a small vent running along the side somewhere. I'll pop back and look again tomorrow. I'm finding it difficult to decide whether to have the vent put in because we will sleep up there. There will also be sliding windows each side of the high top and a rear one which opens outwards. They do seem a bit flimsy though (for want of a better word). I get the impression that they couldn't withstand a serious downpour. How is your one doing Basil?[/QUOTE] If rooflights worry you, can you get top hinged windows fitted in the sides of the high top? I have seen these in one or two high top conversions and they do seem to offer better protection against water ingress if you've left them open to vent and there's a thunderstorm while you're out. Also, with one each side you get high level cross ventilation, which is better than with the single rooflight. You'd also avoid some of the extra heat build up due to the sun striking directly down through a rooflight onto the interior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuskany Posted November 15, 2006 Author Share Posted November 15, 2006 Well thanks to everyone who answered my questions and gave me some useful advice which I will put to good use ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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