Heki Roof Window

[stevearty]

Hi all, I've been using my Swift Conqueror all season without a problem, including some pretty foul weather conditions. About a week ago I came back to the van to find the bed was damp, and assumed that the roof window had leaked because I had failed to shut it correctly.

Last night, the weather was again pretty torrential and I was woken up to find the roof window was leaking again.

On inspection I have narrowed the area down to one corner of the frame. Looking on the roof of the van I noticed that there is quite a lot of standing water around the frame and that the sealant under this standing water has softened.

First question, would this softening account for the water ingress?

Second question, is it easy enough to replace the sealant?

Third question, any particular recommendation as to the type of sealant? And any top tips on how to do the job and not make things worse.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Answer 1 - the sealant hasn't softened, it's designed to stay soft so it can flex with movements in the van.
Answer 2 - to replace sealant you would have to completely remove the roof light, remove all old sealant completely, clean the mating surfaces so they are spotless and grease free, then use
Answer 3 - a non-setting, caravan specific sealant, eg Silkaflex

 

[Parksy]

..........Third question, any particular recommendation as to the type of sealant? And any top tips on how to do the job and not make things worse.

The sealant has probably hardened and is letting in water but check that the rubber window seal gasket ring is good as well because this may be causing the leak.
If the gasket ring needs replacing there are instructions Here
If the mastic sealant has hardened and cracked removal of the Heki is fairly straightforward for someone with reasonable DIY skills.
Put plastic over the bed in case any trapped water enters as you remove the rooflight.
Gently prise off the plastic interior surround and undo the screws holding the inner and outer frames together.
Carefully separate the frames, a plastic fridge freezer scraper is a very useful tool for this job.
Use the plastic scraper to remove the old sealant, and use white spirit to remove all traces of old sealant and to clean the surfaces.
Use a rag soaked in Methylated Spirit to remove the oily residue from the white spirit and to make the surfaces clean.
Use Sikaflex 512 (shop around for best price) to lay a bed of sealant for the frame to be remounted.
Some people prefer to use a mastic gun and others use sealing strip
Clean and reassemble the rooflight, remove excess mastic and smooth the edges with the white spirit.
When you store your caravan wind the jockey wheel up so that the caravan is nose down. This will prevent excess water, snow etc from lying on the roof and causing further leaks.