Finally identified the leak

[kimbowbill]

After many wet beds and full saucepans i have finally identified where i have water coming in, (no incontinence jokes please, i've heard them all :banana

I temporary put down some butyl pond liner on the suspect part of the roof, parked on the flat in the rain and nothing came in, is there anything on the market that any of you could suggest i could stick the liner down with for a permanent fix? i have thought about Sikaflex but there are so many types, i have emailed a couple of suppliers but nobody has come back with an answer.

i know i really should have a new roof but budget will not allow,

thanks

 

[screevin]

loose slates?

 

[voyagerstan]

what sort of area are you talking about?

 

[n brown]

it's not pretty but it works,especially with the primer Toolstation > Roofing & Drainage > Roofline & Ventilation > Evo-Stik Flashband

 

[vwalan]

have a look in a builers merchant or find a friendly flat roofer . you can get a black gungy stuff that you brush on . works a treat . bit like very thick underseal. its used on houses factories etc . used it on a prison truck roof that leaked .worked a treat. cant remember the name but i,m sure they will know it.

 

[Smaug]

If it's a flat roof repair, they are usually only temporary anyway, couple of years at best usually. maybe that will give you time to save for re-roofing (which could last 10 years or so if done well)?

Read you building insurance policy, you MAY be covered if it can be shown to be caused by frost damage & excessive rain over the last 6 months or so. A decent builder should be able to make the case for the Insurers to pay - but there is always a risk that they won't pay. If that happens look for a 3-5 year loan from Zopa or similar to spread the cost.

 

[rugbyken]

Silicone, Sealants, Bonding, Glue, Adhesives, Multisolve - CT1Ltd
The above is a relatively new product absolutely brilliant had a leak on my mates camper roof where a previous owner had taken of a top box and just left screw holes when we finally identified the problem 2xlines of 4 screws , we got a length of plastic trim bedded it down and never a problem since , rarely are the problems that the panel is porous normally a hole or crack had one next to the skylight a stress crack cut a fillet patch and bonded that on did all 4 corners to match again no problem,
The demo that goes with the product shows a plastic cup full of water this is then slit with a Stanley and sealed from the outside they then do the same and seal from the inside underwater very impressive, they also bond a door handle to a concrete block and pick it up by the handle, not immediately I add.

 

[Firefox]

I think this is her van, Smaug, not her house

 

[Dive Tramp]

Bostik 2402

If it is indeed for the Motorhome roof then...

Use some Bostik2402 to permanently stick down your Butyl Rubber membrane to the roof.

Easy to use, just follow the instructions on the tin. Most importantly of all, make sure the two surfaces (esp the roof) are clean. I use Toluene to clean the parts, just wiped across the surfaces.
Make up the two part solution as per the tin and thinly coat both areas (it helps to put masking tape around the area you're covering so that the patch fits neatly.
You do have to be careful when laying down the patch tho, once it's got the glue on it, but if you do mess up, you can always use the toluene to let you lift it off again and start over.
It's a permanent fix (for the life of the Butyl Rubber).

DT

 

[Deleted member 12539]

Silicone, Sealants, Bonding, Glue, Adhesives, Multisolve - CT1Ltd
The above is a relatively new product absolutely brilliant had a leak on my mates camper roof where a previous owner had taken of a top box and just left screw holes when we finally identified the problem 2xlines of 4 screws , we got a length of plastic trim bedded it down and never a problem since , rarely are the problems that the panel is porous normally a hole or crack had one next to the skylight a stress crack cut a fillet patch and bonded that on did all 4 corners to match again no problem,
The demo that goes with the product shows a plastic cup full of water this is then slit with a Stanley and sealed from the outside they then do the same and seal from the inside underwater very impressive, they also bond a door handle to a concrete block and pick it up by the handle, not immediately I add.

I have used CT1 on many building type jobs, in different colours. it is the 'mutts'.
Not used it on the motorhome because CT1 is quite costly. It was very good at sealing wet guttering though, so I would have thought very good at sealing almost anywhere.
City Electrical Factors used to sell it.....in Sheffield...Welcome to City Electrical Factors | City Electrical Factors
Be aware it is costly...

 

[sasquatch]

Try a Yank RV supplies like star spangled spanner. There is a paint on rubber and a butyl sheet for covering a roof.

 

[Smaug]

Try a Yank RV supplies like star spangled spanner. There is a paint on rubber and a butyl sheet for covering a roof.

Neat idea, like a 70's vinyl roof?

 

[kimbowbill]

If it's a flat roof repair, they are usually only temporary anyway, couple of years at best usually. maybe that will give you time to save for re-roofing (which could last 10 years or so if done well)?

Read you building insurance policy, you MAY be covered if it can be shown to be caused by frost damage & excessive rain over the last 6 months or so. A decent builder should be able to make the case for the Insurers to pay - but there is always a risk that they won't pay. If that happens look for a 3-5 year loan from Zopa or similar to spread the cost.

Awww great reply there Smaug, but its for my camper, don't think my buildings insurance would cough up lol,

 

[Randonneur]

Hi Kimbowbill,

If I remember correctly your van is similar to mine ( Elddis Autostratus ), in that there is the front fibreglass pod on the cab and the rest of the roof is aluminium.

It may be that your leak is coming in at the joint where the pod joins the rear aluminium part of the roof. If this is the case, due to the pod on the cab and the rear roof on the chassis, the two parts will be moving independently of each other and this movement over time may have fractured the joint across the roof and caused the internal structure to fail at that point.

If the internal structure has failed then it will be an almost impossible job to seal on a permanent basis. This has happened to ours and we are now having it all stripped out and repaired and made solid again, including water damage to interior walls and fittings, and yes, it ain't cheap!!!

I had previously tried sikaflex, flash band, expanding sealer, even duct tape! All of which lasted for a short time before leaking through again.

Unfortunately once the internal structure has rotted there is very little that will do a permanent repair due to the independent movement of both parts.

This was a known problem on these elddis models and also I believe on early swift kon-tiki's as well, known as leaky kon-tiki's.

I hope your problem is not as bad as ours is/was, and that you can fix it relatively cheaply, let us know how you get on.

Regards,
Dave.

 

[kimbowbill]

Hi Kimbowbill,

If I remember correctly your van is similar to mine ( Elddis Autostratus ), in that there is the front fibreglass pod on the cab and the rest of the roof is aluminium.

It may be that your leak is coming in at the joint where the pod joins the rear aluminium part of the roof. If this is the case, due to the pod on the cab and the rear roof on the chassis, the two parts will be moving independently of each other and this movement over time may have fractured the joint across the roof and caused the internal structure to fail at that point.

If the internal structure has failed then it will be an almost impossible job to seal on a permanent basis. This has happened to ours and we are now having it all stripped out and repaired and made solid again, including water damage to interior walls and fittings, and yes, it ain't cheap!!!

I had previously tried sikaflex, flash band, expanding sealer, even duct tape! All of which lasted for a short time before leaking through again.

Unfortunately once the internal structure has rotted there is very little that will do a permanent repair due to the independent movement of both parts.

This was a known problem on these elddis models and also I believe on early swift kon-tiki's as well, known as leaky kon-tiki's.

I hope your problem is not as bad as ours is/was, and that you can fix it relatively cheaply, let us know how you get on.

Regards,
Dave.

Hi Dave

I have had all the inside structure rebuilt, its all now aluminium frame, the butyl pond liner seems to be the only thing that has worked, it is the same as yours, it is the part near the cab but what happens is, if i am level and it rains, it puddles and seeps through, this is what gave me the idea of pond liner, just need something strong to stick it down, i could never sell the van with the roof like that so i am happy to fix the liner down permanently if i can , its a blooming nightmare innit, lol

 

[Randonneur]

Hi Dave

I have had all the inside structure rebuilt, its all now aluminium frame, the butyl pond liner seems to be the only thing that has worked, it is the same as yours, it is the part near the cab but what happens is, if i am level and it rains, it puddles and seeps through, this is what gave me the idea of pond liner, just need something strong to stick it down, i could never sell the van with the roof like that so i am happy to fix the liner down permanently if i can , its a blooming nightmare innit, lol

Too right its a nightmare. What did ours was the weight of snow on the roof while we had it in storage. It bent the ally part of the roof down enough for the water to seep in, then it froze and expanded the gap so more water got in!

Its currently being repaired and we're having the roof rebuilt with pressure treated wood battens that are double the size of the original elddis structure so when its done it will be stronger than original and should be good for at least another ten years, (fingers crossed!!).

If you're using butyl pond liner, have you thought about using a hot air gun to melt it on to the roof with. This would enable you to mould it around the joint area and the lip edges at the sides?

 

[Bushtrekker]

Industrial sized Tena Ladies?

OK, I'm going....:lol-053:

 

[Dive Tramp]

Without knowing what effected area looks like, maybe drilling a small hole or two and, fill with expanding foam, hopefully creep into leaking area?

No, no, no, no, no!

Never try to seal a leak with expanding polyurethane foam. When this stuff sets, it becomes brittle and the "closed" cell walls break allowing moisture and water to enter the area once again, unfortunately you won't know this til your roof sags and suddenly weeps water.
(sorry to "shout" you down there, Runnach)

Boat owners know this from their own heartache, especially when they find their boar weighs several hundred kilos more than when they last took out of the water and put it on their trailer...

Source the leak, seal it then rest comfortably (and dryly...)

DT

 

[kimbowbill]

Hey, nae bother DT, was just my thoughts, which, thanks to you, have highlightd to be wrong.

I used the stuff recently when doing a repair at driver door, not serious like a roof leaking, filling up a gap......

Cheers.............

Twas a good tip tho, i wouldn't have been happy drilling even more holes, lol, i am sticking with the pond liner, or even the paint on rubber butyl that looks good,

some great ideas tho, thanks everyone, i knew i'd get good response from here

 

[Puddinhead]

Roof repairs

I'm a builder and we use ct1 when the hole is quite small and only for temp/ short term fixes. There is a product by cementone called Flexacryl Cementone Flexacryl - Instant waterproof compound this is great stuff for fixing flat roofs and even comes in white. It's a bit pricey for a small job but worth it.