Fixing a leaking roof light.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Elfit
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Elfit

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Hi Folks

The roof light in our van has sprung a leak over the winter. I've just been out with a hose on the roof and have found where the water is coming in. Some of the black mastic(?) has slightly come away from the metal and is letting water through.

What's the best way to fix it? I was going to give the whole area a very good clean, leave to dry and then smear with silicone sealant.

Is there a betterway?

Cheers
Tim

Note to self ~ next time I convert a van put the roof light anywhere as long as it isn't above the bed ( especially my side!)

OB Tune :~

The Beatles- Fixing A Hole (Best Sound Quality!) - YouTube
 
I would be inclined to get as much of the old sealant off & replace it with new rather than trying to just bodge the place where it has come away at present. Bodge the split & the next bit along will come adrift next week . . .

It's just Sod's law.
 
far better to remove it as the seal is usually under a lip you cant see the seal area its covered with the lip . remove and reseal properly .
 
roof vent

The only real way to fix a leaking vent is to take it right out , clean off all the old sealer and reseal it. Smearing sealer around the edge is at best only a emerency bodge.
The sealer gets affected by the sun (yes even in Britain) , I also have a vent over the bed , not next time!!.

Shubert
 
If the leak is from the sealant between the rooflight and the roof, then take the rooflight out, clean the contact areas carefully, then apply caraseal sealant to the rooflight and refix the rooflight.
If you can't take the rooflight out, then maybe clean the area as much as possible, then use fibreglass to seal it in, it's a bodge I agree, but it will do the job!!
 
As VWalan's post above and when re-setting your skylight, use a non-setting frame jointing mastic. That stuff firms over where air gets to it but stays "wet" enough on the inside to cope with the expansion and contraction of the skylight thro the varying temperatures (of the days and nights and seasons).
Silicone mastic, unless it's really, really clean under neath when being applied, has the tendency to "lift off" as has happened here creating the leak.
 
when i built my trailer i didnt put any roof vents in . the small high windows chimney any smells or heat away . plus small windows help it stay warm or cool . seen so many with broken lids and leaks i didnt want any of that.
 
I had?????? the same problem, so today we removed and cleaned it,then replaced it using mastic on a roll. fingers crossed. I did notice that when we removed it the wooden frame didn't seem to have any watermarks so may have to look elsewhere .
 
When there appears to be a leak from a roof vent, the first thing you should check is the rubber seal between frame and opening window.

The rubber can get very hot and start to perish which can cause a leak.
 
Excuse me hijacking your thread - but the mastic that you get on a roll (the stick it on, then peel the back off kind) is that enough to hold in windows or roof lights, or do I need to run a bead of Sikaflex around the frame as well?

Just wondering as it seems mighty sticky stuff!
 
Philcott said:
Excuse me hijacking your thread - but the mastic that you get on a roll (the stick it on, then peel the back off kind) is that enough to hold in windows or roof lights, or do I need to run a bead of Sikaflex around the frame as well?

Just wondering as it seems mighty sticky stuff!
Click to expand...
perfect stuff for either job,use it with bits of upvc plastic to fill the corrugations on a roof then a length of it all round. if you feel need for extra mastic use a non setting butyl based one . just noticed you said'' enough to hold in ''. you can't glue them in with this,just seal'em !!
 
n brown said:
perfect stuff for either job,use it with bits of upvc plastic to fill the corrugations on a roof then a length of it all round. if you feel need for extra mastic use a non setting butyl based one . just noticed you said'' enough to hold in ''. you can't glue them in with this,just seal'em !!
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, but if you wouldn't mind clarifying.

So I put my tape down and fit my frame onto it. What do I do then? Or do I put Sikaflex (it's what I'm going to use) on the frame before I fit it into the hole and onto the tape? Sorry if I'm being dense, but just trying to make sure it gets done right the first time! :) My roof is a smooth one, so no corrugations thankfully.
 
rooflights and seitz windows come in 2 pieces,an inner and an outer frame . you cut the hole and put the outer frame in place on the roof,on mastic, then you screw the inner to the outer,causing the vent frames to clamp together with the roof in between .I personally never use sikaflex for these jobs,the mastic tape is plenty
 
n brown said:
rooflights and seitz windows come in 2 pieces,an inner and an outer frame . you cut the hole and put the outer frame in place on the roof,on mastic, then you screw the inner to the outer,causing the vent frames to clamp together with the roof in between .I personally never use sikaflex for these jobs,the mastic tape is plenty
Click to expand...

Thank you! Explicit answer that leaves nothing to the imagination - just what I needed on this one. :dance:

Will go and buy a reel of mastic tape forthwith and fifthwith!
 
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