Heki drafts

Y5kot

Guest
Whilst travelling during winter I put the heating on to warm the hab area. I usually drive so not aware. The good lady drove and I wnet in the back. Waste of time putting the heating on. It is freezing back there. The hekis just fill the van with cold air.
I was thinking of putting some draft excluded on the heki and the wind it down. Just not sure it will last as it will get wet up there and perhaps just peel off. Has anyone got any ideas to solve this. -someone said they have to be ventilated for gas reasons?
Any thoughts would be good. Thanks in advance
 
All vans have gas 'drop out' holes. These are more likely to allow in cold air than the Heki`s.

If your van is old, then it is worth checking that the rubber seal on the rooflights have not perished and letting in draughts. Check the hab door seals also.

ps, whatever you do, do NOT block off the gas drop outs.

If it is that much of a problem (difficult to say as you did not mention what kind of van you have), it is possible to fit a heat exchanger which runs off the engine cooling system. Look at the Alde heating website for details.
 
Y5kot said:
I was thinking of putting some draft excluded on the heki and the wind it down. Just not sure it will last as it will get wet up there and perhaps just peel off. Has anyone got any ideas to solve this. -someone said they have to be ventilated for gas reasons?
Any thoughts would be good. Thanks in advance
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I've only seen one Heki roof vent on a Winnebago - so not exactly a large font of knowledge.

The plastic skylight closed down onto a "draft excluder" type seal and I assume would not allow a draft in the van.

If you dont have a draft free upper vent for gas purposes, maybe the manufacturer has made the Heki skylight into the upper vent by removing the seal? You do need an upper vent as much as you need the lower vent to make sure any gas leak will drop out of the lower vent(s). LPG may (big MAY) diffuse throughout a campervan if there is no air leaking in from above to ensure it drops out - this is potentially dangerous.

Maybe try experimenting with putting a seal around the leading edge and the two sides of the skylight and see if that resolves the issue of cold air being forced in while driving along.

There are some German DIN Standards and some Australian Standards for roof venting (may not be law, but represent best knowledge), but I'm not sure if they specify a size and air volume through the vents. I'll try and have a look over the next couple of days and see if they have come up with a formula for vent sizing.

My German built Westfalia has upper and lower draft free vents of about 6" square.
 
HI Y5KOT we have had 8 m/h's and they all have the same problem that big space to warm up in the winter when you are driving around unless you have second re heating in the back the engines heater can't cope with all that space forget spending a fortune on addition's my wife always makes curtains for behind the two front seats full length to the floor you can't have the heater on full for long it gets to hot and when you park up for the night you loose most of your heat through the cab so it has a duel purpose and it turns your living area very cosy and warm . i think most heki lights are made to let air through thus you get a draft .
 
thanks guys

Thanks guys,

After speaking to another friend he tells me he had the same problem and resolved with draft excluded single tape to the underside and generated a seal. He doesn't seem to had a problem with it falling off in the wet. I'll give it a go and let you guys know - again thanks
 
Y5kot said:
Thanks guys,

After speaking to another friend he tells me he had the same problem and resolved with draft excluded single tape to the underside and generated a seal. He doesn't seem to had a problem with it falling off in the wet. I'll give it a go and let you guys know - again thanks
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hi y5kot. don't know about blocking the the air-vents off because i was led to believe they was there for a reason i seem to remember something to do with when you open the cab windows the air rushes in creates pressure in all that space and could blow a window out don't know how true that is but it does sound logical what do the guy's think. happy camping
 
There are 2 types of Heki rooflight.

Caravan type - has permanent ventilation

Motorhome type - plastic dome rests on a complete seal so that there are no draughts.

Our Romahome has 2 Hekis and both are of the correct type and no draughts from them but it has been reported on other forums that some converters have managed to fit the wrong one.
 
I have a Heike panorama roof window which is operated by remote control. This seals onto the roof. It has 2 chips at each corner that if you forget to shut it, it will automatically close if it rains or when there is a dampness in the air. like late evenings when moisture falls.
 
I put a draught strip along the front leading edge as a good compromise... it also stops one of the main rattles that we had!
 
syldale said:
hi y5kot. don't know about blocking the the air-vents off because i was led to believe they was there for a reason i seem to remember something to do with when you open the cab windows the air rushes in creates pressure in all that space and could blow a window out don't know how true that is but it does sound logical what do the guy's think. happy camping
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Hi syldale,

You might be right in what you say with a van conversion but with a coachbuilt body it has the opposite effect. The wider body just behind the cab causes a drop in pressure just outside the door. The air tends to rush outwards when you open a window.
 
Wind pressure

maingate said:
Hi syldale,

You might be right in what you say with a van conversion but with a coachbuilt body it has the opposite effect. The wider body just behind the cab causes a drop in pressure just outside the door. The air tends to rush outwards when you open a window.
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HI MAINGATE. LIKE I SAID A'M NOT SURE WHERE I GOT THE INFO FROM BUT I THINK IT WAS TO-DO WITH MOTORWAY SPEED DRIVING FAST AND OPENING THE WINDOW AND ALL THAT WIND RUSHING IN . HAPPY CAMPING:confused:
 
I have a 3 week old Autotrail Comanche and the front heki blows quite a draft when driving over 30mph and when returning from Lincoln yesterday it was raining and then rain started to come in through the heki also :sad:

Tony
 
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