Should I fill in my Hi Top Gutter with sealant?

[vanzai]

Hi,

We have recently bought our first campervan (Westfalia Joker Hi Top) and although it appears to be in fairly good condition water is getting in somewhere at the back. I can't work out where it is getting in and I know water can track around making it hard to find the source. With this in mind I have two questions:

1) Would it be wise to fill in the gutter with sealant?

2) Would it be wise to attempt to seal around windows with clear sealant? (if this is possible without it looking awful) I was looking at potentially using this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 1124144977" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Any advice would be very welcome! Thanks

[AdrianC]

Hi,

We have recently bought our first campervan (Westfalia Joker Hi Top) and although it appears to be in fairly good condition water is getting in somewhere at the back. I can't work out where it is getting in and I know water can track around making it hard to find the source. With this in mind I have two questions:

1) Would it be wise to fill in the gutter with sealant?

It's what Westfalia did originally. It's one of the ways the top's held on.

It's also a great way to get the gutters to not do what they should do, and pour water straight into the front doors and slider when you open them... When I finally get round to resealing ours, I'm intending to make sure there's a depression so the gutters actually work.

2) Would it be wise to attempt to seal around windows with clear sealant? (if this is possible without it looking awful) I was looking at potentially using this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 1124144977" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If the leaks around the side windows are minor, then Cap'n Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure.
If they're major, get the windows out and new seals fitted (from Gunzl).

It's also worth taking the skylights out and re-sealing those. That was our major water ingress point, but we've still got something - if the van's ever-so-slightly nose up (sleeping position), then we get drips off the rear edge of the overhead unit in heavy rain.

[Plasticman]

I would avoid 'filling' the gutter with sealant as that will not really cure the problem and make doing it correctly at a later date harder and hence costlier.
with the side windows dont use silicone (its not a bath suite) as this is also a bodge and a pain when ever you come to paint the van or do the job correctly.
for factory seals , well i go through a lot of them and have found that http://www.customandcommercial.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
fitted nicer than gunnzls,i bought two from each source due to stock availablity.
mm

[vanzai]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Good tip on the depression, I'll try and do that.

I have no confirmed leaks in the windows but I'm guessing using the product you suggested on all of them won't do any harm. Am I right in thinking this stuff will be very thin, clear and won't be immediately visible? Any tips on applying it would also be great.

Cheers.

[AdrianC]

I have no confirmed leaks in the windows

You'd see them on the seals and just under, if they were.

but I'm guessing using the product you suggested on all of them won't do any harm. Am I right in thinking this stuff will be very thin, clear and won't be immediately visible? Any tips on applying it would also be great.

No sense if they're not leaking, but it's as simple as running the nozzle around just inside the seal, and letting it find it's way. It'll run milky-white out of a few places whilst you're applying it, but just give it a wipe-over with a damp piece of kitchen roll and it'll dry clear.