roof light leak

Post by **togga** » 24 Jul 2007, 10:31

This horrible rain has caused the roof light on my hightop to spring a leak. I've re-sealed it all around with mastic, but I'm still getting a drip in the front right-hand corner. Any suggestions on how I can trace and fix this or should I just fit a new one?

Post by **Nickblue** » 24 Jul 2007, 13:07

Mine developed a leak a couple of months ago and when I had a look on the roof it had obviously been a problem on a number of occasions as half the roof seemed to be covered in layers of mastic.

I spent a couple of hours cleaning off the old mastic on the roof and the framework of the rooflight and removed all the screws and took the rooflight off. It was pretty well stuck down and I found it easier to gently push it out from the inside. I stuck a piece of plastic over the hole(it started to look like rain) and carefully cleaned off the rest the old mastic. I polished up the plastic dome part with some T cut and the whole thing looked like new.

When I checked the wooden surround built into the double skin of the roof opening I found it was only 1"x1" and had gone a bit rotten over the years with the ingress of water so I replaced it with some slightly more substantial 2"x1", using the old framework as a template.

I pumped plenty of mastic around the edges of the underside of the rooflight and pushed it back into position. I also injected some mastic into the screw holes just to make sure water wouldn't find its way down the threads before finally screwing it firmly back into position. Using new stainless steel screws. The screws bit firmly into the new wooden framework and through all the latest deluge it's been bone dry, and the rooflight actually lets in more light now it's been thoroughly cleaned and polished.

Post by **togga** » 24 Jul 2007, 13:19

Thanks. All I have to do is wait for a dry day and I'll give that a try.

Post by **phade** » 24 Jul 2007, 21:10

The way to fix leaking roof lights is the following:-

- Remove the roof light and it's surrounding frame

- Remove all of the old sealer from the roof

- Apply fresh sealer on where the frame will be put back into place. Use PU40 or a similar polyurathane sealer for this purpose. Do not use bathroom sealant nor silicone sealant since this will fall off.

- Put the frame back onto the roof

- Put the roof light top back onto the rest of the roof light mechanism its self

Post by **High Peaker** » 25 Jul 2007, 15:00

Try parking your van the otherway around.
My roof light is mounted in a flat recessed section of the otherwise curved high top (Sheldon).
When parked facing uphill, rain ponded against the back of the recess, and over the plimsole line of the roof light.
When parked facing downhill, it just runs away.

Post by **Cruz** » 25 Jul 2007, 21:58

My roofvent started to leak 18 months ago so I removed the vent (loads of rusty screws) using molegrips.
Took the vent off, cleaned vent and roof with a touch of white spirit to clean the surfaces and then re-fitted it using sikaflex 221 and brand new self-tappers. LINK

However before I did this I had the foresight to buy a cheap tarpaulin to secure over the van using 2 cheap copper pipes cut in half to make 4 and some JK gutter clamps. This way I could cover the roof over WHEN the lovely british weather took a turn for the worse just after taking the vent off........you know it likes to do that

Post by **togga** » 26 Jul 2007, 17:18

Thanks Shaun. That's great advise and a really useful link. Also, a fine looking van there.

Post by **Tex Ritter** » 28 Jul 2007, 19:30

If you have trouble with the mastic seal, warm up a thin bladed putty knife and slip it into the joint.

Work your way around the whole joint, you'll find the joint will give way very easily...it works a treat ...honest.

Tex R