How wet should it get...

[Ta51tac]

All our trips out when it has rained with the roof up have ended up with water ingress. What is acceptable wicking and what is not normal? There was enough water getting through last night that is found its way though Cali and dripped onto downstairs bed pillow area.

 

[Alan Andrews]

I think that some wicking is inevitable.

It is for this reason that we bought a roof canopy. This provides additional wet weather protection plus does help keep heat inside during winter months.

Use of the canopy means that if it has rained, we simply remove the canopy, shake and place in bag in back, and lower the roof (without need to raise later to dry out).

We put the canopy on the line when we get home to dry out and air.

 

[Hotel California]

Been asked and mentiond many times on the forum .
It's just a one layer tent so in heavy rain and specialy in combination with wind it simply can not be 100% waterproof .
A outside topper can help a lot .
Pointing the rear of the Cali in the wind can help a bit.
Closing the roof in heavy rain helps a lot

Don't let anything of your sleepinggear touching the tentfabrick as i it will soak thru water.
Use the aux heater , let your canvas dry out afterwarts , open the roof on a dry day .

Some had issues and had canvas changed under warrenty , seals not beeing propperly kitted in the roof gutter,....warrenty

 

[ThomasHJ]

This really surprises me. Our T4 which is 25 years old, has never let in any water through the roof tent. Not even in heavy rain. Sure the tent's canvas gets wet, but as long as you don't lie up against it, there's no problem. Is the quality of a T6 roof tent less then that of a 25 year old T4?

 

[Lightning]

This really surprises me. Our T4 which is 25 years old, has never let in any water through the roof tent. Not even in heavy rain. Sure the tent's canvas gets wet, but as long as you don't lie up against it, there's no problem. Is the quality of a T6 roof tent less then that of a 25 year old T4?

I have a T6 which has never had never had this type of leak. There must be some variability between vans, a bit like the sliding window leaks.

 

[Beeechke1]

This really surprises me. Our T4 which is 25 years old, has never let in any water through the roof tent. Not even in heavy rain. Sure the tent's canvas gets wet, but as long as you don't lie up against it, there's no problem. Is the quality of a T6 roof tent less then that of a 25 year old T4?

I have a T5 SE 2010 and camp out all year round, haven't yet felt the need for a topper, and certainly don't get water dripping inside, have you checked the rear roof drains are clear?

 

[Ta51tac]

I have a T5 SE 2010 and camp out all year round, haven't yet felt the need for a topper, and certainly don't get water dripping inside, have you checked the rear roof drains are clear?

The material is getting soaked and rain is running down inside.

 

[Beeechke1]

That,s disappointing to hear, these vehicles are not cheap, you would hope it would perform better than that in the British climate.

 

[WelshGas]

The material is getting soaked and rain is running down inside.

It must be faulty. You need pictures to show and make a warranty claim. VW don't mention the need for a Topper to keep the rain out no matter how bad it rains so yours must be faulty.

 

[Tom Rae]

This really surprises me. Our T4 which is 25 years old, has never let in any water through the roof tent. Not even in heavy rain. Sure the tent's canvas gets wet, but as long as you don't lie up against it, there's no problem. Is the quality of a T6 roof tent less then that of a 25 year old T4?

On both our T5 and now T6 we have never had visible water ingress and we use it all year in all weathers without any topper. I would agree with WG and, if I were the OP, consult your VW dealer on your return.

 

[Tom Rae]

All our trips out when it has rained with the roof up have ended up with water ingress. What is acceptable wicking and what is not normal? There was enough water getting through last night that is found its way though Cali and dripped onto downstairs bed pillow area.

Just noticed, you don't say which end you put your pillows, for'ard or aft?

Tom

 

[Neilos]

Our T6 also had a small amount of water ingress during heavy wind driven rain last ‘summer’. I suspect this was blown through the vents at the top which are open. Considering a topper, I’d like the Isotop. Can’t quite persuade myself to part with that much cash...yet.


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[Ta51tac]

Just noticed, you don't say which end you put your pillows, for'ard or aft?

Tom

Boot end downstairs.

 

[Tom Rae]

Boot end downstairs.

In that case it is not coming in the open vents and I would suggest the rear door seal is worth checking at the top for leaves etc and I think there are some drain pipes there which could be blocked or disconnected, also check any grommets in that area?

 

[MartG]

High level brake light loose?

 

[Ta51tac]

High level brake light loose?

Thanks for the suggestion.
Definitely coming in via one side panel of pop top, to the point on this trip, if it rains we sleep downstairs.

 

[Lightning]

Thanks for the suggestion.
Definitely coming in via one side panel of pop top, to the point on this trip, if it rains we sleep downstairs.

That sounds worse than normal. You could try the warranty route but it’s going to be unlikely you’ll get anywhere with VW, worth asking though. Alternatively you could try an iso top or external topper which would stop it being a problem.

 

[andrew bazeley]

Never had a water-ingress problem in 11 years use in often dreadful conditions. Standards must have changed over the last few years.

 

[RichardH]

Never had a water-ingress problem in 11 years use in often dreadful conditions. Standards must have changed over the last few years.

Likewise. 2014 SE. We always sleep upstairs, with our heads at the steering-wheel end and have survived a good number of foul weather nights. If there's wind from the wrong direction we'll sometimes get a little spray through the vents, but have never had water coming through the canvas in the way described. That doesn't sound normal.

 

[DavidofHook]

We had a T4 for 9 years and we have had our T5 now for almost 8. We have never experienced any Water ingress that I can recall. We sleep downstairs with the upper bed pushed up to give headroom so we would feel it if any water were to come in. This does not sound right, suggest the warranty route ASAP!

 

[MisterTea]

For what it’s worth. The material VW use has been “treated” with a durable water repellant finish (DWR) such as the same you put on waterproof jackets to improve their breathability and stop the outer material absorbing water (ie soaking into the outer material)

Sunlight and heat does effect this treatment. And it does need retreating every so often.

All and any tent, regardless of material type, needs a new waterproof treatment every few years. In my experiance 5 years is about average for our tents before I re-treat them.

If water is not beeding up on the outer surface of the material then it needs a fresh treatment, if the material feels damp to touch when it’s been raining, it needs treatment.

I use Nixwax Tx Direct Spray on waterproofer. I buy it in the 5ltr bottle as it lasts, and we have lots of outdoor things we waterproof with it.

When my T5 roof started to let a few drips in, I used this and it’s never happened since. Simply pop the roof up on a nice dry warming day, use a spray-gun to wet the outside of the canvas, leave for 2 mins to soak in, and then spray Tx Direct lightly onto the damp canvas. Wipe off any runs. Leave to dry. Job done.


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