Soaked

[edzt]

First trip out, van went to the blue dot festival.
Mixed results, lovely thing to drive, everything worked well, the lower bed is very uncomfortable compared to my last camper.

What does worry me slightly is a couple of days after we got home the sun came out and I thought I’ll dry the roof fabric.

Opened the sliding hatch thing and a small amount of water landed on me, started to put the roof up a got soaked! Water appears to have been trapped in the folds of the fabric.

Don’t really understand where the water came from there wasn’t that much condensation inside

Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?


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[tuono001]

Was it raining when you closed the roof?
Seems a bit odd to get that much water through. Was the top bed wet as well?

 

[Ozzy Pete]

If it’s raining or has been and the canvas is very wet I go upstairs and give the canvas a good shaking it works well until you get home and dry the canvas off properly. Another thing we do is spray a good quality water repellent on the canvas every couple of years. Makes all the difference.

 

[nickb77]

I've found the 6.1 roof fabric to be very waterproof so I'd be surprised if anything seeped through. We've put ours down in heavy rain and not had water come through.

Only other thing I can think if is whether your roof didn't close properly and water got in. There have been a couple of reports of the roof not closing properly on one side so I guess that would let water in. May not be that' but can't think of another reason.

 

[edzt]

Was it raining when you closed the roof?
Seems a bit odd to get that much water through. Was the top bed wet as well?

Yes, rained on and off all weekend


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[Ch1pbutty]

First trip out, van went to the blue dot festival.
Mixed results, lovely thing to drive, everything worked well, the lower bed is very uncomfortable compared to my last camper.

What does worry me slightly is a couple of days after we got home the sun came out and I thought I’ll dry the roof fabric.

Opened the sliding hatch thing and a small amount of water landed on me, started to put the roof up a got soaked! Water appears to have been trapped in the folds of the fabric.

Don’t really understand where the water came from there wasn’t that much condensation inside

Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?


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The water can wicks thru the roof fabric when closed so you might end up with damp mattress if you shut the roof when its wet; Similar to a canvas tent if you let your sleeping bag touch the wall of the tent.

You can avoid the wicking by fitting an internal ISOTOP which creates a waterproof barrier.

 

[edzt]

I've found the 6.1 roof fabric to be very waterproof so I'd be surprised if anything seeped through. We've put ours down in heavy rain and not had water come through.

Only other thing I can think if is whether your roof didn't close properly and water got in. There have been a couple of reports of the roof not closing properly on one side so I guess that would let water in. May not be that' but can't think of another reason.

That could be, it was raining quite hard driving back on the M6.

Bit worrying on a van that’s done 400 miles!


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[Ozzy Pete]

I've found the 6.1 roof fabric to be very waterproof so I'd be surprised if anything seeped through. We've put ours down in heavy rain and not had water come through.

Only other thing I can think if is whether your roof didn't close properly and water got in. There have been a couple of reports of the roof not closing properly on one side so I guess that would let water in. May not be that' but can't think of another reason.

These are things you MUST check when closing the roof. Even if it’s raining cats and dogs. Someone on the outside and a door fully open when closing the roof checking it’s closing correctly. Never take anything to chance when it comes to the roof. One little slip up and it can cost mega money.

 

[tuono001]

One thing I always do is check my roof is closed properly. Call me paranoid, but having seen numerous campers with roofs part open I don't want to risk it.

 

[WelshGas]

That could be, it was raining quite hard driving back on the M6.

Bit worrying on a van that’s done 400 miles!


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1. If the roof is not closed properly and sealed water will get in when driving. Put sheets of paper around the roof where the elevated section closes. Pull the paper out with roof closed. There should be significant resistance if the roof is closed properly.
2. Check the roof drains front and rear by pouring some water in the gully when the roof is up. Should drain away promptly. One or two have mentioned mastic blocking the drain hole.

 

[Rhauri]

When I closed the roof, while it was raining, there was some water that was dripping through the slide across hatch. I took this to be water that was on the outside of the roof, on the front bit. A few hours later, when home, it was dry, sunny and breezy, so I re-opened the roof and left it open for a couple of hours to dry out before closing again. I could see that there was water on the outside of the canvas. Dried quite quickly.

 

[oliver100]

If we have to leave when the cavas is soaked ill give it a good bash from the inside to get the worst of the beaded water off the outside then will flick a towel at any reaming aread that have water beading before putting down (and then put it up later to fully dry). If not you will end up with a wet bed, wet roof liner and potentially water in the hatch area as you have found out

 

[silversurfer]

Our VW dealer carefully showed us how to close the roof. First, close that slidey hatch thing above the front seats. I kid you not. We drove home with fabric hanging out the front..

And how to wind out the awning - just wind it out all the way then put the legs down.
No idea.
so if you haven’t, read the manual

 

[capt kirk]

Wow

 

[soulstyledevon]

I’ve shut my roof after torrential rain. Never had any water issues. After heavy rain, re-open the roof to dry out at the first opportunity. It will dry very quickly.

I wonder if your roof was shut properly…? Sounds like rain entered the area whilst driving?

 

[Barbara]

Our VW dealer carefully showed us how to close the roof. First, close that slidey hatch thing above the front seats. I kid you not. We drove home with fabric hanging out the front..

And how to wind out the awning - just wind it out all the way then put the legs down.
No idea.
so if you haven’t, read the manual

I like your millau bridge picture on your profile.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Our VW dealer carefully showed us how to close the roof. First, close that slidey hatch thing above the front seats. I kid you not. We drove home with fabric hanging out the front..

And how to wind out the awning - just wind it out all the way then put the legs down.
No idea.
so if you haven’t, read the manual

It wasn’t Sinclairs in Cardiff was it. They told us the roof was fibreglass...!!!!!

 

[edzt]

I’ve shut my roof after torrential rain. Never had any water issues. After heavy rain, re-open the roof to dry out at the first opportunity. It will dry very quickly.

I wonder if your roof was shut properly…? Sounds like rain entered the area whilst driving?

Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s what happened

 

[Ch1pbutty]

It wasn’t Sinclairs in Cardiff was it. They told us the roof was fibreglass...!!!!!

Would solve the corrosion issue if it was!

 

[silversurfer]

It wasn’t Sinclairs in Cardiff was it. They told us the roof was fibreglass...!!!!!

Yes Cardiff VW. Simply awful even on basic van stuff. Never been back after the warranty expired.

 

[silversurfer]

I like your millau bridge picture on your profile.

Thanks. Worth a detour if you’re anywhere close, and the French do the tourist bit so well with service areas next to and underneath the bridge. And there’s the Tarn gorge, and Mt Segur. In fact it’s all worth a special trip!