heki leaking !! (1 Viewer)

Nov 14, 2009
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normandy
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16 years
hi all , woke up this morning to drizzly rain and a leaking heki:Sad: .
on closer inspection it seems that the blue l-shaped clamps that pull the chassis tight onto the roof making a seal against the mastic have snapped the threaded tubes that they screw into on the chassis. luckily there are other tubes on the other side of the clamp so i have redrilled the blue clamps and used these to pull the chassis down. when the weather is dry again i want to take off the heki and reseal it so my question is what would you seal it with? i personally dont like the gooey putty autotrail have used as it never sets and turns almost to liquid when it gets really hot. would a ggod quality silicone like dow corning be better or is there a reason not to use this? thanks for reading, all the best sean
 

Terry

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Dec 27, 2007
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Hi I use stuff like PU 40 from tool station but with a seal of general purpose mastic as a double seal :thumb: Don't use silicon as it does not like some plastics and although it seals after a while it lets go and leaks -- Also used Sikaflex,Caraseal, and tigerseal but all with the GP mastic -sort of belt and braces thing but never had any leaks since sealing things with both IE a bead of PU with another bead of gp for good measure :thumb:
terry
 

Stephen & Jeannie

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Aug 27, 2008
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De ja vous !!

This happened to my Scout as well !:cry: Dave Newell fixed it for me, he thought that the original fitters screwed them down too tightly !!:Eeek:

Perhaps making work for later on after the warrenty runs out !!!:Angry:

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Trikeman

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:thumb: Check out the Sikaflex range :thumb: not the cheapest, by far, but one of the best.

Regards,

Trikeman.:winky:
 

rainbow chasers

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Oct 30, 2009
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Hekis do leak over time due to the fle of the body when travelling. It is quite a large, rigid shape!

You need non drying bedding sealer, which is like the sticky stuff you have on there. Names such as Carafa, caraseal, tiger etc have already been given - but it must be non drying and must NOT be silicone.

The reason it never dries, it due to the fleing of the bodywork surrounding it. Non drying sealer will move with the body and maintain a seal - whereas if it were to dry, it would crack and leak straight away. Most failures are cuased by old sealnt that has dried over the years.

As a temporary repair, it may pay you to get some UV stable repair tape from a DIY store - looks like thick scellotape - and stick this around the edge outside to aid sealing the heki until you can reseal it properly. As it is UV stable, it will peel off happily later, unlike other tapes.

It is handy to keep a roll on board for window repairs too!
 

TheBig1

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Nov 27, 2011
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many many years! since I was a kid
the best sealant to use is the mastic on a roll. this ensures an even seal and allows the joint to flex without splitting

if you use sikaflex, it will be near impossible to remove the skylight without breaking it or damaging the roof of your van. if you get a leak or the plastic cracks, as it does with age, it becomes a huge job to replace

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OP
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seanoo
Nov 14, 2009
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normandy
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thanks everyone for your replies, i have been and bought the mastic roll and some good quality silicone to finish the edges. will do the job tomorrow and then sit back and know that i did it properly. thanks again sean:thumb:
 

Terry

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thanks everyone for your replies, i have been and bought the mastic roll and some good quality silicone to finish the edges. will do the job tomorrow and then sit back and know that i did it properly. thanks again sean:thumb:

After giving advise on not useing silicon :Doh: I hope you have bought a Natural cure one then as this will stick to placcy but if it stinks of vinegar (acetic acid) no matter what tpye you have bought it will let go :Smile: BTW the best silicon is still the original Dow Corning :winky:Don't forget to use masking tape ::bigsmile:
terry
 

rainbow chasers

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Oct 30, 2009
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After giving advise on not useing silicon :Doh: I hope you have bought a Natural cure one then as this will stick to placcy but if it stinks of vinegar (acetic acid) no matter what tpye you have bought it will let go :Smile: BTW the best silicon is still the original Dow Corning :winky:Don't forget to use masking tape ::bigsmile:
terry

You can only advise.....and that can be taken or left......:Doh:

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OP
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seanoo
Nov 14, 2009
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normandy
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cheers terry, being a plumber the only one i ever use is dow corning!! all the best sean
 

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