Hey mate, I checked my 18' and it's sealed along the edge like i explained. My opinion, I think your creating yourself alot of work with removing lid, you have plenty of time to just seal the edge and i'm sure you'll be fine.
Cheers.
Water leak from middle of Hard lid hinge
- Thread starter summer01
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Hey mate, I checked my 18' and it's sealed along the edge like i explained. My opinion, I think your creating yourself alot of work with removing lid, you have plenty of time to just seal the edge and i'm sure you'll be fine.
Cheers.
Hi all
We also have the leaking lid problem around the hinges. Can't get jayco to fix need to fix ourselves.
17Triton - very interested in your down pipe solution. Did it work? Did you do two for each end or one long one sat across top of canvas.
Will try sikaflex on hinge too although I am not entirely sure I know which bit to seal! Taking hard lid off too much for me to do so hopefully one of these solutions works.
Thanks Vicki
We also have the leaking lid problem around the hinges. Can't get jayco to fix need to fix ourselves.
17Triton - very interested in your down pipe solution. Did it work? Did you do two for each end or one long one sat across top of canvas.
Will try sikaflex on hinge too although I am not entirely sure I know which bit to seal! Taking hard lid off too much for me to do so hopefully one of these solutions works.
Thanks Vicki
Hi there VickiS,
Because you have hired the Expanda, I think you should be contacting the owner/business and having them either sort the leak out themselves, or if you are too far from the original place of hire, then they should be picking up the bill for you to have the leak fixed at a caravan repair centre.
It shouldn't be up to you to repair someone else's Expanda at your expense. I'd get onto them ASAP.
Let us know how you get on!
Thanks Lara - we r away for 6 months so we can't take it back. we are also on the move a lot so the hassle of trying to plan a stop to book a service in (whoever pays) and where we would stay in the meantime and the delays etc - well, it's going to interfere too much with our once in a lifetime holiday! Also, i reckon its hit and miss if the jayco service centres even know what to do. we've already stopped at one and they dabbed some sealant on the ends of the hinges and that did nothing. otherwise they suggested we replace the foam strips in the corner! So I want to come up with an interim fix like the down pipe we can quickly set up when rain presents or fix ourselves if easy. In the end, that will get us back to enjoying our holiday quickest.
My previous solution was tarping over the top of the whole bedend. But we have hit a bit of rain (just had 250mm in Coffs in 24 hours :0 ) and while we found the tarp worked in gentler rains a couple of days prior when we also got hit with the winds gusts in Coffs the tarp just wouldn't stay up high enough - ie it would start slipping down proving ineffective as well as timeconsuming to put up!
vik
I only needed to seal along the long edge of the hinge that is on the lid side, the centre pivot of hinge seemed to seal ok. I agree with the angle on the front lid when it's up, from about half way it tends to run back to the hinge so i'm pretty sure this will fix your leak, well it did with mine! I just masked up both sides of the edge with about a 4 or 5mm gap, so the edge of hinge is in the middle of the gap, run your sika along then smooth off with wet finger and remove tape.....easy as.
Burnsy, can you tell us which version of sikaflex you use on the hinges? Seems to be a stack of different ones out there
Yeah, agree its a tricky one if you're constantly on the move. Maybe keep the receipts and try and get the owner to reimburse you. sikaflex isn't the cheapest, but is the best For your situation.
I've used Sikaflex 291, make sure you pick up some painters tape too for a nice clean edge.
I've used Sikaflex 291, make sure you pick up some painters tape too for a nice clean edge.
Hi VickiS, at the time I borrowed the sika from my neighbor, it was a marine grade from Bunnings but not sure of the number. You can also buy it in small tubes with a screw on lid, no cheaper than cartridge but it will fit in a tool box and last a bit longer.
Just make sure you where gloves but no matter what you do it will end up all over you
its sticky stuff.I think MrsExpanda loves the entertainment when the sikaflex is around as I usually spend a good week trying to remove it!
Just make sure you where gloves but no matter what you do it will end up all over you
I think MrsExpanda loves the entertainment when the sikaflex is around as I usually spend a good week trying to remove it!
Turps on a rag is the go!
Gday Vicki and welcome to the site,as far as the downpipe goes it didn`t rain so it is still unproven, the downpipe i got was only 1.8 long so it didn`t quite reach right across but it did get under both hinges and poke out one side. It sat on the canvas fine and i`m sure it will work. I`ve been thinking about it and what i could do because i have two lenghts at 1.8 now and i only have trouble with the front bed i could cut them both to about a metre and just duct tape them together in the middle then both sides would be lower on the sides than the middle, i hope this makes sense. As far as my replacement hardlid i`m still waiting glad i didn`t hold my breath. Let us know how you go or ask any more questions.
cheers Matt.
Thanks all
matt - I walked into bunnings today but they would only sell me min 3 metre downpipe! Looking at how big it is, thinking about the space to carry it and - worse - thinking about hubby trying to use his small hacksaw to cut in half lengthways I baulked. We have tonight made a 'mini' tarp by cutting up a full tarp and fixing it do that the top is right up against the pop top (getting the benefit of the pop top roof creating a bit if overhang roof on the edge of the tarp) and the bottom edge is 1/2 way down the hardlid. We will see if this works keeping water off the offending join. Otherwise Matt I like your idea and I am going to look for some flexible large hose (like our caravan sump hose) which we should be able to easily cut in 1/2 with scissors and we can position to get a slope and roll up when travel.
lara - thanks for the silaflex number. I am still a little uncertain exactly where to put it (eg on top of the hinge on outside or somehow underneath the hinge? If anyone was patient enough to do a diagram or two would be mighty helpful as I really don't want to do something wrong and the find I have somehow mucked up the lid!
Again, thanks all. Will let u know how I go!
matt - I walked into bunnings today but they would only sell me min 3 metre downpipe! Looking at how big it is, thinking about the space to carry it and - worse - thinking about hubby trying to use his small hacksaw to cut in half lengthways I baulked. We have tonight made a 'mini' tarp by cutting up a full tarp and fixing it do that the top is right up against the pop top (getting the benefit of the pop top roof creating a bit if overhang roof on the edge of the tarp) and the bottom edge is 1/2 way down the hardlid. We will see if this works keeping water off the offending join. Otherwise Matt I like your idea and I am going to look for some flexible large hose (like our caravan sump hose) which we should be able to easily cut in 1/2 with scissors and we can position to get a slope and roll up when travel.
lara - thanks for the silaflex number. I am still a little uncertain exactly where to put it (eg on top of the hinge on outside or somehow underneath the hinge? If anyone was patient enough to do a diagram or two would be mighty helpful as I really don't want to do something wrong and the find I have somehow mucked up the lid!
Again, thanks all. Will let u know how I go!
What a wealth of information and experience.
I have been bothered by water on the canva roof under the hard lid for some time now, but only when it rains (lol). I taped up leaving about a 5mm gap and used sika on the lid side of the hinge. Just back from a couple of weeks away with some rain and no water on the lid. I used a paddle po stick to smooth out the sika and all up took me all of 15 minutes.
I like the concept of the down pipe, Matt and will be interested to hear how that works out.
Geoff
I have been bothered by water on the canva roof under the hard lid for some time now, but only when it rains (lol). I taped up leaving about a 5mm gap and used sika on the lid side of the hinge. Just back from a couple of weeks away with some rain and no water on the lid. I used a paddle po stick to smooth out the sika and all up took me all of 15 minutes.
I like the concept of the down pipe, Matt and will be interested to hear how that works out.
Geoff
G'day Geoff the downpipe is only a temporary measure until we get ours new lid, found out today that our hardlid has arrived but we can't get it put on till late next month so the downpipe might get a workout next weekend, hopefully not!
Hi Geoff. That's great will definitely give it a go as its seeming to rain a lot a present in northern nsw (manical LOL). Whatparticular version of sika did u use? Lara used 291, interested if u used this or another product.
Vik (from beautiful (and wet) Byron)
Hi Vik.
I love the nsw coast. So many beautiful places but does get wet. We have been camping and vanning in that part of the world for nearly 30 years and always, and I mean always, count on getting some rain.
I used sikaflex-pro in white. Blurb says all the right things. It did stay soft for quite a while but not messy to use. A tiler gave me the tip on using a paddle pop stick and gives a good professional looking finish.
Cheers, Geoff
i had the problem but it went back to Jayco under warranty.
Seeing it is a rental however, I was wondering why you wouldn't just buy a tube of cheaper silicone and dump a blob where you think the water is coming through. Make the blob quite large.
Then just before you return the van remove the blob of silicone.
Well took the van in to jayco yesterday to get the new front hardlid (warranty it had deep scratches from new) so hopefully it won`t leak now. I did mention it leaked when i dropped it off,it will be interesting to see if it`s fixed now. One problem the hardlid has been there for about three weeks but this was the soonest they could fit it but when it came to putting the new stickers on they had the wrong ones:doh:. Hopefully they can get some up from Melbourne asap.
well our new front hard lid has taken 7 weeks to get in ,not happy ,had big gouge marks in it from new.sane thing leak in the middle. due to be fixed in 2 weeks along with another list of defects but slowly getting there.
Hi all,
In one of the trip reports I mentioned that I was having problems with the front bed end allowing water to enter the top of the bed while travelling in the rain.
Well I am trying to gather the information required to see what changes I need to make. I believe that this is an appropriate thread to add to.
I first wanted to work out how the sealing works and then what can be done to fix it or make it better.
Hopefully the wisdom of this forum can help and provide some advice. Any comments will be greatly appreciated especially those that have solved this issue or have modified the hard lids.
So how I think Jayco wants the seal to work is that the hard lid provides a seal via the following items:
1. Top Hinge (sealed to the caravan and lid and having an interlocking track).
2. Rubber seal attached to the inside of the hard lid on three sides (bottom & 2 sides).
3. Rubber seals in top corners to join the two seals above together.
From what I can deduce this is it for sealing. The bed base when folded contacts the sides but does not have a seal and is open at the top by at least 150 mm.
The picture HardLid_001.pdf shows the rubber seal (2) along the bottom, HardLid_002.pdf shows the hinge (1) and the seal in the top corner. Hardlid_003.pdf shows another view of the corner seal with the lid open.
HardLid_001.pdf
HardLid_002.pdf
HardLid_003.pdf
So that may be how it is suppose to work, but I think there is a problem, which can be seen in the photo HardLid_004.pdf. Because Jayco retain the lid in place in the hinge by two self taping screws (one each end), this means that the hinge on the lid is shorter then the hinge on the van. The corner seal is not able to seal a hole between the two.
HardLid_004.pdf
My theory is that water is leaking through this hole and running along the top of the lid and then falling down on the top of the bed canvas while driving in the rain. Due to all the vents in the van, I assume that there is also a draft that is created to help the water flow in. Amount of water was about two litres over 10 hours (just over 3ml a minute).
I believe that hinge sealant is applied correctly as there is no issue when the van is set-up and it is raining (no water entering from the top).
My thinking of a solution is to remove the corner seal and use the same stuff, but attach it to the top of the hard lid (all the way across) and down the sides at least below the gap in the base and the top.
You may also notice that the hard lid is cracked in the corner and possibly along the edge. This seems to be on both sides, I need to have a look at this and may need to remove the lid to have it repaired.
The other areas that concerned me (more with dust then water) was the the latches and lower corners.
The latch plate is recessed but does not completely fill the hole. This means that the seal is not in contact with anything and that there is a 4 holes along the bottom for dust to enter. This can be seen by the dust and water marks in HardLid_001.pdf (around the lid and latch) and HardLid_005.pdf (around the recess and plate).
HardLid_005.pdf
I would consider filling the gaps with a hard filler, adding extensions to the latch and then sealing or replacing the latch with a longer one and sealing. Hard filler option the most likely if I can get one in white.
The lower corners seem to be very close to the bed recess (see HardLid_006.pdf). The arc of the lid is too large and needs to be more sharper. It would seem that removing the seal and then making the corner radius smaller and then refitting the seal would correct this problem.
HardLid_006.pdf
Cheers
steve
In one of the trip reports I mentioned that I was having problems with the front bed end allowing water to enter the top of the bed while travelling in the rain.
Well I am trying to gather the information required to see what changes I need to make. I believe that this is an appropriate thread to add to.
I first wanted to work out how the sealing works and then what can be done to fix it or make it better.
Hopefully the wisdom of this forum can help and provide some advice. Any comments will be greatly appreciated especially those that have solved this issue or have modified the hard lids.
So how I think Jayco wants the seal to work is that the hard lid provides a seal via the following items:
1. Top Hinge (sealed to the caravan and lid and having an interlocking track).
2. Rubber seal attached to the inside of the hard lid on three sides (bottom & 2 sides).
3. Rubber seals in top corners to join the two seals above together.
From what I can deduce this is it for sealing. The bed base when folded contacts the sides but does not have a seal and is open at the top by at least 150 mm.
The picture HardLid_001.pdf shows the rubber seal (2) along the bottom, HardLid_002.pdf shows the hinge (1) and the seal in the top corner. Hardlid_003.pdf shows another view of the corner seal with the lid open.
HardLid_001.pdf
HardLid_002.pdf
HardLid_003.pdf
So that may be how it is suppose to work, but I think there is a problem, which can be seen in the photo HardLid_004.pdf. Because Jayco retain the lid in place in the hinge by two self taping screws (one each end), this means that the hinge on the lid is shorter then the hinge on the van. The corner seal is not able to seal a hole between the two.
HardLid_004.pdf
My theory is that water is leaking through this hole and running along the top of the lid and then falling down on the top of the bed canvas while driving in the rain. Due to all the vents in the van, I assume that there is also a draft that is created to help the water flow in. Amount of water was about two litres over 10 hours (just over 3ml a minute).
I believe that hinge sealant is applied correctly as there is no issue when the van is set-up and it is raining (no water entering from the top).
My thinking of a solution is to remove the corner seal and use the same stuff, but attach it to the top of the hard lid (all the way across) and down the sides at least below the gap in the base and the top.
You may also notice that the hard lid is cracked in the corner and possibly along the edge. This seems to be on both sides, I need to have a look at this and may need to remove the lid to have it repaired.
The other areas that concerned me (more with dust then water) was the the latches and lower corners.
The latch plate is recessed but does not completely fill the hole. This means that the seal is not in contact with anything and that there is a 4 holes along the bottom for dust to enter. This can be seen by the dust and water marks in HardLid_001.pdf (around the lid and latch) and HardLid_005.pdf (around the recess and plate).
HardLid_005.pdf
I would consider filling the gaps with a hard filler, adding extensions to the latch and then sealing or replacing the latch with a longer one and sealing. Hard filler option the most likely if I can get one in white.
The lower corners seem to be very close to the bed recess (see HardLid_006.pdf). The arc of the lid is too large and needs to be more sharper. It would seem that removing the seal and then making the corner radius smaller and then refitting the seal would correct this problem.
HardLid_006.pdf
Cheers
steve