We are having trouble with one of our Heiki hatches .We have contacted the van manufacturer about it and they don't want to do anything about it because it is out of warranty .If we have the van (length ways )level with a Spirit level on the A frame and double checking on a few cabinets inside,if it rains heavy we get water pooling in front of the hatch to a depth of about 20mm and it starts to leak in over the silastic .The caravan manufacturers remedy was to lower the front down so that it does not pool and they said that the hollow is within specifications .But I have to lower it down by about 70 mm to stop the pooling , this makes the van sink draining board flows the wrong way .
What I am enquiring about as anyone removed and re sealed a Heiki hatch and if they have what problems did you encounter and what silastiic did you use .Or is it a job to be done in a caravan repairer, the problem is we are on the road full time .
Sorry for the long post .hopefully somebody can help
20 mm is a fair size dint to have in the roof so close to a hatch, and without sealing the hatch itself shut with silicone so that no water can penetrate anywhere it will require a proffesional van repairer to fix.
More than likely the whole hatch would have to come out and additional packing put in under the low section of roof to get the water to run off when the hatch has been replaced.
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I had a thought but it got run over as it crossed my mind.
hi trever how old is the van, did you buy it new, you do realize we have our own australian consumer laws , that may override any warranty the caravan maker gives you 20 mm is a lot as stated especially on the roof, i would think that would not be acceptable ,check to see the hatch manufacturer see what they say good luck
just googled it ,its a dometic some sites will give you installation instructions
-- Edited by liz795 on Wednesday 8th of July 2015 05:55:24 PM
We bought the van 2 1/2 years ago new to us.Wehave had a few problems with the van which were all rectified .But after living in the van 24/7 for this time we are rather disapointed with the build quality of the van, but unfortunately we are stuck with the van .The most annoying thing about their reply to us was that the van had been in the weather,well aren't vans supposed to be used or are they to be left undercover and not taken out .As I said their excuse was the weathering and the 20 mm hollow in the roofwas within the standard of their company so it looks like we are going to either have to have a look at it ourselves or to get a repairer to reseal at a cost .We will have to think about this for a while .
hi trevor
write a letter to consumer affairs, explain the defect in the roof .the same as in your first post, You have nothing to loose, if you have the time. I personally think 20 mm is a lot i don't think it would be a industry standard it sounds to me as if that section of the roof is not supported enough
If your not used to climbing on the roof and havent got the right tools DONT DO IT YOURSELF you could do more damage
Well yesterday I decided to have a look at the hatch .Fortunately the bed is directly underneath ,so I didn't have to climb on the roof,I removed the hatch easy to do just had to take my time .I found that the silastic had a slightly deteriorated on the outside edge .Cleaned all surfaces re silasticed and refitted it back together and hopefully that will fix it .I didn't go down the official road because we decided that it would probably take to long and knowing our luck we would still loose and we would still have to pay and the damage to the van goes worse .
What I did I found that they had stopped short with the roof lining that sits just under the aluminum sheeting .So I found some thin rubber and placed it under and re assembled everything and hopefully this will solve the problem
