What did you do to your van today?

[SquirrellCook]

Just spent an hour annoying the neighbours sanding Betty's roof.

 

[TeamRienza]

I too would be keen to know how to remove the vent for cleaning, please.

Davy

 

[Carrerasax]

Undo the screws in the handle mechanism inside when opened up. If I recall correctly .

 

[2cv]

I too would be keen to know how to remove the vent for cleaning, please.

Davy

 

[snapster]

I watched that before cleaning mine. Simple job if you have a thin T25 torx wrench.

there’s going to be a lot of nice clean double skinned roof lights around soon!

 

[Canalboater]

Hi Guys,
First time on here, after much thought and finding any other excuses not to start the job, I finaly stripped the back brakes on our Autotrail Commanche to clean and adjust the handbrake shoes and it turned out not to be as bad as i had thought, passed the MOT on Monday with all wheels locking, well happy I might even reward myself with a nice single malt or three sitting in it in the drive this weekend and think of where to go first when this bloody virus is over, ( if I am not to old by then lol )
Keep dreaming guys.

 

[TeamRienza]

Thanks to snapster and 2CV for the posts and links for cleaning the Heki vent. I had tried using small bottle washers, cloths etc with poor results but was reluctant to dismantle mine as I envisaged springs and sundry parts escaping like fireworks. I also must have confused it with another type of vent which seemed to be held together with single use spring washers.
Cold here today so on the list for first warm day. Off to check my torx now.

Davy

 

[Carrerasax]

I watched that before cleaning mine. Simple job if you have a thin T25 torx wrench.

there’s going to be a lot of nice clean double skinned roof lights around soon!

What about my kitchen roof light with extractor, is there something similar to this?

 

[snapster]

Can you dismantle it at all? If you can, taking the cover off will make it much easier to clean otherwise lots of cloths and a good household / kitchen spray cleaner should do the trick.

 

[Markd]

Without knowing the circumstances of this application, I doubt anyone could advise. However, there is a generic "correct" sealant.
What I'd use is some form of non-setting butyl sealant: the stuff that's like sticky blutac, but white. It comes on a roll with a backing release paper. Quite expensive, but it lasts for decades without going hard, getting stiff or cracking.
Unfortunately I don't remember what its brand name is.
Remember, you are looking for a sealant, not an adhesive. You want it to stay flexible and waterproof forever.

I had to replace EHU inlet on my 2004 van recently and it was bedded on something like this - still perfectly malleable.
Of course I replaced with with a modern white silicone!!
I have just used it to seal the flexible conduit to the gland housing on my relocated solar system though - great stuff.

 

[Markd]

Some time ago I resolved to get my solar regulator closer to the leisure battery to reduce the voltage drop to both the leisure and starter batteries.
So yesterday I spun the solar panel round so I could bring the feed into the middle of the van rather than the rear and brought the cable down into the van.
I managed to come through cupboards and corner of travel seats.
It's raining today so I'm not inclined together under van and reroute the starter battery trickle and feed in the new main cables.
My son did suggest leaving the regulator where it was and beefing up the cables but at 5m run I thought it was too far really - I'm less than 2m with the new layout and I've halved the trickle length as well (not as important as only 1 amp but. . .)

 

[in h]

Of course I replaced with with a modern white silicone!

I do hope that was a joke. Silicone is useless for this. It WILL leak in time.

 

[Markd]

Well it wasn't silicone but it was a modern 'sanitary' sealant.
Are you advising that I take it off and start again?
I've got plenty of time before our next trip

 

[in h]

Well it wasn't silicone but it was a modern 'sanitary' sealant.
Are you advising that I take it off and start again?

Yes, that's exactly what I am advising. It's horrible stuff to remove, but well worth the effort.

 

[Markd]

I wonder why these modern sealants will work on a range of building materials many of which are the same as on motorhome but not on motorhomes themselves?

 

[eurajohn]

I wonder why these modern sealants will work on a range of building materials many of which are the same as on motorhome but not on motorhomes themselves?

I don't think it is that it will not work (possibly temporarily) more likely that it is a much better solution to use the correct product.
Even "proper" motorhome sealants will fail or not work properly if used outside the range of materials they were designed to be used on .

If wishing to seal any item on a motorhome the correct product to use is a butyl based one, either as a ribbon strip semi rigid type or the type found in a tube and applied via a gun.

If you care to do a bit of research into building sealants you will find there are a massive amount of products available, most of which will have a specific application, some of course will be useable for a motorhome.

 

[in h]

I wonder why these modern sealants will work on a range of building materials many of which are the same as on motorhome but not on motorhomes themselves?

They only work well if you choose the correct sealant. Silicone sealant mastic rots wooden window frames, for example.
Houses tend not to be driven down bumpy roads. They don't have panels that shrink and swell in different temperatures. They are far more tolerant of a small amount of damp leaking in.
Silicone is only a bit flexible, then it fails, and allows a steady trickle of damp in.
Butyl sealant is self-repairing and re-seals any fractures.

 

[Markd]

I can see the advantages of self healing where we have flexing and thermal movement which as you say are more pronounced on a van.

 

[wildebus]

Finished the solar rejig - extra 15% of panelling on the roof does not sound much but still handy to have and I had the roof space and the panels knocking around so may as well use them
Next projects are fit the Central Locking kit and Alarm I bought around 18 months ago, and sort out a non working speaker on the radio (noticed last autumn my rear-left speaker had gone silent - expecting it to be a loose connection in the dash area).
I had planned to change the ceiling panels from the minibus panels to shallow cupboards ready for the new season but can't get any supplies to do this of course, so a bit stuck

 

[in h]

What about my kitchen roof light with extractor, is there something similar to this?

As far as I recall, you pull the opening and closing knob straight off, undo the (four?) screws round the edge of the grille from underneath, then you can remove the inner frame, which lets you access the screws that hold the clamps that grip the roof.
Undo them and it lifts out, upwards.