# Heki window seal



## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Further to my questions the other day, I wonder if someone could take a quick look in their van for me?

We have the Heki 2 rooflight, which is about 1 metre X 600mm, and has the aluminium handle which swivels down to enable you to reach up to open or close it.

On ours, between the cream-coloured plastic frame, and the transparent window, there is no seal. I've seen references elsewhere to rubber seals (which don't go all the way round because of the need for ventilation), and I've also seen a reference to a brush. There seems to be a wide channel between 2 upstands of plastic (about 25-30mm wide) that could take some form of seal.

Could someone with the same sort of rooflight have a quick look and tell me if they have anything that seals the frame to the double-glazed window? I'm wondering if this is where I got rain in a week or so ago when we were driving down a very wet motorway.

Thanks!

Gerald


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

No one?  

Gerald


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Hi Gerald,

Just looked at ours and we don't have a seal. Its not exactly the same as yours but it is the Heiki 2. Just have the clampy things on the inside and sealant on the outside.

We had a leak similar to you and for the life of me couldn't see where it was coming in so in the end removed the Heiki, cleaned off the sealant and refitted it. No leaks so far

Pete


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Thanks for looking, Pete. Did you have the leak when you were static, or during driving?

I was going to take ours off yesterday, but after removing all the "clampy things", the thing wouldn't budge. The black gunk seemed to be continuous all the way around. I've added a smooth bead of Sikaflex around the join between the frame and the roof, just in case.

All in all, a bit of a water ingress mystery :? 

Gerald


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Hi Gerald,

Ours was a mystery similar to your.

We were in the Lautergrunnen valley and one night it really hissed it down. So much so that the campsite issued all the tenters and caravans with awnings duckboards. I just happened to look up and noticed a damp patch between the Heiki and the roof. It didn't look much and to be honest I thought with all the real heavy rain I wasn't all that surprised. I wouldn't have been surprised if the MH had been washed away.

We decided to do nothing and I would have a look once we got home. On the road home, after driving a couple of hundred miles or so we called into another Aire and it started to rain but only lightly. Within minutes the wet patch appeared again only this time it was much more severe. I looked up on the roof but couldn't see any obvious place it would let water in but did notice the sealant was very brittle. I did the same as you and put a bead of Sikaflex all around the edge. That slowed it down and even stopped it but I wasn't happy - Hence the work to remove the Heiki, clean up and reseal. It did take a bit of brut force to break the seal.

Once the Heiki was off there was evidence of where water had been getting in so maybe it had been leaking for a while and I hadn't noticed.

Pete


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Thanks for the information, Pete.

I think I might get on the roof again with a hose pipe, and spray water at the front to see where it goes. I'm fairly confident the edges of the frame are sealed to the roof now.

Gerald


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

*Hi*

We have a Swift Voyager and the roof lights came without gaskets, apparently they can be ordered with or without by the converters!

I ordered gaskets for mine and the reduction in travel noise is awesome

Hope this helps
John and Sue


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

That's interesting, John and Sue.

By "gaskets", do you mean bits that fit between the frame and the clear plastic 'window'?

Gerald


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

*hi*

its rubber strip thet fits down in the channel if you google it you will find some installation and repairs manuals covering it.

It cost us around 35 squid for the meduim size rooflight

regards


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Cool. I've found what you're referring to, I think:

:: click ::

Methinks I'll order some 

Gerald


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## Autoquest (May 16, 2007)

Would you let us know how it goes?


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

Hi Gerald, our van has the wind up Heki so not quite the same as yours although the principal will be the same I'm sure. On the upstand you mention i.e. the bit attached to the roof of the van ours has two upstanding rubber / felt seal flaps one either side of the central flange, I believe these are more to stop draughts than water though, they will of course stop any water that may find it's way that far. When we first got this Pilote, on the drive home from Germany (very cold winter) there was an icy blast from the Heki, on investigation the main clear panel was not flat, so therefore not sealing on the aforementioned strips, a call to the German dealer we bought from saw a new panel arrive via courier a couple of days later.

The seal you refer to on the link is for a "mini" Heki the 400mm square one, not your one.

If the leak of water showed as a stain on the headlining of your van I doubt if it came through the opening of the vent, almost definitely from the seal between roof and vent.


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

*Hi*

Thats the one

Regards


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

*hi*

I used leisurespares.co.uk

John


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Autoquest said:


> Would you let us know how it goes?


Absolutely.



eurajohn said:


> The seal you refer to on the link is for a "mini" Heki the 400mm square one, not your one.


I saw that, although I thought it would fit, at least across the front and round the sides.



eurajohn said:


> If the leak of water showed as a stain on the headlining of your van I doubt if it came through the opening of the vent, almost definitely from the seal between roof and vent.


The first thing we saw was some drips of water on the floor of the van. There was no staining on the headlining. It may still have been between the frame and the roof, bit it's hard to see how.

We'll do some testing.

Gerald


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