Aha...thanks dmsplat and arsenaldes. That explains it more fully. I can understand the canvas/cotton problem of preventing it working as it should, and the leaking polyester tent that will need re-proofing once the proofer wears off again.
Can I assume from that, that if you spray a polyester tent that wasn't leaking (like mine ) it won't have caused it to start leaking once it wears off because it is already waterproof anyway?
Hi first time poster on here but just thought I'd put my tuppence worth in here I have not used fabsil so can't pass comment on it. However I use nikwax solar proof on my tents once a year and have never had a leak. Now this May or may not be due to the nikwax however I have seen post after post for years on various sites about if it ain't broke don't fix fair enough however something that gets glossed over is the uv protection that nikwax offers. If you are in any doubt about the effect of uv rays leave a carrier bag in a sunny window for a few weeks and see what happens. I make this point as I am sure that adding uv protection works as a couple of years ago I got a new tent and had two glorious weeks weather in it but as an experiment to myself when I pitched up I nikwaxed half the tent and by the end of the holiday the half that was not nikwaxed was visably more faded than the half that was. Now that is in two weeks so over the life of the tent it's my opinion that this could make a considerable difference to the life of the tent
Bob - my gut feeling is that your tent will be OK.
Mr Applecross - that's a good point, I think Arsenaldes alluded to it earlier in the thread. The UV protection thing could be valid. I'm not doubting what you say in the slightest, I'm just wondering aloid... I wonder why, if it were as easy as slapping a layer onto your fabric, manufacturers don't have that already taken care of?
Fair question and don't have a solid answer. One possible reason could be cost not so much the cost of the product used but if your making thousands of tents then trying to pitch and spray them all for an even and total coverage that's a lot of man hours.
Also another possible point is that the tents will last a reasonable time without. However lets take nikwaxes claim of one application can double life. If your the manufacturer would you rather sell a new tent every five years or every ten.
Well, according to the videos on utube re my Coleman tent (a 2013 tent) it is (or was) already UV protected. I have a feeling Outwell are also advertising their tents as UV protected this year and some even have darkened windows.
Yours should be fine Bob plenty of people Fabsil their tent every year without any problems which is why it was surprising that it took the tape seam off a tent.
Personally I have never treated any of my tents the Vermont was 7 seasons old and the Nevada was 5 seasons old when I sold them both last year. I certainly wont be treating any of my polycotton tents in the future but thats just me
------------- Experience enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
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Quote: Originally posted by arsenaldes on 18/5/2014
Yours should be fine Bob plenty of people Fabsil their tent every year without any problems which is why it was surprising that it took the tape seam off a tent.
Personally I have never treated any of my tents the Vermont was 7 seasons old and the Nevada was 5 seasons old when I sold them both last year. I certainly wont be treating any of my polycotton tents in the future but thats just me
Thanks for that. Although I went camping last week the weather was lovely. I don't think I had any dew on the tent in the morning either so I am still awaiting a good shower of rain to test it - lol. It seems to be a pretty decent tent and I am quite pleased with it...even managed to repair the broken zip.
Not bad for a total spend of £45 for the tent and postage and £22 for the Fabsil.
Plenty of room for you to rattle round in that one on your own Bob or are you planning on taking a certain "Lady" with you at sometime
------------- Experience enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
Everything has been said before, but since nobody ever listens we have to keep going back and saying it all over again and again and again
Quote: Originally posted by arsenaldes on 18/5/2014Plenty of room for you to rattle round in that one on your own Bob or are you planning on taking a certain "Lady" with you at sometime
ROFL...I could take a whole harem in that tent but I might end up a shadow of my former self
Quote: Originally posted by Dubstepper on 12/5/2014
Keep the Fabsil away from taped seams, mine are all peeling off after giving it a good soaking last year. Had to buy a new tent!
Hey. That's just what's happened to our tent. Peeling and all gone a milky white. Seams leaked like anything and a New tent now purchased.
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Warner Farm July 25-30.
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If the inside has gone milky white then that is the polyurethane membrane that has failed nothing to do with Fabsil
------------- Experience enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
Everything has been said before, but since nobody ever listens we have to keep going back and saying it all over again and again and again
I've sprayed nylon tents before and on the seams with no peeling. From the outside I might add!
Tents are treated with DWR from the factory and it's this I believe depletes in time from sun/rain/use and is replaced with nikwax, fabsil ect once its worn down/away.
I don't think it makes leaking nylon waterproof again, just makes the water bead once again and not saturate the fabric, allowing it to dry faster. I'm not qualified to comment weather or not it provides UV protection tbh.
I would now only use it once or twice through a nylon tents lifespan to try and prolong the fabric degration and make my product last as long as possible.