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We have water dripping through our ceiling join following some of the driving rain that we have had earlier this year.  I have traced the leak back to the rooflight - the wooden frame is soaking,

What I can't see is where in earth it is letting water in.  The rubber seal around the top seems good, and from the outside there are no apparant gaps.

Has anyone come acroos the same problem?

Hi Jane,

Yes, leaky skylight's are fairly common, the sealant may look ok to the eye but all it takes is a small gap/hole and the water will find a way in.

I have just fixed the exact same problem on my sister's Compass caravan, basically the skylight needs to completely come out, left to dry out (easily done in this sunny weather) then put back and resealed with good quality mastic/sealant.

if you need any tips/advice then fire away...there's always people around to lend advice.

All the best.

Thanks, I have taken the inner part of the rooflight out.  Then I removed thescrew from the central part that you turn to raise the rooflight.  Having removed it, I couldn't get the actual turning part off - I was afraid to give it a good pull incase anything broke.  Without this part coming off, I can't get the flynet off as this comes through the middle of it.

Have you come across this type of fitting?  Should I go for the big pull.......?

Hello again,

I know the skylight/fitting you mean, my parents Windrush has the same 'screw to open' type, although i have never worked on one...If no-one else has given you the instructions for removal before then i will have a look in their 'van when i am next over the storage yard (Thursday) and see what i can figure out.

all the best.

Hi Jane can you post a inside picture of your roof light ? if you like you can email it to me and i'll post it on here . My email bobanoba86 at hotmail.com  note change the    at    for the correct symbol and no spaces . As to the roof light once you have got it out allow the area to dry throughly ( as Grub has said this hot weather should do a good job ) , if you suspect that there is any dampness still there use a hair dryer or fanheater to fully dry the area ( you'll need to keep an eye on either , to make sure you don't get the wooden frame work to hot ie burn ) . Clean the roof light old mastic off using white spirit on a rag , also use it to clean the roof light area ( where the seal contacts the roof ) , once clean use W4 roll mastic along the edges of the roof light with a slight overlap at each corner ( 10mm should be ok ) . Now when you refit the roof light remember that as soon as the mastic comes into contact with the roof it will be stuck pretty good and very difficult to remove , so make sure you line it up well before lowering into place ( a second person could be handy to help line it up ) .
Hope this helps .

atb

Wizard

atb

Wizard

Will take photos today. 

The ceiling must be wet between the rooflight and the ceiling join (about 1.5 metres away). We only discovered the leak as it must have run along behind this panel and then the join let the water out......presumabley over a long period......

Will this section dry out on its own or do I need to expose it?  I'm afraid of that bit as it is not open ceiling - the wardrobe, upper cupboards and toilet cubicle all live under this ceiling panel.

Hi Jane,

Where did you notice the leak originally? Does any of the ceiling boarding sag near the skylight?

If all seems dry where the ceiling panel meets the the wardrobe, upper cupboards and toilet cubicle walls etc, and there's no sagging or paint/paper flaking off then i should'nt worry, the water probably got in, travelled to the join and got out before it could travel further and cause more problems. Once the skylight has been removed and all the wood framing etc left to dry out for a couple of days in the sun (and a fan heater used if needs be) i'm sure any remaining dampness in the roof lining itself will also dry out and should'nt be a problem.

all the best.

Hi jane the best thing i can suggest is to buy a damp meter and test the area , it may have dried out , but it's also possible that you have some moisture tapped in the roof lining if it's fibre glass and this would need opening up and either replaced or dryed out . When you use the damp meter make sure the probes actually go through the wall board covering when testing ( i sharpened mine into a point so they would go through easily .

atb

Wizard

Hi Jane i've had a look at your pictures , sorry i haven't replied earlier .
The fly net should be removable , if you undo the 3 screws that hold the knob in place and drop the unit off , this should allow you to get the net out ( a screw either side of the net will also need removing ) .

As to your damp from the pictures i'd say if you've got the time to do the work yourself then go for removing the ceiling and repairing it . It's a difficult call really , you may be happy to live with how it is , if it's totally dried out then why rip it out ? , but if there's even the slightest chance that there's damp up there , then i'd be at least opening the ceiling up to have a look see ( the join near the striplight , where it runs across the caravan is where you could get access ).

Hope this helps a bit

atb

Wizard
Ps have posted your pictures so others can give you advice as well .