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Topic: Leaking airbeams in an Urban Escape tent

DannyBoyUKSW

13/6/2024 at 8:03pm
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Hi, we've had an 'Urban Escape' 8 person inflatable airbeam tent since 2017 that hasn't leaked...until recently.

On the last couple of rainy outings we noticed a pooling of water in the corner when camped on a slight incline but it has been stowed away and forgotten about.

However, since putting it up in the garden a couple of days again to check for leaks, after heavy rain today I decided to check inside. All airbeams appear to be leaking along the whole of each airbeam where they pool water at the bottom. The pooled water, as it is on a slope, is then making its way to a large pool of water now in the corner.

I thought it might be that suddenly, ALL the airbeam seams/stitching have started to leak (I hadn't seen any obvious water ingress until today) but when I look at the airbeam enclosure from the outside (the green 'tubing') I can see it is wet through to the inside i.e. not waterproof. Is it right that it should suddenly stop being waterproof and is there anything I can do to make it watertight again or have the airbeams 'had it'...?

I have attached pictures!

Thanks

Dan

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marg6

14/6/2024 at 9:44am
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the only thing i could think you could try is to redo all the seams with seam sealant, see if that improves things, if its still letting in water then there is little you can do about that other than its time to replace the tent, waterproofing nylon tents doesnt work

Milady B

via mobile 14/6/2024 at 10:07am
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If your tent isn't polycotton and you've used it a good few times since you got it it might just be time to get some Fabsil or similar sprayed on it to refresh its waterproofing. We got a big tin of it and a garden sprayer to do ours with.

You could also brush seam sealer along where the air beams join.

MiladyB x

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marg6

14/6/2024 at 12:57pm
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fabsil will not work on a nylon tent, it just runs right off and kills your grass

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Milady B

via mobile 14/6/2024 at 2:52pm
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Quote: Originally posted by marg6 on 14/6/2024
fabsil will not work on a nylon tent, it just runs right off and kills your grass

Fabsil is fine on a polyester tent. I've used it many times over the years. It is advisable to make sure you don't over-saturate and end up with run-off onto the lawn, though. I learnt that the hard way!

Have you checked what the Hydrostatic Head is on the tent? Some of the Urban Escape models have 1500mm HH, which isn't particularly high. Others seem to be 3000mm, which is better, but the good old British weather can be a challenge these days! The other thing to check is whether it was condensation - another issue with the damp weather! It's amazing how much it can actually amount to.

Post last edited on 14/06/2024 14:56:18

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DannyBoyUKSW

14/6/2024 at 10:15pm
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Thank you to all. It's definitely not condensation, the pool of water collected in the corner is a couple of washing up bowls full!

I'll see if I can check what sort of material it is as well as the hydrostatic head -I'm guessing there'll be some specification document for this tent somewhere...got it off Ebay from a catalogue 'seconds' outlet 7 years ago! I think regardless, I have nothing to lose, nylon or not, in trying to seal along the beam area with Fabsil..if that doesn't work I'll bin it!

Thanks

Dan

TimCESmith

via mobile 17/6/2024 at 7:31pm
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IIRC lots of tents will leak through the seam stitching if they’ve been stored bone dry for a length of time. Once they get wetted the thread will swell back into shape. It’s possible your tent has already fixed itself - probably worth testing if you’re planning to re-pitch for a fabsil fest anyway.

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DannyBoyUKSW

17/6/2024 at 7:37pm
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Thanks, I'll soon find out, if it rains before the Fabsil gets here as it's still up in the garden!

Bernie47

17/6/2024 at 9:56pm
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Quote: Originally posted by TimCESmith on 17/6/2024
IIRC lots of tents will leak through the seam stitching if they’ve been stored bone dry for a length of time. Once they get wetted the thread will swell back into shape.

That's true with cotton tents but synthetic thread should not swell.

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DannyBoyUKSW

09/7/2024 at 12:39pm
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Bugger.

I was hoping to report that the Fabsil worked as it had kept the last three days of days rain at bay i.e. bone dry inside. I must add that no-one has been inside the tent other than to check it for water each day.

However, the rain/wind was a bit worse last night and I went to check the inside this morning and noticed a reasonable amount of pooling of water at the bottom of the airbeams, but not as much as 'pre-Fabsil'. The giveaway is from the outside, I can tell that there's water between the outer green fabric of the airbeam and the airbeam itself which tells me it has potentially been breached i.e it looks like my last picture on the original post.

I have read up on condensation but the weather has pretty much been rain the past few days and roughly the same temperatures. It's gone from bone dry to pools of water in 24 hours. I'm not sure how much natural condensate might occur without any heat sources or people in the tent...but I'm not completely ruling it out!

So, a mixed bag of results, seemed to work but not in protracted/heavier weather. Not sure if adding more Fabsil on the airbeams is going to work. We are meant to be using it in the next few weeks but I can't see that happening unless I punch drain holes into the ground sheet where the airbeams are to stop it pooling!

Post last edited on 09/07/2024 14:04:55

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