We are currently nearing the end of our five weeks holiday in France. Despite good weather we rarely open the big Heki Roof Light ventilator as OH has this thing about avoiding excess sun fading the seating and cushions etc On a particularly hot day however I thought it would be good to open the rooflight only to be shocked to find that a section of the interior skin of the persex had "crazed" along the front of the rooflight for a length of approx 15" x 3".The crazing is in the form of dozens of star-like small cracks.
We were for a while pitched beneath a big pine tree but there is no indication of a pine cone striking the rooflight and in any case the damage is on the interior layer of perspex and none to the outside.
Has anyone any idea what could have caused the problem or have known this happening before.
------------- Mother Nature always wins in the end.
I understand that if you leave the roof light closed and have the interior blind closed and the weather is very hot, then this can cause problems with the Heki. I'm guessing that the sun reflecting back underneath the rooflight causes it to get much too hot.
Its in the instructions somewhere not to do this.
------------- The Chinster
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There is a warning label on our Heki saying to never close the blind more than 3/4 of the way ,leaving the other 1/4 mesh .If your husband has been worried about fading ,maybe the blind has been closed all the time ?
Hmmm! Never read that label before. It is so small and in such an awkward place that the only way I can read it is with a torch and craning my neck back to a very uncomfortable angle. Have also now read the written instructions (which are a bit difficult also) through carefully. Have always assumed that as the rooflight replaces a piece of the roof then it should be just as heat resistant. Caravans don't have the same problem with windows do they? Or do they?
Will have to contact dealer now we are home. Unfortunately the van - a Swift - is now five months out of the three year warranty.
Thanks for your replies.
------------- Mother Nature always wins in the end.
Windows now also have a sticker saying not to close blinds completely. One starts to wonder what the point of these blinds is sometimes!
We leave our blinds down a few cm at the top if they are facing the sun. And leave the rooflight open a little on hot days, with the blind not totally closed, to allow some air circulation.
Good thread! I had never noticed that little label about not totally closing the rooflight blind in hot weather, not that I ever have. Have read it now though.
It has been v hot here the last few days so I have had the rooflights fully open for max ventilation but with the bug mesh screen pulled across to filter the sunlight. It seemed to work well for us but now I'm trying to think if there's any probblem with doing that. Can't come up with one myself nb the soft furnishings are all covered with throws anyway.
But I did have the blinds on the sunnyside side windows fully down, so I'll change that next time.
Thanks all.
------------- Tackling life the Western District way
Just curious how people are supposed to manage if their van is in open storage in hot weather - are they supposed to drive to the storage area open the Heki roof vent to the first notch as advised open the blind 1/4 way then return to shut it up later.
It all sounds like a "cop out " to me that Heki found problems after they intoduced them back in 2000.
------------- Mother Nature always wins in the end.
From what I understand from the instructions ,you can leave the Heki closed so long as the foil blind isnt fully across ,as the mesh is usually dark anyway ,it should still offer fading protection for the fabric :)