Rewaterproofing "AQUALON"

[joecowboy]

Just purchased a 96 Starcraft PU. We set it up at the house and we got rain all night. Which was good because I wanted to check for leaks. Well, it leaks thru the "Aqualon" canvas above the sleeping areas where the tent support poles span and make contact with the canvas on the inside. It is not a torrential leak, but is substantial. The support poles collect water and it drips from them. Anybody have a fix for this? Also, the A/C was off and nobody was occupying the PU.


The problem has been solved after contacting the Starcraft directly. I was told to spray it inside and outside with Scotch Gard ultra water repellent. It worked. Thanks for the input everybody gave me.

[ScoobyDoo]

Ours "leaks" in the same place. The fix for mine was turn the AC off when raining. YMMV

[tlhdoc]

Was anyone sleeping in the camper when you had the leak?  If there was I would suspect it is condensation, and not a leak.  When sleeping in the camper you need to have air circulating and fresh air entering the camper.  The bigger the difference in temperature and the more humid it is, the more fresh air you need.

[mike4947]

The roofing material is vinyl coated and is waterproof without any chemicals. If you have a leak it's only because the material has worn thru.

Like the others have posted most likely it's condensation. Inside rain is fairly normal occurance in PU's. Figure two people put out apx a quart of water into the air during 8 hours of sleep just from breathing. No air circulation and any cooler surface that the moisture contacts will have it condensing out and acting like a leak.
Your shepards pole or any other metal surface will tend to be cooler where it contacts the outside roofing material and as such acts like your favorite frosty beverage on a hot humid day. It collects condensation. It usually shows up there and then starts all over the roofing when the outside temp drops and the roofing material is significantly colder that the inside air.

[flyfisherman]

Just purchased a 96 Starcraft PU. We set it up at the house and we got rain all night. Which was good because I wanted to check for leaks. Well, it leaks thru the "Aqualon" canvas above the sleeping areas where the tent support poles span and make contact with the canvas on the inside. It is not a torrential leak, but is substantial. The support poles collect water and it drips from them. Anybody have a fix for this? Also, the A/C was off.

I have a '99 Starcraft and have really put the little camper through it's paces; I could'nt begin to estimate the times the PU has been set-up and taken down, plus the hard and long rain storms it has withstood, not to mention sleet & snow. To date, no leaks. But anything can happen and if I were to "sping-a-leak" the first folks I'd contact is the Astrup Company -

http://www.starcraftrv.com/aqualon.html

The national telephone number for Astrup is 800-786-7601
(when I called that number for mildew removal information, they gave me a regional phone numer for the area I was living in: 800-786-7606)
These folks were very helpful and I'm sure they'd have some answers for you.



Fly

[ranger97]

I have a '99 Starcraft and have really put the little camper through it's paces; I could'nt begin to estimate the times the PU has been set-up and taken down, plus the hard and long rain storms it has withstood, not to mention sleet & snow. To date, no leaks. But anything can happen and if I were to "sping-a-leak" the first folks I'd contact is the Astrup Company -

http://www.starcraftrv.com/aqualon.html

The national telephone number for Astrup is 800-786-7601
(when I called that number for mildew removal information, they gave me a regional phone numer for the area I was living in: 800-786-7606)
These folks were very helpful and I'm sure they'd have some answers for you.



Fly

What is "Aqualon"?

[oldmoose]

If it's condensation, try the Popup Gizomos. Using them to cover the bunk ends stopped the "raining" dead in its tracks in our Jayco.
 
Moose