leaking camper

Bob,

Has it had a few good soakings? If it's new it will leak at first. If so, stick it in the backyard and do a rain dance. Simply hosing it down doesn't soak it the way sustained rain will. Leave it out for as long as you can.

I asked this question about a year ago and after getting all sorts of suggestions from wax to PVA glue, I spoke to the bloke who built the camper and he begged me not to apply anything foreign. He was right.

Cheers,

Jim.

Yep - Jimbo's comment reflects the view of industry "experts". They say that quality canvas should need no more than a good soak-dry out/soak-dryout or three, to set the seams up for a good working life. You can buy products within the Nikwax range - wax solutions made to sprayt on fabrics to improve water proofing - there is one for canvas. It would probably do no harm (even good) but would most likely change the colour of the cavas so you'd need to do the whole panel. The Nikwax for my raincoat was $23 for 500ml in spraypak - probably used in industry for other purposes and priced at $12 for 20 litres ! Might it be the solution they wash apples in to make them shiny ?

thanks for the help i will set it up and soak it and let it dry a few times and see if that works

Two thoughts.

Is it sagging above your bed? Should be designed to allow water to run away... is there a seam there?

On a cold evening you can get condensation inside the canvas which then drips.

If it continues, you might be able to rig up a fly to easily sit over the top.

Hi Bob,
Asked the same Q myself a while ago.
Went googling and found a product made for/by Bradmill (makers of canvas) but can't remember the product name.(I used words like "Canvas" & " Waterproofing" etc in the search engine

Used it on my old campertrailer: It worked better than I expected (45mm of rain in 2 hours & nothing got wet & it wasn't still in the shed ).

Try talking to Bradmill or any good canvas place.

Good luck.

PS; another option is an elcheapo plastic tarp over the whole unit, looks crap but will keep you dry

As yours is new, this bit of info doesn't apply. But according to advice I received after I got leaked on recently, canvas looses its waterproof properites after a while, accelerated by UV exposure. ie. after a few years of use it needs to be waterproofed again. Not just talking about the seams either, but the canvas sheet. The tent I was in leaked through in the middle of a sheet, not at a seam.

To waterproof the canvas or seam(s) of your camper you need to know the manufacturer of the fabric. It can be: Wax Converters, Bradmill or Defab. they are the locally treated products. to succesfully waterproof any canvas, the waterproofing has to be compatible with the original treatment, eg: you cannot use a silicone based waterproofing on a wax waterproofed canvas . One will push the other away and neither will be compatible with a baked on coated waterproofing.(as in nylon dome tents and many imported tents and canvas products.) Both Bradmill and Wax Converters have products available for reproofing their canvas, dont know about Defab. If you need to know more technical detail , just ask, I have made canvas products for the last 45 years. Some of the advise is true, most times extended exposure to the elements solves your problem, sometimes not and then you need the right stuff to fix it. regards and success. br

thanks to all who wrote in. i set it up out side today and hoes it down afew times to see if it seals better (using precious tank water, dam water to dirty) predicting rain tommorow arvo so will see what happens cheers Bob