Storm Damage

Puddleduck

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On and off for many years.
The storm last night which continues into today has left it's mark.

Something has smashed into the roof of our MH and broken the roof light over the dinette into tiny pieces. Once the wind drops we will have to check the rest of the roof.

A neighbour was restoring a romany caravan and that has also probably suffered damage as the tarp he was using to cover it is in the hedge at the front of us. Too windy to retrieve it at the moment.
 
Sorry to hear that PD, it was quite scary last night, I thought my roof was going to do a flyer and I'm sure my house was moving. Hopefully I won't get any phone message from Oban about my cabin being flattened.
 
I'm hoping it is just the roof light. The whole unit will need to be replaced :(, not sure how much that will cost.
 
Fingers crossed it is only the roof light that is broken, provided you can get one quickly will hopefully be a quick and easy repair

Keeping it watertight could be the issue

Good luck

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Sorry to hear that - as above, if just the roof light it is a relatively quick and not too expensive repair
 
Martin has just gone down to Travis to get some long screws and will screw a board over it - will seal the edges with boat tape as a temp repair.

The repair place is busy with their own vans so waiting for them to get back to me.
 
Duck tape should do the trick without the need to screw into the roof. Have made many temporary dinghy repairs this way
 
The duct tape lasted less than half an hour..... winds are still 70 / 80 mph here.
 
screwing into the roof does sound rather extreme, you may not be covered for that additional repair if it goes to insurance
 
Sorry to hear this, can you not seal the gap internally with duct tape?
 
Sorry you're having a bit of a trial Mrs P - hope you find a safe way to get a temporary repair on x
 
Please allow me to try to explain to you duck tape guys out there! Assuming a roof light is 500mm square you buy a piece of board 7oomm square place over the roof light so it overlaps, then with a batten on the inside of the roof you drill though that and screw into the board on the outside. This is just a way of clamping the covering board down there is no requirement to drill into the roof at all.

Hope you can follow this.

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Please allow me to try to explain to you duck tape guys out there! Assuming a roof light is 500mm square you buy a piece of board 7oomm square place over the roof light so it overlaps, then with a batten on the inside of the roof you drill though that and screw into the board on the outside. This is just a way of clamping the covering board down there is no requirement to drill into the roof at all.

Hope you can follow this.
You beat me to it, that's what I was just typing out :D
 
Please allow me to try to explain to you duck tape guys out there! Assuming a roof light is 500mm square you buy a piece of board 7oomm square place over the roof light so it overlaps, then with a batten on the inside of the roof you drill though that and screw into the board on the outside. This is just a way of clamping the covering board down there is no requirement to drill into the roof at all.

Hope you can follow this.
Fair comment - a very good solution if long enough screws can be found
 
So sorry to hear of this Pd and hope that there is a quick fix.
@trophychap has come up with a sound solution imo with no potential collateral damage in #15.
Good luck.
 
Please allow me to try to explain to you duck tape guys out there! Assuming a roof light is 500mm square you buy a piece of board 7oomm square place over the roof light so it overlaps, then with a batten on the inside of the roof you drill though that and screw into the board on the outside. This is just a way of clamping the covering board down there is no requirement to drill into the roof at all.

Hope you can follow this.


Good one tc!(y)
 
Sound advice there John, hopefully they will cover the damage and it will not impact on their motorhome NCB.
 
Rotten luck. Hope the insurance is quick to pay out and you get it sorted out quickly.
If its just the 'glass' part and no body damage i wouldnt bother with insurance.
even if the cost exceeds your excess your premium will increase for a year or two.

Not worth it for a few quid saved short term.
 
Please allow me to try to explain to you duck tape guys out there! Assuming a roof light is 500mm square you buy a piece of board 7oomm square place over the roof light so it overlaps, then with a batten on the inside of the roof you drill though that and screw into the board on the outside. This is just a way of clamping the covering board down there is no requirement to drill into the roof at all.

Hope you can follow this.
And that is exactly what we have done! Three clamps made from old bed slats and each is padded at each end with packing material. The roof light is one of the size 2 Heiki Super de-luxe models I think.

Luckily MH had been laid up for the winter and the cupboards were empty, contents in plastic boxes on the floor and 99% of the water that came in went into the boxes. The cushions etc were inside the house.

No, I have not been on the roof of the van - the patch was done from inside the van.

Snow forecast for later :(
 
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If its just the 'glass' part and no body damage i wouldnt bother with insurance.
even if the cost exceeds your excess your premium will increase for a year or two.

Not worth it for a few quid saved short term.

The new roof light is £899 and fitting as the whole of the unit will have to be replaced. It's not just the "glass" but also the mechanism and the surround. I agree that less than £500 and it's not worth going through the insurance.

Household insurance doesn't cover any damage to motor vehicles even if they are in the garage.

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Sorry to hear this, can you not seal the gap internally with duct tape?

The "glass" is in several dozen pieces and there is no way I can fasten them back together. No so much a gap as a huge hole. Once there was a hole the wind got in and ripped the lot off. We think it was hit with debris from the poly tunnels (not ours) as they have been blown from a farm north of us to a farm a mile south of us. Can't prove it though.
 
You could prove it if you happened to find a bit inside the van ;)
 
Very long screws from the agricultural merchant did the trick :)

Not impressed with AIB insurance though.

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