Hi please has anyone any advice on how to seal seams in a built in ground sheet. We have a Vango Diablo 600 and whent camping on that lovely but very very wet Bank Holiday weekend. When we pitch the tent we always put down some old blue plastic sheets first, to keep the bottom of the tent cleanish.
We found that after a good day of rain, when you pressed hard on the seams in the ground sheet of the tent water came in. This is the first time this has ever happened, but in fairness it was very heavy rain.
So my querey is, does the tent leak because of the plastic sheets holding water underneath, instead of leting the water run away naturaly, or do the seams need some sort of sealing and do they just wear out. The tent is 3 years old and has not had to hard a life.
Any thoughts or advice on this would be great. thanks. ps I am considering geting a roll of duct tape and going over the seams but is there anything better out there??
Quote: Originally posted by merlin101 on 09/6/2007
So my querey is, does the tent leak because of the plastic sheets holding water underneath, instead of leting the water run away naturaly, or do the seams need some sort of sealing and do they just wear out. The tent is 3 years old and has not had to hard a life.
Bit of everything, really. They won`t leak unless there`s a fair bit of water collected underneath, the stitching and sealing will start to deteriorate over time with folk walking on the groundsheet and yup, after three years it might be worth touching up the sealent.
You could use seam sealant but you`d have to be able to pitch the tent and not walk around in it for the 24 hours it would take for the sealant to dry out properly. So if you don`t mind the appearance of it, duct tape would seem a cheap and easy solution.
I would say that it was more likely that water had managed to get between the 2 layers, it is a good idea to use a protective sheet under your tent but make sure none of the edges of the undersheet stick out or are visible around the edge of the tent. Any rainwater that runs off your tent will instead of draining away into the ground, sit on the plastic sheeting protruding around the outside of the tent and can then run underneath causing puddles of water between the 2 waterproof sheets - the water will then find it's way up through any floor seams when pressure is applied from above, ie walking around or under furniture. I would suggest giving it another go ensuring the ground sheet is not sticking out, if you still get the same problem then it may be necessary to treat the seams with an appropriate sealer.
thanks for your advice i think the problem was 2 fold one was the water held under the tent and the other is the fact that the seams need some sort of reproofing quite what i am not sure but will try and get hold of Vango and ask them .
I had a Coleman Weathermaster a few years ago and compromised its waterproofness by having a sharp stone I missed pierce the SIG. Duck Tape never let a drop through.
I would agree with Bundys advice as we pitched our Vango Aspen 700DLX on a footprint groundsheet and after heavy rain noticed it leaking around the peg down points. We noticed that water was running off the fly sheet onto the footprint sheet and collecting under the tent. We then tucked the footprint groundsheet under the inner and had no problem with water even in the heaviest of down pours.
Whats a footprint groundsheet? I presume it's a sheet of water impermeable material that one puts under the tent but the question is why and do I need one. (I haven't bought anything for two days and my credit card is feeling cold)
Whats a footprint groundsheet? I presume it's a sheet of water impermeable material that one puts under the tent but the question is why and do I need one. (I haven't bought anything for two days and my credit card is feeling cold)
Hi, a footprint is a 'custom' fit groundsheet made to the same size & shape as a tent - not a necessity but a blessing for those that have tents with SIG's (sewn in groundsheets). Just put it down on the ground first then pitch your tent on top of it. it is a secondary groundsheet if you like, and protects the bottom of your tent from getting dirty or punctured and is also a good guide for getting your tent in the right position. Unfortunately those with sigs can't pack their groundsheet away separately from their main tent so need to keep the sig clean to avoid any dirt transferring to the tent on packing it. People that have tents with 'loose' groundsheets needn't bother as the loose groundsheets are easy enough to clean separately and also replace if damaged. Footprints are available from the manufacturers of many of the newer tents with SIGs, however you could just use a tarpaulin but ensure that none of the edges of a tarp or footprint stick out around the tent or you may get water trapped underneath between the two layers.
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Topic: leaking seams
