Hi,
Regarding the leaking tent situation, we have just returned from the weekend in Bodmin, Cornwall. Arrived friday and all was fine, but Saturday it really did let go and poured down with heavy wind. Our Sunncamp Continental 6 (Canvas frame tent) suffered from leaking. This was mainly around the bedroom area and appeared to be from where the steel frame came into contact with the canvas, causing drops of water to form and then to fall quite heavily inside.
Can I do anything about this? Do I need to reproof or was the tent just overwelmed but extreme conditions?
Regards,
Steve.
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with a new cotton tent you should weather the canvas before use this allows the fibres to swell and make a tighter weave
if it is an older tent then it may benifit from re proofing and seam sealing
if the tent is dirty then it is a good idea to clean it with a tent cleaner like grangers tent and awning cleaner leave the tent to dry and then apply grangers fabsil as per insructions and leave to dry re apply if required and then check for to see if your tent is now water tight, if required use seam sealer on any seems or stiching that may leak a bit of water
Hi Steve
The main cause of canvas leaking is dirt, The dirt gets between the weave and stops the cotton closing up when wet, there for it leaks, You could try a good wash down with warm water and a soft brush,but if the tent canvas is old then you may prefer to clean it and then treat it with the correct canvas protector.
This firm are specialist in the treatment of canvas and sell all that you will require.
All the best
Canvas cleaning
Regards
Rex.
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Hi all
Years ago when they made cotton canvas tents,the canvas that was used was not pre shrunk so it was always advised to wet the canvas so it shrunk onto the frame this is why people say you should wet a canvas tent.most canvas tent are now made with pre-shrunk canvas as do not require this treatment.
As for waterproofing, as soon as canvas gets wet it expands and closes up the weave so it become impervious to water ingress when it drys the weave returns to normal.
This is why the price of canvas varies so much.
The best canvas comes from cotton from the centre of the cotton pod and when twisted with other cotton threads of the same quality you get the best Canvas. the two best to my knowledge are Cabanon own make and Ten-cate made in Sweden think I remembered that correct. Anything that is mixed with the cotton be it hemp, polyester, or the outer cotton from the pod reduces the breath-ability and water proofing quality. One thing to note if people try to sell you a 100% cotton tent and you can see brown flecks in the weave then it is the low quality cotton canvas normally spun and woven in the far and middle east.
Don't I go on
All the best
Rex
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Thanks for all your comments, I shall as soon as we can get 2 days together give the tent a good wash and then reproof to be on the safe side.
The tent is clean and I would guess 10 years old but not used that often.
I was wondering if the combination of high wind and driving rain just was too much.
Once again many thanks,
Steve.
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steve they do say when it is raining not to touch the tent fabric as it can cause seepage
now the poles touching the canvas is unavoidable and it sound like you were getting seepage
make sure you get the correct type of cleaner either the grangers one the nikwax one that rex reccomended or there is one that is advertised on this board oggie tent cleaner
whatever you do dont use any type of soap to clean it
Hi again Steve.
When we talk about dirt, what I should have said is minute
Dust particles two small for our eyes that get into the weave. the wetter a canvas gets the more it swells,and as you know it you touch a canvas that is porous it can leak this is probably the reason you could see it collecting around the poles.
Myself I have never used anything on my canvas tents only warm water and a brush, Try that first let it dry then put the hose spray on it. you may find you do not need to spend any money on it.
All the best
Rex
------------- "Be the person your dog thinks you are" (BM)
Hi rexgrant,can you remember the stuff you got for reproofing white duck canvas tents,it was a tub of stuff like wax that you put in fairly warm water stirring like hell to melt it and then brushed it on the tent while it was up. this was back in the late 1950s
------------- Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
Hi tina1,no its not Mesowax as this has to be diluted with white spirit,the one we used was diluted in hand hot water,and stirred like hell to form like a very very thin wallpaper paste and then brushed on with the biggest brush you could find,my dad had a 8 inch pure bristle brush what we used
------------- Think this year is to follow old meet friends for 2014.
If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
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Topic: Advice for lwaking Frame Tent.
think I remembered that correct. Anything that is mixed with the cotton be it hemp, polyester, or the outer cotton from the pod reduces the breath-ability and water proofing quality. One thing to note if people try to sell you a 100% cotton tent and you can see brown flecks in the weave then it is the low quality cotton canvas normally spun and woven in the far and middle east.
