We had the misfortune recently to be in a tent in Whitby while it bucketed down with rain for 2 days solid, and some of the seams on our tent started to drip. We've never had any problems with our tent leaking before, even in really heavy rain, but it is getting fairly old so I suppose it's due for a bit of repair.
What do people think is the best way to deal with this problem? I've had a look online and there are various things available for sealing seams - some kind of waterproofing spray? Seam Grip or some other kind of seam sealant? Tenacious Tape? We have quite a few long seams that need doing, so we don't want to have to spend a fortune on something that only comes in small quantities.
Cheers for any advice.
Hi we was also in Whitby and had the same issue with a leak from a repair we had done, I sprayed the outside with fabsil proofer and put joint seal on the inside (when tent was dry)this stopped the leak.
I set the tent up again when we got home as the tent got packed away in the thick of it. The joint sealer was pealing off again due to the tent being flexed so I'm hoping the spray is the answer, I will completely spray the tent before next season and test with a hose,
I hope this helps.
I'd use liquid seam sealer, applied with a small cheap artist's paintbrush and worked well into the stitch holes. Do it while the tent is pitched and the seams smooth, allow 24 hours to dry before folding the tent otherwise it will stick to itself. You can also do this on the outside if you feel it's necessary. Seam sealer liquid is a lot easier to apply sucessfully than seam tape, imho and you can get a brush into tight corners.
I'm not a great fan of spraying waterproofing over synthetic tents unless it's to extend the life of an older tent by another season or two. Sounds as if this is the case with your tent! If it's just the seams that are leaking, get Fabsil in an aerosol spray and go over just the pole sleeves and seams very lightly, after using the seam sealer and letting it dry properly of course. Pole sleeves are especially prone to UV damage and their seams are under the most stress. Don't bother with Fabsil on the inside...it's to make the water bead on the outside.
If you think your tent flysheet is starting to degrade generally btw, don't bother with any of this and start looking for another tent. It's more cost effective than throwing £££s worth of temporary remedies at a failing tent. Signs of UV degradation are crisp or crunchy or even splitting flysheet fabric and/or a milky bloom or streaky effect on the inside of the flysheet.
The tent is fine otherwise, we use it regularly in all sorts of weather and we've never had any problems with it until that weekend - I think it was just because the rain was so heavy that the seams couldn't cope with it. It wasn't terribly leaky, just more so than we'd like! It sounds like the liquid seam sealer will be the best option, thanks for taking the time to advise us.
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Topic: Best way to fix leaky seam on tent?
