Leaking Hatches

[rjrendemd]

The reason that the hatches are leaking when covered with snow is that the coefficient of expansion is different between the lens and the frame and the lens has shrunk in the cold weather. Anything that you use now must be flexible enough that it will allow for re-expansion of the lens when the weather warms or the lens will crack this summer.

[Mexico Mike]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Has anybody any experience with this

Life calk LIQUID

Never seen the newfangled stuff before. Sounds like just what you were looking for. I think you should volunteer to test it for us! (Maybe on a small area first in case it eats the plastic.)

What's the weather doing now? Clear and sunny yet?

Best,

Mike

[AnchorageGuy]

I have used Dow 795 to seal plastic, glass, Lexan, etc. and have never had a leak with it.

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by irwinsailor

We use Captan Tolleys creaping crack seal anytime we find a leak, while not a permanent repair it buys time until you can do the job right later on.

IS:

I see it says for use with some hard plastics..have you used in on Plexiglass?

Originally Posted by Mexico Mike

Never seen the newfangled stuff before. Sounds like just what you were looking for. I think you should volunteer to test it for us! (Maybe on a small area first in case it eats the plastic.)

What's the weather doing now? Clear and sunny yet?

Best,

Mike

Mike :

NO..and I just got in from plowing our street with a backhoe..I thought a county truck would have did it by now..it has rained lightly all day today so our 18+ inches of snow on the road turned impassable...so no sun but I got high fives from all the neighbors today anyway..

Thanks for all the advice...everyone had something to offer that I learned from...much apreciated

[Mexico Mike]

Thanks for reminding me why I'm not home right now! Good on ya for being the neighborhood hero.
Always happy to offer free advice, just remember ya gets what ya pays for sometimes. ;0) Good luck and enjoy your winter wonderland, I do kind of miss it...almost.

[artfem]

I have been a glazier for 35 years. A tip when you rebed the plastic. Caulk should only be adhered on two sides, not three. Caulk sticks to itself better than to anything else. If adhered on three sides, when under stress, the caulk will fail at the upper edge where it meets the plastic or the aluminum, allowing water to infiltrate. Once the old caulk is removed, you may end up with a "U" shaped trough around the plastic. For best results, you do not want the caulk to stick to the bottom of the trough, only to the two sides. This allows the caulk to expand and contract yet maintain maximum adhesion to the aluminum frame and the plastic. A bond breaking tape should be used at the base of the trough. I would use a silicon product such as Dow Corning 795 or Tremco Spectrum I. Check the manufacturer specifications and see if they require a primer on the aluminum or the plastic. Critical to get the two pieces to be caulked very clean and feree of oil & grease. Also, no matter how neat you think you are, all caulk needs to be tooled, plastic spoons work well with silicone. The tooling is not just for looks, it forces the caulk into all voids and ensures good adhesion wioth the subtrate. You also do not want the caulk bead to be thicker than it is wide. This weakens the bond, does not strengthen it. Sometimes with caulk "less is more". If the void has to be partially filled, use a backer rod like ethafoam.

[Benjamaphone]

The hatch on your foredeck is an Atkins & Hoyle Ltd. XR200 Reversible model. We offer a repair service where we basically take your hatch and make it new again. As Ziggy seemed to lament, this is usually quoted at about half the price of new, a good deal considering you should expect another 20-25 years out of our repair. Also, you're going to spend that almost that anyway on materials (assuming you use quality cast acrylic) and you have to devote some of your time and you don't know if its going to work or not.

With a repair service such as our Certified Hatch Repair Service, you know that what you're paying for is going is what you're going to get, otherwise you just send it back. Thats the beauty of a warranty, it makes sure that I do my job right and that you get what you pay for.

I also just want to say that eventually all hatches leak. I know that Ziggy wasn't saying that Atkins & Hoyle hatches are more prone to leaking but I just wanted it to be clear that our hatches commonly outlast their owners. In my opinion, there is no better alternative.