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Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: moosemanusa on December 05, 2014, 08:23:15 AM

Title: Emergency Roof Hatches
Post by: moosemanusa on December 05, 2014, 08:23:15 AM
So curious, what products have people used to stop it raining inside?

Those darned Roof hatches always leak, Silicon dries up and cracks to often (does in Texas heat)..

Title: Re: Emergency Roof Hatches
Post by: bevans6 on December 05, 2014, 09:31:14 AM
Mine doesn't leak.  Stock seal, in an MCI.

Brian
Title: Re: Emergency Roof Hatches
Post by: TomC on December 05, 2014, 09:39:01 AM
Use silicone grease around the seals-doesn't dry.
Title: Re: Emergency Roof Hatches
Post by: belfert on December 05, 2014, 11:29:25 AM
Mine don't leak either, but my bus is newer and has the Transspec hatches like most school buses have these days.
Title: Re: Emergency Roof Hatches
Post by: Iceni John on December 05, 2014, 11:42:17 AM
If your bus has older hatches/ventilators about 24" square, you should get some Transpec hatches off a school bus being scrapped.   The inner (lower) and outer (upper) halves are simply screwed together, sort of like an RV window frame.   Different versions of the Transpec hatches are available to match different roof curvatures.   When I repainted my roof I recaulked everywhere using Loctite S40 polyurethane sealant, including around the edges of the roof hatches  -  so far, so good.   Silicone sealants are less effective than polyurethane ones, plus you can paint over the poly ones.

John   
Title: Re: Emergency Roof Hatches
Post by: Dawgs on December 05, 2014, 03:32:19 PM
I'm needing new seals on mine as well.
Title: Re: Emergency Roof Hatches
Post by: lvmci on December 05, 2014, 03:43:17 PM
Hi All, I'm going to take the front hatch cover off and fabricate a dual pane window over the front hatch, which will open on the rear side, with a normal window crank, we had a sky lite in our previous bus, and my wife loved it, these hatches on the mci3C are almost as big as those skylits, lvmci..
Title: Re: Emergency Roof Hatches
Post by: moosemanusa on December 06, 2014, 08:43:35 AM
The buses (3 of them same problem) are running new hatches, the two part ones.. The (hard rain) gets under the plastic and seeps through, We've tried Silicone / Roof Tar but once they dry they just crack.  The Transits locally have the same problem. 

I think the issue is finding a waterproof solution that allows for flexing,  We used Plastidip (almost like truck liner) because its fairly waterproof but if layered up correctly should block moisture, its also flexible.

These are Black Buses and when in the sun can reach extreme temps, Egg frying temps pretty much 250 days plus a year.