New 10.0 leaking

[kinyo]

This weekend was the 2nd trip with our new 2015 10.0. It was the first time we got rain & we found out the the tent was leaking at 7 - 8 places.

It seems that all of the infiltrations are coming from seams. Really disapointing from a new tent...

I have contacted my selling dealer & they told me to spray the tent with a impermeabilization spray & to pay attention to seams.

Anybody with leaking tent? What have you done to solve this issue?

Thanks for your help on this!

Kinyo 

[electron]

Mine is leaking also, 8.0. I followed the manual and conditioned it many time but the seams still leak. I am currently trying to resolve the issue.
What is impermeabilization spray?

[admin]

I have a QS 10.0 that is a couple years old at this point and I guess I've been a lucky one compared to some of the newer tents. I have not had to deal with leaks at all, despite the sometimes disconcerting amount of space that seems to show up at the seams. If I recall the idea behind conditioning the seams is to allow them to swell, thus preventing leaks. If this is not working you might consider a more traditional seam sealer option. I have used Nikwax and GearAid in the past for more traditional waterproofing needs and I see no reason for them to have a problem here.

The other tip I would add is to avoid having pillows and blankets pushed up against the tent material during rain storms if you can. Even if you are not experiencing a leak, fabrics that touch the seams can act as a wick.

[charliem]

The other tip I would add is to avoid having pillows and blankets pushed up against the tent material during rain storms if you can. Even if you are not experiencing a leak, fabrics that touch the seams can act as a wick.

[font size="3"]From back in my old tent camping days the rule was, "Nothing touches the canvas."[/font]

I have a 2012 6.0 that I purchased slightly used from a dealer.  I've camped several times when a pretty intense storm came up, but I was completely dry inside.  Glad for that.  I believe that new canvas is supposed to be "conditioned" by being soaked down and left to dry in the sun.  I never did that since my unit was used and I assumed that the previous owner took care of that.  I do recall that there may be an issue with the tents on the newer models.  Did LL change vendors recently?  Not sure.

[admin]

I think LL did confirm to a few people that they had changed vendors for the canvas within the last few years. I dont recall the specific time frame but based on my experience vs other it appears to be around 2013.

[hiker74]

I believe Aqualon is the manufacturer. This is the same company who makes the tenting for Starcraft from my understanding. I believe I recall a tag on my 2006 not saying Aqualon, but after researching its the same company just a different name for the tenting product

[hiker74]

If I were you i'd leave it out in the rain or soak it down with a hose. I believe you are in QC so you've been getting some of the rain and humidity we've had in the Midwest. Find a good weather forecast when you'll have morning rain and afternoon sun and try that to get the seams to swell. The old duck fabric in the 60's was similar as it needed to get wet before it wouldn't leak. If I were you I would not use seam sealer on it. If it still leaks after soaking it again and then letting it dry have the manufacturer replace it.

[chuck893]

[quote source="/post/12573/thread" timestamp="1434984696" author="@admin"]I have a QS 10.0 that is a couple years old at this point and I guess I've been a lucky one compared to some of the newer tents. I have not had to deal with leaks at all, despite the sometimes disconcerting amount of space that seems to show up at the seams. [font color="#f34a0b"]If I recall the idea behind conditioning the seams is to allow them to swell, thus preventing leaks.[/font] If this is not working you might consider a more traditional seam sealer option. I have used Nikwax and GearAid in the past for more traditional waterproofing needs and I see no reason for them to have a problem here.

The other tip I would add is to avoid having pillows and blankets pushed up against the tent material during rain storms if you can. Even if you are not experiencing a leak, fabrics that touch the seams can act as a wick. [/quote]I've been pretty concerned about this recurring question since our 8.1 is now 5 full years old and has been practically abused. Just last year we were out 99 consecutive days in 30 different camps. Every season for 5 seasons we have been out for at least 60 days each. The QS is designed as a weekender but we can attest they can handle a lot more! We are still on the factory tent, which was soaked down by Mother N. our second night out in 2010, leaked maaaybe 1/4 cup of water on one end and has never leaked one single drop since. Sean, you have it right, at least as far as what was supposed to happen. It happened with your tent, and it happened with ours, but my concern stems from knowing that a 5-year-old tent at some point has to wear out, and I frankly worry about getting a, $800 "bad" tent as a replacement. We have long since lost track of how many thunderstorms we have been through, cloudbursts, days of soaking rain on end, ferocious windstorms that we feared would bend the bars, yet Rose never, ever leaks. We aren't even especially careful about not touching the wet canvas because it has a plastic coating. If water gets in, it's because we track it in, or it blows in because we always leave a few corners of the canvas open for ventilation.

So I share the concerns and irritation of owners with new tents that leak, keep leaking, need to be seam sealed (and the manual says nothing about that because so far as I know it should not be necessary, and besides repeated applications of seam sealer still don't work). Honestly I think that's just wrong, and I really wish Scott Tuttle himself would weigh in on this and provide some explanation, or at least reassurance that Livin' Lite cares deeply about happy customers. We are the happiest of customers, love to talk up our tiny home-away-from-home, even carry some brochures (!!) to hand out, but I don't want to tell a stranger about a wonderful (not to mention seriously spendy) product that turns out not to be so wonderful. I have said this before: [font color="#f34a0b"]Livin' Lite, if you are getting bad tents, get a better supplier![/font]

[electron]

Veada is the tent maker on my 8.0, it leaks.

I agree with you, chuck893- LL simply needs to step up on this issue.  

[kinyo]

I did what my selling told me. I have sealed the seam where it was leaking past weekend. Also the tent is in my driveway since last sunday and it rain 3-4 times since then, so it should be properly seasoned now. The seam sealer need 24 hours to cure properly so I will do a leak test tomorow night. I need to get this issue fixed, we are leaving soon for a 16 day trip from Mtl to Charleston SC with our 2 yrs old girl. It`s really annoying being waken up at night with water dripping on my head and matress. I bought this trailer because we were done with sleeping on the floor and with water infiltration in a regular tent. I hope the sealer + tent seasoning will work! I'll keep you posted!

Thanks everyone for your help!

[kinyo]

Here is an update:

On last friday night, I have leak tested the tent with my garden hose for a good 15-20 minutes.

Not even a drop of water inside the tent after the test!

I have sealed the outside seams with this spray:

http://www.mec.ca/product/5018-964/nikwax-tent-and-gear-solar-proof-500ml/

and sealed the inside seams with this stuff:

http://www.mec.ca/product/5002-946/gear-aid-silnet-silicone-seam-sealer/?icid=faithful_companion_mec_silicone_guides_tarp

Both were really easy to apply and the complete job took less than 1 hour. I let the Silnet cure for a good 48 hours before water testing.

I will never know if it's the week of leaving the tent in the driveway with a lot of rain and sun shine that seasoned the tent and resolved the infiltrations or it's the sealing job that work, but i'm glad that this problem seem to be fixed.

I'll keep you posted on the results when we hit out first rain while campaing. And in case, I have a new spare tube in the tent

Kinyo

[suzannehb]

Our 8.0 leaks horribly. Brand new 2015. Leaks in all four corners at the seams. Our family vacation was ruined. We will call the dealer tomorrow and try to unload this lemon. Hugely disappointing. 

[chuck893]

[quote source="/post/13012/thread" timestamp="1436399327" author="@suzannehb"]Our 8.0 leaks horribly. Brand new 2015. Leaks in all four corners at the seams. Our family vacation was ruined. We will call the dealer tomorrow and try to unload this lemon. Hugely disappointing. 

[/quote]Please don't give up on it if you haven't already. Please go look at this brand-new thread. http://livinlite.proboards.com/thread/1294/leaks  Ron had a terrible time with his new 10 (and he wasn't the only one), but he got a replacement tent under warranty and his new one behaves like ours always has; zero leaks. We've had our 8.1 since 2010, thousands of miles, hundreds of camps, exposure to UV, terrible storms, windstorms... No damage and no leaks, ever. LL has obviously made some mistakes with tent manufacturers, but I think they have it solved now, and they certainly have a vested interest in keeping customers happy. All manufacturers do! Please don't give up. We love our Quicksilver. We've almost loved her to death, but she's still hangin' in. 

(Maintenance costs are very low. The wheels need greasing about every 8,000 miles. We had a zipper fail and had it replaced at a tent and awning place---boat cover people do it too. We've had to replace some snaps on the tonneau. I'm hopeless at doing stuff so we've had it done. I'd guesstimate our maintenance costs have averaged less than $120 bucks a year. Quicksilver's a pretty cheap date.)