Roof-light Opening in high winds
We have just returned from an enjoyable cold and windy Easter Break at Lydford Site. Great Location with easy access to Dartmoor - we even sat in the sunshine on Saturday - not sure if our red faces are sun-burn or wind-burn!.
However, on Sunday night we were treated to very high gusty winds from about 7pm to 2am. Luckily we were sheltered by a Devon Bank Hedge, but at about 12:30am we were woken by an almighty crack and bang. Upon investigating, I found the forward Heki rooflight
had come open after a severe battering in the high winds. We are both certain that, when we went to bed at 11pm, it was firmly latched shut, with the arm secured by the central locking "button" at the rear of the unit - always checked before we travel !.
If the unit had been unlocked, we are sure we would have heard the wind whistling through it, or the unit rattling, earlier in the evening.
Although I was able to re-secure the rooflight, closer inspection in the morning revealed the front edge of the outer skin had fractured around the hinges. As an engineer, I am curious to know how the unit came open.
Did the latch work loose in the gusty conditions?, or did the perspex "dome" crack first under the force of the wind, allowing it to move forward pulling the support arm with it?
Unlike our old Caravan, this one does not have separate locking "catches" - althouth they are described in the operating manual.
I would be interested to hear if anyone else has suffered this "problem"? Or was it just "finger trouble" on our part?