Skylights.....

[Silvertwinkie]

Those who have had them for a while, can you please comment on how well they last without leaking, etc.

The Safari has this as an option and I know how much light they can let in, but after time, what is the cost....

Thanks,

Eric

[apple 1]

They are great for letting in light, but unless the installation has changed at the factory you need to inspect them on a regular basis. The inner an outer cover are gluded togeather and are installed in the trailer with a bead of Velkum on the metal flange and 3 #8 sheetmetal screws on each side. In my case the skylights never leaked, but the front skylight cover came off while on a trip. I had just pulled in to a gas station and was filling my truck, when a high gust of wind blew the skylight cover off and it landed on the ground next to me. I was lucky as this happened in a gas station not on the highway. It was good weather other than high winds that day so went on to the campground and reinstalled the skylight with new sealer and fender washers to hold it in place. I then checked the rear skylight on my trailer and found more than half the screws had broken out of the skylight and it also was comming loose. I have checked other peoples trailers and have found other skylights comming loose. The easy way to check is to push up from the inside at each corner and the center of each side. If the screws are breaking loose you will feel the cover pushing away from the trailer. There was another member who had his skylight come loose and had started a thread, but that thread was lost when the site went down. I have posted photos of the problem and my repair on the photo site.
Here is photo of broken screw hole, if you look close you can see the screw is still inthe flange

[apple 1]

Here is a photo of my final repair after returning home.

[jcanavera]

Originally posted by Silvertwinkie
The Safari has this as an option and I know how much light they can let in, but after time, what is the cost....

Eric

Eric, most of the Classic's ordered by our local dealer come with at least one or two skylights. They are nice in brightening up the trailer. They are a pretty good heat gain though so in warm weather you may end up using the shade that comes with them.

I've got skylights in my home....8 to be exact. They can be a blessing and a curse dependent upon the quality of the units and the sun exposure.

Personally if I was ordering a new trailer I might pass. Patty on the otherhand would probably vote for. I would then probably lose the vote and would upgrade my order for the 15K BTU air conditioner to offset the heat gain from the skylights.

Jack

[markjoandall]

We ordered the two skylights in our trailer. I like them alot, however we use them rarely because of the heat gain.

I will use the one in the bathroom in the morning because sunlight is much nicer to bathe and shave by. When completed with the morning duties, we close it because of the heat gain. The skylight in the bathroom is opaque. The skylight in the lounge area of the trailer is clear and we really only use it on cloudy days. The heat gain is just too much.

I haven't looked to see if they are showing sign of fatigue and breaking loose. I probably should because we have over 17,000 miles on the unit.

Thanks for reminding me.