I used your video 4 years to do my own heki, now I’m watching it remind myself because I do vans professionally now :)

We fitted two skylights to our van last summer and all was OK until last week when we had a leak in one of them. I discovered they use a release agent when casting the skylight frames and this prevents all sealants and adhesives from sticking to the plastic. When I took out my screws, the skylight could just be lifted up by hand pressure, leaving a neat impression on the Sikaflex which was adhered firmly to the roof, but the frame was as clean as a whistle. I washed it with soapy water, then vinegar and finally white spirit before roughing the surface to be sealed with sandpaper. The reseal went well but I wish I had known this when I fitted them new last year. All the best, Pete

that fact that the silicone beading doesn't standout shows that you did a fantastic job in the silicone finishing... truthfully yours is the only neat, clean and professional finish I have seen in over a month of van build video watching... world-wide!!! thankhz so much for sharing and setting the van build bar a bit higher... Wholeness n Love ((-;

"Pride in your work" - that's key, and so obvious in what you do!

Thanks for another great video for a project every van builder must undertake. Your attention to detail and aesthetic standard are as rare as they are appreciated. Bad caulk/sealant finishing is a pet peeve of mine!

Thanks for putting part 2 so quickly, I thought I would to wait a few more days.

Awesome job. Came across this as it is the same skylight on my caravan that has developed a leak. Your workmanship is so much neater than what is on my professional built caravan. The screws are visible on mine as well. You have given me the confidence to remove and reseal mine when the weather improves

Very helpful video. Just finished installing my mini heki and with you guiding me it seems to have been successful! Thanks

How can anyone do a thumbs down for a great vid. just the right amount of info for a novice and not to much to for the more experienced. well done!

You made my choice and installatio easier for my ducato roof light! cheers from italy!

I enjoy your attention to detail so much I watch this series just for fun!

I fitted a Fiamma skylight to my dog walking van. This video was helpful in visualising the instructions they sent and the steps to take to get the skylight/roof vent in. My tip would be to get some grease/lubricant on the area you’re jigsawing and drilling, it makes the job easier and cools down hot parts. Thanks for the vid.

Hi, Great skylight install, if you paid someone they would not have done the job as well as you did, it really looks professionally done, but, we know you did a better job uourself, we'll be waiting for the next bideo, thanks for sharing.Blessings! !!!!!!!

I like the workmanship you are showing in this build it's looking great 👍🚐

Looks great. FYI the blobs of caulking you see on top of some builds is probably self leveling caulk. I replaced a few fans on a class A camper (in the US it's what the state calls the bus sized ones) & everything on the roof is covered in that stuff. They pour it on over the screw heads & all around the edges of anything sticking through the roof. While it doesn't look nearly as polished as your install, the screws looked like new when I had to replace the old fans/sewer vent pipes. (You can make your own with solvent & caulk...see KZfaq for instructions lol) Thanks for another great video.

Great detail. I like that you showed the problems you encountered too. I wish I had your patience.

Great job again 👍 love your tip on the silicon tool I’m getting some 😊 Thanks Stevie 😀

I’ve just ordered the same one to replace my existing one that’s busted on my Vw Lt25 mk1 so cheers for the heads up pal and nice job

Great job on the roof light fella, nice work with the sealant making it neat and finished. It does really make all the difference taking that little extra time is well worth it. That Sikaflex will last for many years even in the sunshine

You seem like you know what you're doing, so I hate to say "pro tip". But something I learned when caulking (sinks, etc.) is to put down tape before applying the final fillet. Lay the tape a bit away from the edge you're going to caulk - where you want the fillet to taper out. Caulk and smooth as you did here, but the last step, peeling up the tape, ensures a dead clean edge.

Clear, well done, good explanation. Super!

honesty as well as professional - cool

Absolutely fantastic video.

please make a van playlist so we can watch them through and easly come back... love the videos there a great help :)

Hi, My brand new £20K plus caravan has got the exact same Mini Heki roof light, its just the same as your's, holes can be seen, so don't be concerned its the norm. Cheers

Nice work.. was wondering how people did it on ridged roof. Thank you. And yes got to be a nice smooth finish. Doesn't matter if you see it or not.

Thank you 🙏 ✔️

Hi...could you please tell me the headheight on the van.? Im 6 ft 1 and wondered of ide need the xtra high roof? Keep up the good work.cheers.si

Bit confused I am installing the mini heki blind using only the base frame - I have cut off the screw posts so I can have the base fit my inner rooflight frame. I have used 4 of the holes you are querying to fix the base in situ. You cut one pillar you said that you had left by mistake - I cut all 8 posts off - now the blind. I have been able to position the blind ok using the gullies in the frame which have locators to help match the single male strips on the blind. Trouble is I can't get the blind to stay in position. I was pressing the blind home hoping to feel (or hear) the friction mesh. Nothing = as soon as I take my hands away the blind falls down. As you bought a full unit there was a nice thick instruction book. Does this show the interference fit - is the male locator on the blind supposed to locate into what is a double line on the frame -ie the female type gully of the frame. Have you any idea why my blind will not stay in place?

Would it be possible to Install and sealent the top half first, then build the sub frame and cut lugs and Install bottom half at a later date? It may be a while before I buy insulation + tounge and groove boards, so no idea what thickness I may require.

Tip for silicone in the future after you apply the silicone mix a little washing up liquid and water in a spray bottle and spray the whole area. Use the tool as normal and the silicone cant stick to anything :)

Hi mate thanks for tips,im putting in two fans to my van is this ok

Hi Tim, I don’t know if you’ve had any leaking with this method but I had some which may have been due to the lack of adhesion of the sikaflex to the roof light. Someone on KZfaq reckons this could be because the release agent is still on the roof light from the manufacturing process. I’ve taken mine out and have found that the adhesive comes off the roof light very easily. I also noticed that the corrugation infills have cupped slightly and may not be ideal in this location. It is difficult to say what has caused the leaking but I’m tempted to bite the bullet and buy a ready made infill piece, clean and abrade the roof light joining area and re fit it.

Very useful thanks

Great video! Thanks for sharing. Did you use the version with 23-42mm or 43-60mm roof thickness?

Hi. I have done three conversions now to panel vans including 2 with room slide outs. 1st one on a transit with a manual slide out room and the second with a 3.2 MTR long slide out which was motor driven. (Check out KZfaq video called Slider 4) I am very impressed with your quality of building. Can you tell me what you used to fill in the valleys in the roof when putting in the roof vents to make a flatter surface to fit the window. I am about to start my fourth conversion. Finding your videos really good. Keep up the good work. Great job. Nick

I just wanted to start by saying how much I enjoy watching your channel. I also wanted to ask you “Have you had any leaks with your roof vent?” I’m about to cut through my new roof and want to understand how realistic I should be about a leak free experience. Cheers, Andrew

great job

Huge question mate. I know it seems ridiculous, but it will help me out immensely. What was the size of the hole you cut for this? I need to order mine now and need to make sure I can fit it! The website has 'ordered' and 'opening' dimensions, I need to know which is which. Love from California

Hi Tim. Could you tell me with this roof vent do you screw into the wooden frame from above?

What additional products do you need to buy that do not come with the mini to install it (in addition to the Sikaflex)? How do you fill into the valleys? Thank you!

Just watching your video in my professionally manufactured van with an identical roof light and you can see the screws... (and I've never noticed before)

great job chap. just wondering where you got you packers to level out the top side of van roof?

Hey awesome job, my window didn't come with screws (because it was discounted :) so could you tell me what screws did you use ? also some people install this window with some additional plates I guess screw themselves should do the job. How is your window holiday after some time ? thanks

Is it the Mini Heki Style or Mini Heki Plus model? Thanks!

It’s really interesting you have fitted both the mini Heki and the fiamma turbo vent as I am trying to choose between the two at the moment as I have a smaller van (Vw t5 lwb hightop) and can only have one. If you had to choose one vent which would you go for? I am swaying towards the mini Heki as it will let in more light and I have am heard people say the fiamma turbo vent is a bit loud and inefficient at pulling hot air out. Oh and great content by the way! Just subscribed

Can you open it more than 50 degrees, so it possible to use as an escape hole in case of an emergency?

What mm wide mastic tape did you use please?

I have my mini Heki and ready to fit now! My roof is completely flat does that mean I don’t have to seal round the edges on the roof? I would probably make a mess if I had to....

Screw caps for fitting mirrors to walls or even numberplate screw covers.to hide screw heads.

Did you have to clean or key in the roof of the van so the sikaflex sticks properly?

Just a bit of white tippex on the screws you wont notice..

Im trying to work out of I could squeeze out of that window.. I cant find the right dimensions for my van, the roof has weird beams

What size is your heki sky light. Videos are amazing

Hi there i am fitting the same type of roof light to the same type of van. I have some 6mm UPVC beading to fill the gaps in the ribs and have sikaflex 512. My question is, did you bond the UPVC to the roof and let it set properly before then silicone the roof light on itself or did you just do it all in one go? Did you use the same sika flex for all the jointing/sealing and also for the finishing at the end too? Many thanks in advance, love watching your videos. Regards Scott

next time u put sealant: put painter tape 1 cm away from the edges you want to seal, pair of gloves, put sealant in the gaps/around the border edges, wet the tip of your finger, smudge the sealant, remove the tape and have clean edges and a nice round-ish finish.

Did you use the 25-42mm or 42-60mm vent fitting? Great video!

I went for a similar job and after 10 months the ceiling started to bend, sure enough it developed a leak and now I have to reseal and redo the ceiling! Unfortunately I'm not really sure about the best approach because it took months to show the problem...

Hi Tim, what did you use as spacers in the van roof channels?

We had a roof fan in our sprinter we found the sillicone leaked we went to our local caravan shop got some tape stuff they use never leaked again.

How big of a hole did you cut in the roof?

Perhaps if you "up fit" the vent with a fan the screws will not then be visible.

Great job. What is the silver bubble wrap stuff on the walls... Is it sound proofing type of wrap also? thanks

Thanks a lot for this video! We almost duplicated your workflow and also used the "Sikaflex", damn that is sticky stuff! Checkout the result on our channel if you like. We will definitely make more use of your tutorials for our van conversion :)

Would be nice if they could improve these with thinner frames and bezels.

Put some off-white on the screws so they won't showup

smoothing tool 101 wet finger and some kitchen paper lol

Use paint tape. Much easier. ;-)

I think a lot of people go overboard up top with the sealant to be sure it won't leak. That's a very minimal amount of sealant and with it being exposes to the elements, I'd be worried about the sun baking that small amount and cracking, then letting water in. I don't think pride has anything to do with it.

Can I pay you to fit mine👍

"Never ever" use silicone or clue on metal roof 😆 Only butyl

Wood is not a thermal bridge lol