Storms, violent winds, skylights and habitation door hinges

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Ouch! 

I had a strange feeling yesterday. We were being battered in Plymouth by a savage gale with 40 mph winds and 60 mph gusts. I was watching the trees in our garden being buffeted and bent and generally trashed and I thought "I wonder how Bryony is getting on?"

And so it was this morning we decided to call in and check her after our normal coffee and Sunday papers trip to a local cafe. 

As we drew up our hearts were in our mouths, as we rounded the corner and saw the upright skylight! We didn't know what to expect and it was with great trepidation that I dashed out and opened the habitation door after deactivating alarms. 

The main lounge skylight was wide open and upright! The concertina blind was bashed and out of its slots, hanging down in places, but fortunately, not ripped. Because the gale had been mainly winds and only drizzle and today has been sunny - everything in the lounge was, can you believe it, absolutely dry! I know - amazing! 

How did the hatch open? 

We have no absolutely no idea at all. It is a mystery with no obvious answer and leaves us with a slightly niggling doubt!

Like aircraft pilots, we always double check each thing when we leave - I sort things out and Mag comes behind me double checking everything is done. I have a last look around and then she goes in and does her tour. It is part of our 'pre-departure' and 'pre-leaving on site' routine. 

That offending skylight right at the top of this picture!!

Picture taken on a recent trip - I couldn't bring myself to take photos of the damaged blind - may be I should have! 

So we both know that hatch was closed and the handle locked in its slot! 

We are baffled and extremely thankful to say the least. The skylight is undamaged and closes securely - well - we couldn't push it up and the handle securely stowed. The blind is 'creased' somewhat and took twenty minutes to gently prise back each individual fold into its correct position on the side rails. It works though; a mite stiffer than before when sliding back and forth.

That tingly sixth-sense - never ignore it. In future when winds are from north - we will turn poor Bryony around so she faces into the wind, BEFORE the storm arrives! 

Behind us, a Swift Caravan had suffered a similar fate, only both its main lounge skylights had been lifted open into the vertical position. We dutifully contacted the storage site owners so they could get in touch with the owners and we hope they escaped damage as well. 

On even more positive notes - the issue with the door hinge has been resolved.  I cannot remember whether we have shared this with you - so here we go. A few months back I noticed the habitation door wasn't closing properly and it wasn't central locking either. The bottom outside corner of the door seemed to stick out a few millimetres more than the rest of the door - almost like a 'warping' effect. 

So I investigated and eventually discovered that the lower door hinge pin had sheered right through on the top part of the hinge.

This is how our lower hinge is attached to the frame of the motorhome. 

The broken sheared pin in on the left and runs down through the central barrel. It has sheared between the top left hand segment and the main right hand barrel segment. 

This bottom corner of the door never seems to close properly. I have found that you have to close the door with two hands. One hand pushes the lock area and your other hand has to firmly push in this bottom corner area at the same time. Only then does the door sits flush in its frame, as it should. 

We went to the dealer. They contacted Autosleepers who agreed it was warranty work and promptly sent out a new hinge.  We booked it in for the fitting.

Fitting day arrived and after leaving Bryony at the dealers, we got a phone call an hour later to say the hinge couldn't be fitted. They couldn't get the old one off. They couldn't bash the central pin down and out through the bottom. They were at an impasse having tried everything they could think of. 

So the dealer phoned Autosleeper who dropped the bomb shell that the whole door would have to be replaced - i.e. the whole door and the frame it sat in would have to come out and an entire new door and door frame unit installed. Our dealer engineers - a good bunch - looked very pale as they relayed this to us. Lots of head scratching and sucking air through teeth. Not a job they had done before.

So here is the good news. I phoned them last week to check on the progress of the new door unit arrival and was greeted with the news that Autosleeper had been in touch and had come up with a way of removing the broken hinge without damaging the door or its frame. Moreover, they also had a way of then fitting the new hinge arrangement without damaging door, frame or side panel wall.  Our dealer engineers are happy and relieved. Everything can be done during its annual habitation inspection next week. 

"Hurray" I said. 

I don't want them to see how absolutely over the moon, relieved and elated I really am! I don't want to get the reputation for being 'over-emotional!' 😁