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Water leaks and avionics damage with a tipup canopy

E

eddieseve

Well Known Member
Hi Guys,

I have an RV7 tip-up and 3 weeks ago my ICOM-A210 stopped working.

I sent if off to ICOM for a service and the response was that it was toast and would cost nearly as much as a new radio to repair.

It seems that it failed due to water ingress over a long period of time as there was corrosion build up evident on the internal components and boards.

So for any new builders out there just about to start test flying, please make sure you install a weather shield of some sort to protect you expensive avionics.

In my installation my radio is the only component in my panel that penetrates both the instrument panel and the second sub-panel.

Ironically where I placed the radio located it directly under the right hand hinge for the tip-up. This allowed a small amount of water to drip onto the radio tray and then enter the radio via the camloc that secures it into the tray.

I had previously checked the canopy in the closed position for leaks with a hose while on the ground, but obviously flying in light rain at 150-160 knots is different.

So the message is do more than you think is necessary to seal things up, otherwise it will cost you lots of money down the track.

Cheers
 
No way..these never leak. Just ask Van's :confused:

The stock solution is not only leaks, it is guaranteed to leak.

My last go at sealing it up seems to be working. Eliminated the gaps between the three pieces of sheet metal angle that the stock seal sits on, threw out the stock seal and put on an edge gripping bulb seal and then sealed that to the sub-panel and the top skin with urethane sealant. Filled the entire area with sealant in the hinge slot above where the hinges go since the hinges do not come up that high in normal use. Basically my edge gripping bulb seal is glued with urethane sealant to the top front skin, the sub-panel and the plastic hinge blocks and the void is filled above where the hinges go. It forms sort of a gutter in front of the bulb.

I would post a pic but it is difficult to see any of this with the canopy mounted.

I got some hints from Rzbill when he came to our flyin last year. I also made sure I did not mount any radio gear under the hinge points with my new panel upgrade.
 
Hmmm. I sat in the rain for five minutes last week after I landed and shutdown specifically to check for leaks. After five minutes, there was zero, nothing, nada, zip, zilch, etc. leaks in the cabin. I can't see how water could possibly get to the avionics with a sl....

...err, umm, nevermind...

;)
 
ChiefPilot said:
Hmmm. I sat in the rain for five minutes last week after I landed and shutdown specifically to check for leaks. After five minutes, there was zero, nothing, nada, zip, zilch, etc. leaks in the cabin. I can't see how water could possibly get to the avionics with a sl....

...err, umm, nevermind...

;)
Click to expand...

:p............
 
Brantel said:
No way..these never leak. Just ask Van's :confused:

The stock solution is not only leaks, it is guaranteed to leak.

My last go at sealing it up seems to be working. Eliminated the gaps between the three pieces of sheet metal angle that the stock seal sits on, threw out the stock seal and put on an edge gripping bulb seal and then sealed that to the sub-panel and the top skin with urethane sealant. Filled the entire area with sealant in the hinge slot above where the hinges go since the hinges do not come up that high in normal use. Basically my edge gripping bulb seal is glued with urethane sealant to the top front skin, the sub-panel and the plastic hinge blocks and the void is filled above where the hinges go. It forms sort of a gutter in front of the bulb.

I would post a pic but it is difficult to see any of this with the canopy mounted.

I got some hints from Rzbill when he came to our flyin last year. I also made sure I did not mount any radio gear under the hinge points with my new panel upgrade.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the mention. It sounds like you have passed and improved on my setup. I want to come see what you have done. I was in heavy rain IMC a few weeks ago and developed a leak. Scary. Bailed. Did a 180 and landed. It's way better than it was, but still not good enough.
 
tip-ups and water

My tip-up doesn't leak in the rain, I occasionally fly in light rain showers. The trick is raising the canopy when it is wet, because the water will roll down the canopy as it rises up, then hit the area just aft of the firewall, then run into the instrument panel.

I carry a full size towel and have it ready to catch the water when I open the canopy. I push it into the opening area as I push the canopy up. If I'm opening it from the outside, and it's wet, I have another towel to lay on the forward portion of the canopy to catch (soak up) the water as it runs off the canopy.

It's a low tech solution, but I preflight and postflight in the rain so seldom that it really isn't a big deal. I love the visibility of the tip-up, so this solution works for me : )
 
Hey Brian,

If at some point you do manage to snap some pic's I would love to see them just to make sure that I have all my bases covered as best as I can.

Cheers

Brantel said:
No way..these never leak. Just ask Van's :confused:

The stock solution is not only leaks, it is guaranteed to leak.

My last go at sealing it up seems to be working. Eliminated the gaps between the three pieces of sheet metal angle that the stock seal sits on, threw out the stock seal and put on an edge gripping bulb seal and then sealed that to the sub-panel and the top skin with urethane sealant. Filled the entire area with sealant in the hinge slot above where the hinges go since the hinges do not come up that high in normal use. Basically my edge gripping bulb seal is glued with urethane sealant to the top front skin, the sub-panel and the plastic hinge blocks and the void is filled above where the hinges go. It forms sort of a gutter in front of the bulb.

I would post a pic but it is difficult to see any of this with the canopy mounted.

I got some hints from Rzbill when he came to our flyin last year. I also made sure I did not mount any radio gear under the hinge points with my new panel upgrade.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Mike,

Perhaps your correct and water got in when I opened the canopy, who knows, bottom line, you need to be very careful.

Cheers


Mike Smith said:
My tip-up doesn't leak in the rain, I occasionally fly in light rain showers. The trick is raising the canopy when it is wet, because the water will roll down the canopy as it rises up, then hit the area just aft of the firewall, then run into the instrument panel.

I carry a full size towel and have it ready to catch the water when I open the canopy. I push it into the opening area as I push the canopy up. If I'm opening it from the outside, and it's wet, I have another towel to lay on the forward portion of the canopy to catch (soak up) the water as it runs off the canopy.

It's a low tech solution, but I preflight and postflight in the rain so seldom that it really isn't a big deal. I love the visibility of the tip-up, so this solution works for me : )
Click to expand...
 
Leaking canopy mods

Does anybody have any photographs of their mods to stop the water reaching the instruments please?
 
We flew to Montana two weeks ago and we were in light rain for a good period of time and no water. During our stop, one day it rained very heavily to the point driving was not safe and I had to pull over as I could not see anything. I checked the plane (carpet area) for any sign of water and there wasn?t any.

This was not always like this and I had got water near the hinges during a couple of flight in the rain. As for weather stripping, I added one long piece to the entire sheet metal angle covering the hinge area and an thin layer to the canopy part which in closed position, presses against the bottom stripping. I think this has done the trick but I still try to avoid rain if possible.
 
Tip-up still leaks

Suggestions aside from selling the plane? Flew in light rain today and it didn't take long for drops of water to start hitting my legs - and short out my audio panel. I have the Flightline Interiors 'umbrella' materiel cover but it does not seal around the hinges. Vans "P" strip was a joke and waste of money. Steele rubber products has multiple products and the trunk-seal I bought kind of works but the tip-up design means its arc in opening and closing will gouge out any seal. Has anyone tried to glue/weld a channel just in front of the seam at the cowling/canopy joint? I bought my RV6 for light IFR and long cross-country's and well, it rains in the SE a lot, so if there's no solution, I sell it. One gent will convert my plane to a slider, but that is big bucks! Help!!
 
sopwith strutter said:
Suggestions aside from selling the plane? Flew in light rain today and it didn't take long for drops of water to start hitting my legs - and short out my audio panel. I have the Flightline Interiors 'umbrella' materiel cover but it does not seal around the hinges. Vans "P" strip was a joke and waste of money. Steele rubber products has multiple products and the trunk-seal I bought kind of works but the tip-up design means its arc in opening and closing will gouge out any seal. Has anyone tried to glue/weld a channel just in front of the seam at the cowling/canopy joint? I bought my RV6 for light IFR and long cross-country's and well, it rains in the SE a lot, so if there's no solution, I sell it. One gent will convert my plane to a slider, but that is big bucks! Help!!
Click to expand...

I haven't flown in much rain, but mine is dry during heavy rain on the ground. On my setup. When I cut my hinge slots, I left 1/4" of material at the top of the slot (angle material is only an 1/8" or so down, leaving no exposed area). I also used Permatex #2 under the upper skin when I riveted it on, keeping water from going forward at that seam. I filled all notches in the bulkhead with JB weld from behind. Water CANNOT get forward. My angle is a solid strip from edge to edge, so no opportunity to leak. I also ran a bead of silicone in the edge of the angle piece where it meets the bulkhead to hold water behind the seal and channel it to the edges. I used 3/8" D shaped seal from McMaster. For the two rounded areas where the seal pinched, I used 1/4" D shaped seal, as the 3/8" was pinching. I also bought a wedge shaped seal for this area, but the 1/4" D shape ended up working perfect.

With this setup, the water can only get to the edges and drip to the floor (essentially a water-proof gutter). It could also get past the seal interface with the skin, but it has nice compression and I won't know how good it is until I fly in the rain.

Good luck with your remediation efforts. I'll try to take a picture tomorrow.

Larry
 
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