Caravan moisture

[goody2shoes]

Hi all

Just had a lot of rain and is still raining

Went out to see if the caravan is still ok inside of it

Came across this

As you can see it is near the floor of the caravan...

There had been water damage to it down there when I bought it...

But through oh well it is a old water mark and never thought about it again...

But it is back :|

I paid big money out last year and had the roof redone

I just put a fan heater onto it to help dry it out

Last week I had the pop top up and it got gusty winds...I ran out and pulled the top down...but only clip two hinged not all 4 ...but I am sure that could not of done it as it coming up from the floor and not from the top

Anyone have any advice please

 

[Tathradj]

Leaking in from the out side and running down
the inside of the wall to the bottom.
Is there a window or some thing on the out side
above or near the water mark. ??

 

[Tathradj]

If you can, Take a photo of that side of the van and send it too me.

 

[goody2shoes]

Yes there is a window on the out side

 

[A-team]

All that has to be pulled out, floor and wall. Why? It will end up with mold and needs to be cleaned (not necessarily replaced). Been through this before. You will also have a better chance of locating the leak by removing that siding. If its coming from the roof, take it back - if its coming from the side, use plenty of "all clear" silicone on the outside, then try to put some on the inside corresponding area too. You can paint over this one and it dries like liquid nails. The key here is accurately LOCATING the leak first. When you have to side off, stick a hose over the caravan and get inside with your torch. You will need long arms to do both

 

[goody2shoes]

I had a new roof plate put on it before I did my epic trip.....

There has always been a water stain on that side of the caravan

But it has been raining very heavy the past couple of days...

Maybe just coming from the window seal

Will have a better look at it :

 

[Mackka]

I am no expert but it the water was coming through the window then i would expect to see watermarks down the panel, but the marks are at the bottom. Could this be from rain being blown in from the side via a seal at the bottom of the exterior wall? Is the watermark only on one wall Goody?
Mackka

 

[goody2shoes]

Only on one side Mate

Thinking it could be because of the rain hitting hard on that side of the caravan

Plus get all the sea rain on that side as well

 

[Mackka]

Yep i think you are on the money Goody. i would check the sel on the bottom of the external wal and look for any rust marks or any other indications of moisture. Replace the silicone with a good external one.
Cheers
Mackka

 

[goody2shoes]

There is no rust

Will have to wait until the rain stops and then re_seal the window...

I will have a good look first tho

 

[PeterInSa]

I would definitely re seal the window. Some van manufactures use sealing tape between the window surrounds and the van paneling, to me this does the job in the first few years but can have problems later. Me I would use the sealing Tape and then white Silicon/Stika around around the edge of the window and van AL.

https://www.rvpartsexpress.com.au/shop-by-category/hardware-maintenance/foam-sealing-tape.html

But the Silicon can be a Bummer if you have a prang on the side and the panel shop wants to re use your side panels around the window

 

[Rockhunter62]

Looks like rising damp. :lol: :lol: :lol: Could it just be the dampness in the air soaking into the panel then showing your old stains?

Cheers

Doug

 

[StoneTheCrows]

Goody

You can also buy moisture absorbers in a little container
I know that wont fix the problem but short term it does work

I had a leak in my house - put the absorber near the issue while I was waiting to get the leak fixed and after two days there was no sign of the water - similar to the photo you posted..

 

[7.62marksman]

A mate of mine had the same problem
He took the window out cleaned it the replaced with HEAPS of sealent

 

[Redfin]

Find out where the leak is, you can trace it with a water meter.
Do you know a chippy or builder? they all carry one.
Or hire from Kennards or similar.
I wouldn't start squirting heaps of silicone around.

 

[goody2shoes]

Just waiting on the rain to stop so I can work out where the problem is

Thank you all for the advice

 

[Ridge Runner]

Goody don't go sealing any windows for at least 4 weeks after it has stopped raining because all you will do is seal the water in the cavity, When the rain stops crack open all the windows a fraction and let the van Air out for a good 3 or 4 weeks and leave the fan running during the day time blowing on those patches and once it has had time to get rid of the condensation within the walls then you can seal around the windows, Ok :Y:

 

[goody2shoes]

Think it is going to keep raining to after Christmas the way it is coming down

But we all need rain

 

[Tathradj]

I had this little drip of water in my Avan and it partially destroyed some timberwork.
I could not figure out where the leak was coming from so, I put a small bucket under
it until I could work it out properly.

An Avan like mine does not leak in this area but, This one did.

Last year in Batemans Bay, I stayed a week in a caravan Park and went through a pretty bad storm.
Bad enough to tie the roof down.

When parking up to come home for the weekend, I noticed a gap under one of the dome windows.

Emergency repair by a dash to Bunnings and sealed it all off with Gaffa tape.

Got home and decided to address the issue as these sort of things can destroy a van real quick.

Took the tape off and had a close look.

Window frame was parting company from it's mountings.

Got a thin steel under it and, TWANG. Bloody whole window popped out. ]

Crap... These things are up to $2500.00 each. O

The original sealer had gone hard and was losing it's grip on reallity hence the persistant leak.

Took the whole bloody lot out after that and re sealed with Sikaflex Marine Sealant/Adhesive.

This stuff is not cheap but, I guarantee that you would destroy the van by lifting by a window and the thing is not going to go any where.
Cheaper than replacing the wholevan though. O

Manufacturer's often run a small bead of foam around the outside to stop the sealant oozing out from under where it is supposed to go.
I will put a photo up shortly showing how I taped it off.
Man, I have to repaint those aluminium frames. LOL
You can see the fine bead of Sikaflex iff you look hard enough.
Not on how crusty the frames are. :8

In this case,
Remove one screw and go down to Bunnings and get a few packet(s) of stainless screws.
One size larger as they will have rusted the holes a bit bigger.
Plus, Some of that door foam seal no wider than 5 mm. 4 packets of it.
Undo the old rusty ones and pull the windows out.
You may have to run a thin knife behind them but do not scratch the metal surfaces behind. Grab an old butter knife. LOL
They will be sealed with a sticky black goop called Mastic.

Let it dry out for about a month dodging rain drops. Clean the black stuff off with metho.
Wear Gloves or you will have black hands for a month.

Use some thin Doorstop Foam around the outside edge part of the frame and apply a reasonably generous amount of above mentioned sealant.
At leat 5 mm high, This stuff is also rather runny so a hot day is called for.
Flip them back in real quick after applying the Sikaflex in a zig zag manner arond the window frames while they are lying flat.
Screw them back in.

After you have successfully glued and screwed them back in, Dose the whole lot with water. High humidity sets it off big time.

While you are at it, Remove every single thing like vents and such and do the same but,
The big Vents behind the fridge, Just foam them and screw them on. If you seal them with Sikaflex, You won't get them off without a real challenge. LOL

They will never, ever, leak again.

I assure you. :Y: :Y: erfect:

 

[Tathradj]

Sounds complicated but after reading through it a few times,
Is actually very easy to do.

Just remember this,
Once the Sikaflex sets, You will almost destroy the van getting them back out again. LOL