2005 Bailey Pageant leaking

[MooseontheLoose]

I have noticed I have this problem on my series 5 pageant. There are 3 hairline cracks on each side at the front, they could have been there for years as I only noticed them as I was using waterless wash and wax on the whole van to spruce her up for summer.
I have checked with a damp meter and have a reading of 20% Directly inside of the longest crack but this drops down below 15% within 5 cm in each direction. i cannot get a higher reading near any of the other cracks. I am hoping this means the unseen damage is not too bad. We always use moisture collection traps over the winter and I haven’t noticed any musty smells at all. There is also no bubbling or discolouration i can see.
I have used some sealant cum adhesive to cover the cracks for now and will keep an eye on it, damp wise hoping it dries out.
i have long been suspicious of the metal roof rails front and back so to see the tape used by the OP is really helpful.
I don’t have the cash for a new van or a pro repair at the moment so will have a go at the tape.
Can I just ask the op did you put the tape straight over the original roof seals or did you take the excess old sealant away first? It looks from the photos like you took some sealant away?
also appreciate it’s an old thread so any advice is helpful and thanks in advance.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello MooseOnThe Loose

I can't a, answer the question you have posed, but I will comment about your readings and use of moisture collection traps.

The readings you have been getting generally are not alarming, and provided they haven't been worse, then I doubt you have suffered any serious long term damage. Obviously if there is any water ingress it makes fantastic sense to get the leaks stopped to prevent any further deterioration.

Moisture collection traps may well have helped if you have had a leak, and there will be no damage if you wanted to continue to use them, but in reality if the caravan has no leaks, then there is no need for moisture traps. What is most important is when the caravan is put into storage is to ensure that all the fixed ventilation points are free from obstruction, and that you leave the interior fittings as open as possible so the air can circulate.

Moisture can build up in a caravan or motorhome when we use them due thwe raised temperature we like them. Some of the fittings will take up some of teh excess, and release it when the temperature is allowed to fall when we stop using it. But once the excess has been released, the moisture level needs to follow the ambient air.

Moisture traps can help when you first put a caravan into storage after use, but after a couple of days the excess will have been released, then all the traps do is to dry out the air, which is continually being refreshed due to the ventilation.

As I have suggested there is no harm in using the traps, but beyond the first few days, they provide no benefit. However and for exactly the same reasons powered dehumidifiers may be of benefit for a couple of days, but long term you'll using them to dry out the world, with an electricity bill to match!

 

[Woodentop]

Only one of which was manufactured in 2005 as far as I'm aware; series 5.

Rear left

Rear Right

Front left

Front right


It appears to only be leaking at the front.

There may have only been the S5 made in 2005 but nonetheless there were several different models within the S5 range - we had a Pageant Majestic - so as I asked, which model?

 

[otherclive]

Your description of where the cracks are located is a bit imprecise do you have any photos. I had a S5 Pageant Bordeaux 2005. It developed fine cracks in front and rear panels and these were replaced under warranty in years 2 and 3. These were manufacturing defects and Bailey must have had quite a number of warranty repairs. It might be that given the age of your van it could be a similar issue but this time age related.

Two tapes are very good. Eternabond and Rooflock. There are lots of videos on YouTube and on the makers websites showing how to use them.

 

[Mandarin]

I've not tried it in this situation but on grp boats I've sealed hairline cracks invisibly with Captain Tolley's creeping crack cure. As its name suggests its a liquid which flows into the crack and then sets, sealing it.

 

[MooseontheLoose]

Your description of where the cracks are located is a bit imprecise do you have any photos. I had a S5 Pageant Bordeaux 2005. It developed fine cracks in front and rear panels and these were replaced under warranty in years 2 and 3. These were manufacturing defects and Bailey must have had quite a number of warranty repairs. It might be that given the age of your van it could be a similar issue but this time age related.

Two tapes are very good. Eternabond and Rooflock. There are lots of videos on YouTube and on the makers websites showing how to use them.

The Cracks are in roughly the same places as the op pictures and radiate out from the awning rail. I need to drill the ends but will wait till I have the tape and a dry day.
I check annually inside the van with the the damp meter and directly under the roof rails there seems no issue at the moment. The tape will ensure we get a few more years from her yet, will look at eternabond too.
thanks for all the replies

 

[Beachball]

If you take the beading out of the Awning rails i think there are screws in and then you can resealed

 

[audiorob]

You may not need to disturb the awning rail at all, but, although not especially clear in the photos, the convention was a slightly concave infill plastic strip along the aluminium rail extrusion. Check at the lower corners to see if the ends are visible. This is available in two widths and a variety of colours, then there are screws visibly underneath probably about every 4 or so inches. On my Elddis the strip is green and it had gone a bit sticky along the rear panel joint. Bought by the metre on Ebay to match. Left the roll in a bucket of hot water and then used a plastic spatula to ease the new back in, taking care not to overstretch the length as it was fitted.

Sounds as if your tape has saved the day, a neat job, and the roof joint lengths are mostly out of sight when the van is in use.

 

[Damian]

You may not need to disturb the awning rail at all, but, although not especially clear in the photos, the convention was a slightly concave infill plastic strip along the aluminium rail extrusion. Check at the lower corners to see if the ends are visible. This is available in two widths and a variety of colours, then there are screws visibly underneath probably about every 4 or so inches. On my Elddis the strip is green and it had gone a bit sticky along the rear panel joint. Bought by the metre on Ebay to match. Left the roll in a bucket of hot water and then used a plastic spatula to ease the new back in, taking care not to overstretch the length as it was fitted.

Sounds as if your tape has saved the day, a neat job, and the roof joint lengths are mostly out of sight when the van is in use.

Unfortunately you have responded to a necroposter who simply copied a lot of responses from page 1 and the photos relating to the repair which was undertaken back in 2017 and 2018.

The necroposter has been banned.

 

[Parksy]

Unfortunately you have responded to a necroposter who simply copied a lot of responses from page 1 and the photos relating to the repair which was undertaken back in 2017 and 2018.

The necroposter has been banned.

The necroposter was an Australian who asked about the extruded strips on his Bailey Ranger.
He added his query to the old post and he also wrote about a damp repair using an adhesive tape.
I moved his query about the strips to a brand new topic, but I didn't delete his comment about the adhesive tape repair.
I don't think that the guy was a spammer, he found the old thread via Google.

 

[Robert_374373903]

A concrete fence post come up and hit the rear rh side of van . The repairer done a first class repair, I did ask about some other cracks on the rear which can only be seen close up and he said leave them its common with ABS,

 

[otherclive]

A place where that year Baileys were susceptible to abs cracks was on the front and rear panels. The joins on the roof that go across the caravan. Many were repaired under warranty but it’s worth keeping an eye on those areas. The problems were manufacturing issues at the works, not ABS per se.

 

[Beachball]

We brought our 2008 Bailey it still had it plastic wrapping on mattress and we did not have any issues with it all the time we own it