advice please

[appollo1]

I have an Abi Ace Viceroy 1986. The problem I have is the curtain rail above the front window has started to come away. I am unable to secure with a screw back into the wall as the wall is very soft! The wall surface is rough and bubbling. It felt damp behind the wall which was rather worrying, so I have sealed completely the outside of the van to stop any further leaks. This appears to have worked (fingers crossed) as the dampness has gone but left the wall in a pretty bad way. is there any way to reinforce the wall to enable the curtain rail to be secured?

Also as the underside of my caravan is wooden, what is the best product to use to seal the underneath?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[RogerL]

We had an '83 Ace for 18 years - same basic design but separate gas locker.

As you've dealt with the damp above the front window, I'd suggest gluing thin strips of wood along the wall ant attaching the curtain rail to that - the strips will spread the load and help to strengthen the wall. If that doesn't look practical why not attach the curtain rail to the underside of the overhead lockers.

The floor is a composite of ply/foam/ply - the exterior layer would have been pressure protected when new - the problem with adding sealant at this stage is that it'll seal IN damp. Unless you have a specific problem I'd leave alone. It's not like a car that benefits from an extra layer on underseal.

 

[rob_jax]

Agree with Roger regarding underfloor treatment. On the Eriba forums there are a load of classic (1956 to 1979) Eriba caravans around - and the major problem with a 50 year old Eriba is that the flooring was "sealed" at some time with car type bitumen sealer - and as Roger says - this trapped the moisture in. So replacing the floor of a classic Eriba is pretty much an essential if a previous owner sprayed the floor with a Waxoyl type product in the 70's

Caravans should have a floor that "breathes", allowing moisture to exit on dryer days.

Robert

 

[Angus1]

I agree with the others regarding the floor, unless you can put your foot through it, leave it alone!

The curtain rail is a different matter. You can secure the rail because the wood underneath is rotten. It`s not going to repair itself or get better, so its something you have to address.

Its a `cut out remove & replace exercise` which (if you`ve resealed properly, involves removing the aluminium trim, cleaning all the old sealant off, applying new sealant then resecuring the trim.If you haven`t done that then its pointless going any further) will serve to remove the rotten wood, ( at best its an inconvenience, at worst it will stink and contain spores which can permanently damage the health of you and your family).

If the wood is as rotten as you say, the frame which the aluminium strip screws into has to be suspect as well.

Anything less than removing all the rot is a bodge which will only get worse, affect the integrity of the van and render it worthless if you wish to sell it.

For the work involved ( if you have basic tools, a little knowledge and patience) you really should do it properly.