Bailey 08 rotten wood ... help

Apr 9, 2020
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Hi all,
Need advise on what to do.
I bought a caravan and a few months later I have found damp, took the bunk beds out and Found damp on the rear corners. Literally could break through the corners with my fingers. Took all the rotten wood out and have two holes at each corner now. What is the best course of action to fill these please. I’m very handy at diy and have a few ideas but I want to do it right with the right materials etc
Any advice ?
 

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Apr 9, 2020
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The caravan was patched up pretty good donut was hard to spot. I am planning to router the 5mm ply off the uncovered area so I can put down a new sheet of ply (marine ply?).
Also, I think the aero behind the wall right at both corners is wet. How easily can I source the right material to fix it and how is it done?
Are wooden batons bonded to plastic, with aero, sheets of plywood and wallpaper over?
Just wondering what the walls are made of.
 
Oct 17, 2010
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Is your bailey Alu-tek build think I remember the Alu-tek leaking through the new framing. On my last swift I carefully cut the floor and part of the wall, back to sound frame and replace like for like. The floor sandwich was repaired using the two part resin made for the job,, the walls used Sikaflex 512. to fix But Alu tek is different. don't know how floor sandwich in form. You will have to stop the leak. Frame is bolted together. dealer is a good start for wall board. Marine ply is good.
 
Sep 5, 2016
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Just a suggestion when replacing your rotten floor after you have removed all the rotten flooring, a fixfor the new flooring could be with your router could you put center grooves in the new and old flooring and glue shims of timber in the grooves and would be a better fix than just butting up and gluing,
 
Jan 19, 2002
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From your paicture it would seem that you have one of Bailey's last traditional constructed vans. Alutech began in 2007/8! If so side walls and floors were bonded sandwich construction. Floors ply sides with foam interior, side walls thin aluminium/wooden frame/foam core/ decorated ply interior.
Probably be worth buying a 'caravan damp meter' (try Ebay or Amazon) so you can measure the extent of the damp especially in the corner (where it's blackest mould pictured) and the timber frame is within. You then will need to strip back so that rotten timbers can be replaced.
However you do need to discover where the damp is getting in - the likely culprit being the lower reaches of the awning rail that is screwed into the wooden frame to conceal the joint between the overlap of the end wall and the side wall.
As you describe to have removed the rear bunks to get to the damp areas it may be that much of the repair will be concealed when you put it all back together.
 

Damian

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Mar 14, 2005
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Bailey vans prior to Alu Tec have a well known weak spot, or spots that allow water ingress.
It is very unusual for their awning rails to leak but it is very common for the roof strap, front and rear, to be the cause.

The description of the OP to the whereabouts of the damage is would be about right for the roof strap leaking and water running down and along the framing.
 
Apr 9, 2020
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Hi all and thanks for your replies.
It is indeed Audiorob, foam insulation for the floor with a wood surrounded and a ply sandwich above and below the foam.
Cant get over how poorly they are constructed.
Learned a lot today as I striped it back.
Damp worse than I though.
Totally rotten and black at side of bathroom also so I m sureit goes the length of that too. Bought it off a secondhand dealer 9 months ago!!
Have more pics of the sides 😟
 

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Damian

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Black mould is a potential killer.
You will have to remove all affected parts and thoroughly clean everything else.
 
Apr 9, 2020
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Just a suggestion when replacing your rotten floor after you have removed all the rotten flooring, a fixfor the new flooring could be with your router could you put center grooves in the new and old flooring and glue shims of timber in the grooves and would be a better fix than just butting up and gluing,
Ya I was thinking of putting new ply over thebold and screwing the new wood directly into it. The router idea is very good also.
Was also thinking of routing all that ply off as it’s sized and looks awfully and black and replace it work new but that was before I fully discovered the extent of the wet rot.
Not only is there two holes that o made with my finger in each rear floor corner, right by the bathroom wood wall, it’s complete rotten, prob even worse under toilet and shower.
Reattaching he wood around the floor perimeter and fixing it to the hard foam center would be a task and I can’t screw from outside into it.
I guess new ply over it and the new wood could be screwed into into it.
Is your bailey Alu-tek build think I remember the Alu-tek leaking through the new framing. On my last swift I carefully cut the floor and part of the wall, back to sound frame and replace like for like. The floor sandwich was repaired using the two part resin made for the job,, the walls used Sikaflex 512. to fix But Alu tek is different. don't know how floor sandwich in form. You will have to stop the leak. Frame is bolted together. dealer is a good start for wall board. Marine ply is good.

It is Alutec, very thin aluminine sheet in the walls. The floors are really a rigid piece of foam with a wooden perimeter to screw the wooden bottom of the walls into.
Just can’t get over the lack of structure of the floor and the lack of support of the floor, It’s a huge piece of foam!
A hard piece of ply would be vital to hold new wood Andrew foam together even if was under bunk beds with no footfall. Just surprising.
 

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Apr 9, 2020
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Black mould is a potential killer.
You will have to remove all affected parts and thoroughly clean everything else.
Ya I was really worried about that, that’s why I stripped it all. A lot the ply that came off the wall looked bad. The actual back of the van wasn’t bad but it was bowing out a bit so I pulled it off to see what was going on. A new piece of ply was put directly over the old with bits of mastic to hold it. Quick job to conceal any issues but it looked good form a distance and particulary to me as I knew nothing about caravans 9 months and when I bought it.
map the tow corners are destroyes as I made a 4 to 5 inch sq hole in each corner with my finger all the way through to daylight.
Also beside wooden wall for bathroom, it’s very black at floor level in photo, I can pull all that out with my finger so I can’t just image if I pulled out toilet cubicle !
Dissapointed is putting it mildly 😂
 
Sep 6, 2021
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Hi
I have a Bailey Senator, same year, same problem. The rear roof strap has leaked and caused the top rear corners to completely rot away and also some of the wooden beams.

How can I restore some of the structural integrity of the caravan, such that it doesn't fall apart whilst on the road?

This Ronseal filler is good... but brittle and probably wont hold the corners together. Where the beam under the roof strap has rotted through the roof has now dipped and I need to prop it back up, or have a big puddle on the roof waiting to find a way in.
Ronseal High Performance Wood Filler Natural 1kg | Wood Fillers | Screwfix.com

Not sure if you can buy replacement corners... this item looks about right... but it just a bit of plywood... for £45 o_O
S5/S6 Senator S7 Pageant Rear Top Corner CNC Stick | PRIMA Leisure

My local timber merchant does 2mx2mx2.5mm ply panels for £45, so I guess that will do. I can screw this to remaining beams then paper and paint it, thus covering the screw heads. I don't fancy this stuff much
Caravan Wall Boards and Ceiling Boards (thecaravanwarehouse.co.uk)
Its twice the price and I'll stiff see the screw heads.
 
Oct 17, 2010
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Hi Madmat Welcome to the forum.

You would be better to start a new thread as this one is best part of 18 months old.

Post some pictures of the problem, so our Eagled eyed Forumites can have a good look. Advice will come fast a furious.
 
Sep 6, 2021
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Hi Madmat Welcome to the forum.

You would be better to start a new thread as this one is best part of 18 months old.

Post some pictures of the problem, so our Eagled eyed Forumites can have a good look. Advice will come fast a furious.

Hi Dave, I was actually hoping, that as my problem is almost identical to that of Teach, he might up date us on how his repair went... what materials he used, what worked well... what not so well.
best
M
 
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Mar 14, 2005
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Hello Mat,

I disagree with Dave, I don't see any need to start a new thread, your query is a perfectly legitimate question, and at least it keeps all the chats and comments that may be relevant in one thread.

To your problem. I can't give you specifics about the construction of your caravan and how to best resolve the damage, but I do have to advise considerable caution. Just like flat roofs, the evidence of a leak might appear some way from the actual source, so when attempting to repair your caravan you will need to trace teh route the water has taken back to its entry point(s).

Any affected timberwork needs to be replaced otherwise any rot spoor's left might start up again.

A quick look through various forums will show how many DIYers have started this type of job and it has turned out to be a much bigger restoration job than was originally anticipated.

Do be aware if you are adding new material rather than replacing, its weight will detract from the caravans payload capacity, and many are already skimpy enough.

I wish you well, but don't underestimate the job you are starting.
 
Jun 20, 2005
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Welcome to the Forum MadMat.
You will find full answers to all your woes on these two sites. One chap has posted videos and photos, step by step of the dreaded damp repair. It looks bad but once you get into cutting the rot away and replacing with new timber the transformation is amazing.

 

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