Damp Swift?

[Glenn_5132962]

I think I've just noticed the first signs of damp on my 10 year old swift 5 berth caravan. I'm gutted because its otherwise immaculate.

It's the rear corner where the side wall meets the back wall (awning side). About halfway up the wall, right in the corner joint I noticed it was a little dirty looking. I gave it a wipe clean but I can tell that it's gone a little soft when I press with the end of my finger nail over a 6" length of the seam, right in the corner of the side wall.

There are no other signs, the seats at that end are not wet & there's no smell.

I assume there must be a small leak probably from under the awning rail? Between the rail & the side of the van is a black rubber seal. There is no sign of any sealant & no sign of the black seal perishing or pulling away from the van anywhere.

A few questions :-

Is there sealant behind my awning real black rubber seal?

If so, should I remove, re-seal & refit?

Do I need to remove the effected wall board from inside the van & replace the wood? If so where do I get matching wall board from?

Should I cut my losses & try & part ex it at a dealer for a newer one?

BTW I'm a practical guy & can turn my hand to most things once armed with a few hints & tips!

Thanks,

Glenn.

 

[Ian341]

Hi Glen,

We bought our 2001 challenger 500 from a dealer last September, it was the perfect layout and the quality was top.

Then about late October/early November we went to storage to check the van and my son noticed run marks down the bathroom wall.

We took it back to the dealer and they said it was the strip running along the roof from side to side at the back - it joined the spoiler to the van.

Great it was all re-sealed under warranty - Then the following week we went down to storage and noticed water in the shower tray - I then sourced it to the awning rail along the roof - as I went along the van I opened the wadrobe and it was soaked and also the front cupboards were running.

To say the least I was GUTTED!

I took the van back to the dealer they re-sealed all awning rails and touch wood to this day it has been fine. The dealer took pictures of the rail as it was taken off and the seals were rotten.

Luckily there was no softness on any of the wallboard so the leak must have started recently.

What I would say to you is to re-seal all the awning rail as it could be leaking from elsewhere and running down to the rear. Then tackle the inside once it is sealed, if you are competent at DIY then it is straight forward, remove the plastic strip in the awning rail, remove all the screws, seal with an appropriate sealant, I think they used something called geobond on ours but I cant remember 100% then put new screws in and leave it all to set. If the inside is not in a noticeable place then the best thing is to monitor it, it may dry out quick enough and not need replacing. If it does I'm sure you will be able to find the appropriate wallboard.

I wouldn't say it is worth changing your van over as it COULD happen to a new van.

Hope this helps

Ian

 

[Glenn_5132962]

Ian,

Thanks for your informative post. A couple of questions if I may :-

Is your bathroom at the back of the van?

Do you have a black rubber seal between the awning rail & the van side? Is it that that had rotted or the sealant?

Is there any way of posting the pictures your dealer took? Can you put pictures on this forum?

I've looked in all my cupboards around that area & all is dry & solid.

The sealant above my back window is cracked but this is on the back wall, not the side. I'll re-seal that anyway.

Thanks again.

 

[Ian341]

Ian,

Thanks for your informative post. A couple of questions if I may :-

Is your bathroom at the back of the van?

Do you have a black rubber seal between the awning rail & the van side? Is it that that had rotted or the sealant?

Is there any way of posting the pictures your dealer took? Can you put pictures on this forum?

I've looked in all my cupboards around that area & all is dry & solid.

The sealant above my back window is cracked but this is on the back wall, not the side. I'll re-seal that anyway.

Thanks again.

Hi Glen,

1) Our bathroom is in the back corner of the van.

2) Yes there is a black seal between the van and the awning rail but this is just an edging, the sealant is below this.

3) No that hasn't rotted it is the sealent below it.

I'm not aware of any ways of putting pics easily on here, I would be happy to send them to you on email, if you could put a post for the attention of the mods and they could then forward me your email address or give you mine.

The sealant above my back window is cracked as well but i dont think it leaks so I would leave that alone.

Hope this helps

Ian

 

[Ian341]

Hi Glen,

1) Our bathroom is in the back corner of the van.

2) Yes there is a black seal between the van and the awning rail but this is just an edging, the sealant is below this.

3) No that hasn't rotted it is the sealent below it.

I'm not aware of any ways of putting pics easily on here, I would be happy to send them to you on email, if you could put a post for the attention of the mods and they could then forward me your email address or give you mine.

The sealant above my back window is cracked as well but i dont think it leaks so I would leave that alone.

Hope this helps

Ian

 

[PaulHull]

The wallboard at the back of my Swift was 'soft' but I decided to remove it and have a look - I'm glad I did because the timbers were sodden and rotten.

Did a rebuild and now all is well (apart from the 'soft' wallboard that has now appeared at the front of the van - doh!!)

It's easier than it looks to do a repair, it's just a bit time consuming but if you have all winter go for it!

 

[Glenn_5132962]

Paul,

Where did you buy your new wallboard from? Did it match your van?

I've just been looking at a couple of vans slighlty older than my '98 on a dealers & both were far worse than mine in the same place. Does anyone care when vans reach this age?

 

[PaulHull]

Paul,

Where did you buy your new wallboard from? Did it match your van?

I've just been looking at a couple of vans slighlty older than my '98 on a dealers & both were far worse than mine in the same place. Does anyone care when vans reach this age?

I got the wallboard from my brother in law who works for a caravan firm. It doesnt match but with it being the entire back wall you don't really notice it too much