HOLES IN ROOF

[DAVE_5040191]

On inspecting my 10 year old caravan before puting it into storage for the winter i have found an area of damp in the rear corner and on tracing the cause have found an area on the roof where the aluminium is perforated ( oxydisation ? ) anyone else had this problem and how is it fixed.

 

[darren_5040167]

in my experience, the holes are a result of the damp, rather than the cause of it.

somewhere you will have a leak in the mastic and this has let water into the insulation and been held close to the unpainted aluminum skin which has caused the metal to rot from the inside.

 

[darren_5040167]

oops, didnt finish last message, trigger happy with the mouse...

the way to fix is to stop the water getting in and thoroughly dry the insulation.

then you need to clean throughly and apply some aluminium etch primer on the inside surface of the metal, followed by some paint - i used smoothrite. this will coat the metal inside the van to prevent the oxidation from continuing by cutting off its supply of oxygen.

on the outside, run down and prime holes as above and fill with automotive filler. paint affected roof to match rest of van.

its a lot of work depending on how big the area is to be done.

another alternative (assuming the roof is flat alumininum rather than dimpled) is to cover the whole section with a fresh sheet of metal, and repaint to match.

hope this helps - good luck.