RESEALING THE RAILS ON A ELDDIS TYPOON EX 300 1997

[george_5071006]

A DAMP PATCH WAS DICOVERED IN MY ELDDIS TYPOON EX 300 1997 AT

THE BACKLEFT HAND SIDE OF THE WASHROOM,NOT IN THE SHOWER SIDE OR IN THE SHOWER,IT IS NOW BEING REPAIRED AT THE LOCAL SERVICE CENTRE,THE WATER HAS SEEPED THROUGH THE BACK RAIL,AND REQUIRES A

RESEAL AND A NEW INTERIOR PANEL.WITH THIS IN MIND I WOULD LIKE TO RESEAL THE AWNING RAIL AND ALL OTHER RAILS ON MY VAN.I AM A

REASONAL DIY PERSON AND I WOULD BE GRATEFUL TO HEAR OFF ANY ONE THAT HAS DONE THIS.ALSO REPLACE THE SKIRT RAIL FROM THE CARAVAN DOOR TO THE REAR OF THE VAN.

DO YOU KNOW A STEP BY STEP METHOD TO DO THIS?.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS THE BEST SEALER TO USE MASTIC OR SEALING ON A ROLL AND THE CHEAPEST PLACE TO BUY IT?.

CAN YOU HELP?

 

[tonyd1]

Hi George,

Sorry to hear about your problem. I'm watching this posting in the hope that I might learn something from someone who replies to you. Maybe your service agent will point you in the right direction. Can I be so rude as to ask if your current repairs are going to be expensive?

Thanks and good luck.

 

[george_5071006]

Hi George,

Sorry to hear about your problem. I'm watching this posting in the hope that I might learn something from someone who replies to you. Maybe your service agent will point you in the right direction. Can I be so rude as to ask if your current repairs are going to be expensive?

Thanks and good luck.

hi tonyd.

Did not get any further with any advice about my damp.after reading all the comments on the forum i decided not to continue on the diy line,but to take it to a my local authorised caravan repair dealer.He did all the damp checks in my presents and the readings around the problem area was 60% the acceptable level sould be under 15%.and the rest of the caravan was,the cost was

 

[Paul_5077620]

Hi George

I hope this helps.

I've just completed resealing the awning rails and skirt rail on my Compass.

I decided to attempt it myself and would consider it is well within the scope of any reasonably handy person.

My awning rail was split into 4 parts, and skirt rail into 2. Each piece took about 3 hours to complete.

The hardest part is getting the old screws out, I used a variety of screwdrivers, and a Dremmell to grind off the heads of the ones that were too rusty to unscrew.

Don't just pull the rail off, it will bend, I made a "cheeswire" with some nylon string and two dowel handles, to work along the sealant and break the seal.

Once the rail is removed, a pair of pliers or mole grips remove the old screws with the heads ground off.

I used white spirit to clean the old mastic off the rails and the van, some of it can be teased off with a blade, be careful not to damage the surface.

I got some sealing mastic tape from Ebay (see link below)

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/caravan-repair-supplies_W0QQssPageNameZviQ3asibQ3astoreviewQQtZkm
You'll need a second pair of hands to assist you when replacing the rails as you only get one go.

Use brass finished screws to fix the rail back on, and trim off any excess sealant and replace the plastic rail insert.

I found that heating the plastic insert with a hairdryer 6 - 9 inches at a time made replacing it really easy.

I bought some new rail trim ends for 50p each from FM Caravans in Hull, 01482 823330 (they are really helpful) to finish the job.

I didn't find any evidence of water ingress, but I'm pleased I had a go myself.