Guys just had the van serviced and both corners underneath van are slightly spongy. I had same issues when first had van and new wood cut outs were installed however they’ve gone spongy again after 5yrs. I was hoping that when the supplier fixed the floor they would have fixed the issue that was causing this .Ive read that baileys are prone for issues such as water ingress and poor design relating to awning rail etc.Can anyone enlighten me as to what causes this issue and how to fix the issue of water ingress permanently.
Any wood that stays wet for too long will start to rot. Just replacing the woood without fixingn the cause will only succeed in turning the clock back but the same problem exists.
There are varoius causes from awning rail, rear light cluster leaks and old hertzim strip fixed to the floor but in my case it was water running off the rear bodywork wetting the floor. It's important to try and find your actual cause first.
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
Yes Dave that’s what the service guy said , it’s a common fault water runs down back of van and between plastic rim and onto floor surely there is a way to make water run over the lip
Hi Andy, to my mind it would be so easy for the manufacturers to add a small profile detail along the whole back edge and around the corners to encourage water to run off harmlessly, and to be fair Bailey have made an effort along the back straight edge but nowhere else. They don't continue it along the rest or the moulding though and that is just where it gets through to wet the corners of the floor ply time and time again.
The ply does get wet when travelling in rain and that black paint is not there to keep it dry, it's there to assist in letting it breath and dry out when parked up.
I therefore took it upon myself to add some, I purchased some 90 degree plastic trim strip (about 25 mm height should do) from my local DIY store, measured and cut it to size and fitted it all the way around. I used my flexible sealant (Soudal RV61, but others will do) to seal and stick the trim between the ABS back panel and floor ply, the water can't run up the back of the vertical edge. The rainwater now drips harmlessly onto the ground leaving my ply dry, I checked it out again recently after lots of heavy rain and it's still bone dry. A relatively simple and inexpensive job that is well worth doing.
Dave
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
Hi Dave thanks for this have you by any chance got any pics of the job , trim you used etc.Did you have to take the rear plastic moulding off to do job .
Andy
I'll try and get a picture or two when the weather gets a bit dryer Andy but no, no need to take any moulding off, I may have slackened one screw off a bit then it just slips in the slight gap between them.
Dave
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
If you could send a pic that’ll be great Dave much appreciated . Did you Fill the gap with sealant first then insert the trim then sealant on top of trip so water runs over it rather than in gap.👍
I can't honestly remember TBH, it was probably insert one side of trim under the bottom of the panel and fill inside join between vertical strip and panel, This not only holds it in place but makes the join waterproof. In adduition, should it get damaged it's not too difficult to replace.
Dave
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
I thought you had two posts going Andy, that one was from another poster I see that now, I should hsve stuck it on the end of this one, don't want to hyjack the other post so I will carry it on here next time.
Cheers, Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
Hello everyone, this is my first post on this forum and I have the same question regarding wet corners. I have a 1991 Elddis Wisp 300 and am currently trying to establish what I need to do to fix wet corners and what the problem could be that's causing them. The corners are wet underneath but also inside. Water certainly runs off the body or the rails in the corners and onto the wooden floor on the underside of the van. I looked at these L shaped profiles in B&Q last week. Where did you, pickled onion, stick this trim? On my van the outer skin wraps over the wood by maybe 2 cm. Do you put the trim on top of this overlap or under the material of the body so the trim sits between the lip and the wood? Is there any photo of how it was done by others? Thank you for any help/advice.
Edit: I saw some pictures in the other post that relates to this kind of problem and I have a better picture now. Each caravan seems to look slightly different from underneath and how the body panel wraps around is different of course.
Yes, each profile underneath will be different due to design and moulding shape, also, not every 'damp corner' problem will be caused by the same issue, and if could indeed be multiple causes. However, the basic thing to keep in mind is what is the most likely cause, which one is worst, and rectify them one at a time. This is not meant to be a fix all-solution, just one of many.
In my particular case, the awning rail and screws were fine, no cracks in the ABS, no water ingress from any door seal and no hertzim insert problem so I deduced it must be getting wet by rainwater rolling down the ABS back panel and wetting the ply. In fact, on inspection there were places where there was absolutely nothing to prevent it. To this end I decided it needed something that would cause the water to drip off harmlessly before getting to the plywood floor.
The 90 degree plastic trim fitted my particular criteria, it would leave a vertical edge that shedded the rainwater, plus a way to mount it. I chose to slip the horizontal edge between the back panel and the ply. I used non hadening sealant (Soudal RV61 or similar) to both stick it in place and seal the joint between it and the back panel.
As said, each case will need adjustments depending on the circumstances whatever they may be. Don't forget the side parts of the panel as the come around the corners, not just at the back. If the inside is also wet, is it a cracked shower tray or similar?
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
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Topic: Water ingress rear corners Olympus 534
via mobile 12/11/2021 at 10:14am
