Good evening, as you can see from the title of this post my van suffers with both rear corners getting wet which ii am not overly concerned about as doing research shows that it's not that really hard to rectify if you're competent with DIY which is something i will tackle when the weather gets better ( van has a caravan cover on at the moment). My question is has anybody sealed all around the bottom of the van using sika flex just below the weight plate on top of the bottom rail and then insert awning rail so when rain runs down the sides of the van it can't get behind the trim and reach the floor as it would just run off the trim and then the rail protector and drip to the floor. across the rear of the van i know what i need to do to stop water getting to floor, any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.
I have modified the rear of my Bailey Series 7 as it too had water running onto the underfloor ply when it rained and rotted it. I used inserts of 90 degree extrusion strip fixed in place with Sikkaflex so that there is a vertical wall that the drips drop off of and it has been a success.
I also had issues with similar wetting at areas around both sides, this turned out to be poor sealant application. I therefore removed every bottom rail in turn, cleaned it, resealed and refitted them and once again it fixed the issue. Not rocket science but time consumming.
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
Thanks Pickled Onion for your response would you have any pics showing how you fixed it to the rear, I presume you used the L-shaped plastic angle all across the back?
i want to go down the route of just sealing the top of that bottom trim, my thinking about that is that all around the exterior locker doors they are sealed with no issues and using awning rail protector in the bottom rail any water coming down the sides should in theory run off and drip to floor.
Yes, the L shaped profile extrusion like this was what I used. Slipping the horizontal edge under the rear panel and sealing in between meant that there was a vertical edge that the rainwater couldn't cross so dripped off harmlessly.
In the first one you can see that there was a kind of 'drip strip' already in the moulding but it only went part way. The notch in the second was for access to my corner steady and the third image was a fillet inserted between rear panel and awning skirt as there was a gap that allowed water straight onto the floor ply.
The vertical nature of the profile of the skirt rail means that water will automatically drip off, IF it is sealed and complete all the way.
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
You're welcome Andy, caravans are an expensive item so need looking after, it's a cheap fix and relatively simple mod to do but agree with waiting until the weather improves.
The strips on mine were all pretty straight with 90 degree corners but should anyone reading this have curves, simply cut small 'V' nothches on the inside of the top of the trim and warm the area with a heat gum or even a hair dryer to make it more supple to bend to the required shape.
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
this video is a similar situation to mine & if i can do all i can to stop water getting to these two areas then following this repair we should be all good and dry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUbTwY63vG8&t=778s
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