I noticed that the wall board to the top of my rear side window was soft so after our summer hols I decided to investigate, this is what I have found!
These were the screws from the Blind housing so I knew it was definately damp
I removed the blind holder, & you can see the Wall board is already split at the top.
So then proceeded to remove some of the wall paper, & it was upsetting to see this & as you can see some of the wall board was that damp it just came off like wall paper!!
This is when you think to youeself OMG what have I started here, took off more wall paper & some wall board
It does appear the ingress is narrowed down to the top of the window frame area.
Without any wall board left in place this is how it looks
At first thought I was assuming that the damp was coming through the panel seem just below the burgandy decal in the picture, but as it wasnt damp all the way along the wooded strut it cant be?
So looking at this next picture a close up of the damp wooden strut above the window frame you can see where the screw (which supports the window on the outside) is coming through the wood, making me think that no sealant must have been used in the screw hole during manufacture, however as Im no expert if anyone else has a theory I am open to suggestions, thx
Having tried to move some of the damp wood & eventually part of the strut itself, I left it overnight back today this is recent pic, you can see it appears to have dried out alot compared to yesterday.
My question now is should I leave it to dry out further & use a damp proofer & wood filler to render this strut.
Or should I just cut & remove the bad part & install a new piece.
I would prefer to install a new piece of wood but Im not sure how to go about cutting the old piece out as I am concerned re damaging the outside skin.
I have a dremel type tool so maybe I could use the small rotating saw on that, but the wood is stguck to the aluminuim skin so any assistance regarding removal of this would be greatly received
Finally I will look to use a sealant (not silicone) to put into the screw holes and maybe use some mastic on the outside (wont be seen) to ensure a leak free area.
I am going to use ply from the DIY shop I know it may be a little thicker 4mm, but as its does not need to butt upto another board where it can be seen I think that should be fine, I have a carpenter friend who is willing to cut the board for me to get the proper fitting.
I am a bit more postive about it now & glad Ive done this now & not ignored it.
Will update this post as I go along, quick thanks to 'Wizard & others' as I have read through most of your repair stories, prior to starting this
You could double up the original framework where it is weak. Sikaflex is a superb sealant and adhesive. if you clean and degrease thoroughly before applying it the bond will last indefinitely. (Just don't use it on things that may have to come off again, like fridge vents...)
Thanks AL+Mel, yeah think I'll go with your suggestion although instead of Sikaflex someone else has recommended this in the past, anyone had experience of 'PU18'? Thanks
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The reason I keep bleating on about Sikaflex is because I have long term (about 17 years) experience of it and things I resealed (underwater bits of Yacht) are still in good condition and leak free after all that time. The AWS registered man that services our 'van won't use anything else either (for long term sealing jobs), and he has tested various sealants for adhesion. Boat repairers I know use it too.
Other sealants may be as good. Sikaflex is the one I trust.
Well, this was what I did..
First I dried out the damp with a De-humidifier, I got several liters of water out which surprised me but obviously due to the air vents being open some of that would be from outside too.
I then scraped away the insulation from around the damaged wooden strut and placed new wood top and bottom to give the old piece some added support, I then used wood filler to fill where the rotten/ wet wood was, allowing to dry & sand down.
Well I deceided to go for Tiger Seal in the end, and sealed the original screw holes in the window frame (where Sealant had been used previously!!), and also used mastic over the top of the screw holes on the outside of the van.
Also noticed that where the panels met along the van that there was moisture & light coming through there too so I also used the Tiger seal to seal these areas also.
Cut the template for the new piece of Wall Board I used 4mm ply as it was in a corner on its own it would not cause any concern at the joints (being uneven)
Other end of the van in a right state whilst this is all going on !!
PVA'ing the Ply
Good fit & a smaller piece to fit the gap by the caravan end
Tiger Sealed to the rear & held in place any which way I could.
Looking good window seal only temporarily in place
Now for the Wall paper wow that was difficult to fit very fiddly I see why people use covered Wallboard, we got this from Tektura Excellent price & fantastic service, paper came in 1.20mtr Width.
Although we couldn't get a match to what we had this paper looked good, in place.
Alot easier to go back in than it was to take out I can tell you, I struggled locally to get the Peel Rivets to secure the seat frame to the wall, but sourced them on-line no problem
When I took the window seal out I cleaned all the old mastic from it, which I replaced prior to putting back on, stapled back into place, & fitted the fiddly insert.
Window Blind & Flynet fitted back into place
Finally Complete, very happy with my repair & the end result, I'm so glad & thankful that I took the advice offered on here & used Wizards pages, aswell as others, & saved me paying someone else a fortune to do it for me.
Ok it took me longer perhaps but time & effort make for a solid repair.
Well done we are having to put ours in for the back wall of the van to be repaired. going to cost £850, hopefully they will do as good a job as you have done
Thank your for sharing your repair and the great pictures. It will I am sure enthuse a lot of members who are worried about tackling their own damp repairs
Quote: Originally posted by Dman_if on 28/8/2013
Bailey Pageant Auvergne 1999.
I noticed that the wall board to the top of my rear side window was soft so after our summer hols I decided to investigate, this is what I have found!
These were the screws from the Blind housing so I knew it was definately damp
I removed the blind holder, & you can see the Wall board is already split at the top.
So then proceeded to remove some of the wall paper, & it was upsetting to see this & as you can see some of the wall board was that damp it just came off like wall paper!!
This is when you think to youeself OMG what have I started here, took off more wall paper & some wall board
It does appear the ingress is narrowed down to the top of the window frame area.
Without any wall board left in place this is how it looks
At first thought I was assuming that the damp was coming through the panel seem just below the burgandy decal in the picture, but as it wasnt damp all the way along the wooded strut it cant be?
So looking at this next picture a close up of the damp wooden strut above the window frame you can see where the screw (which supports the window on the outside) is coming through the wood, making me think that no sealant must have been used in the screw hole during manufacture, however as Im no expert if anyone else has a theory I am open to suggestions, thx
Having tried to move some of the damp wood & eventually part of the strut itself, I left it overnight back today this is recent pic, you can see it appears to have dried out alot compared to yesterday.
My question now is should I leave it to dry out further & use a damp proofer & wood filler to render this strut.
Or should I just cut & remove the bad part & install a new piece.
I would prefer to install a new piece of wood but Im not sure how to go about cutting the old piece out as I am concerned re damaging the outside skin.
I have a dremel type tool so maybe I could use the small rotating saw on that, but the wood is stguck to the aluminuim skin so any assistance regarding removal of this would be greatly received
Finally I will look to use a sealant (not silicone) to put into the screw holes and maybe use some mastic on the outside (wont be seen) to ensure a leak free area.
I am going to use ply from the DIY shop I know it may be a little thicker 4mm, but as its does not need to butt upto another board where it can be seen I think that should be fine, I have a carpenter friend who is willing to cut the board for me to get the proper fitting.
I am a bit more postive about it now & glad Ive done this now & not ignored it.
Will update this post as I go along, quick thanks to 'Wizard & others' as I have read through most of your repair stories, prior to starting this
Hi
What state is the aluminium chassis? We had a fairly new Swift Rapide and when they fix the windows in they place a piece of steel across the lower opening which caused an electrolytic reaction (corroded the chassis, pin head holes at first) then the water started to get in. It is a problem that the industry is well aware of but prefers to ignore.
Good luck
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Topic: DAMP around rear side window!!
