Hi everyone, apologies for the long post. As per the title I am having a problem with my door frame (Elddis xplore 302 2011). Rain water is forming a puddle in the bottom of the door frame, between the trim around the door frame and a lip at the outside edge of the frame. This water has been finding its way under the trim and soaking the internal wall. I have removed the trim and the damp readings are going down nicely, however I would like to find a way to prevent the puddle forming. I am considering using a file to make a gap so the puddle can drain away. Could some kind fellow caravanner have a look at the lower edge of their door frame, please, to see if they have a gap in the lip on the outside edge of their frame. Thank You
fiammia do a strip that goes above your door, this deflects the rain, might be a better idea to try before you start cutting holes into anything? but before that I suggest you need to replace your door trim
Thanks for the replies The door seal is in perfect condition and water is not getting in through the seal around the frame. My problem is that water is pooling at the bottom of the frame and tracking through the inner trim. I need a way of draining the puddle which forms between the lip on the outside of the frame and the trim which is on the inside.
Hopefully I've added a drawing of the profile of the frame at the lower edge of the frame
well where is the water coming from then? its got to be coming from outside, you need to find out where before you start trying to do anything else, and yes I hear you think that the seal is fine, the water would suggest its not, and while putting a hole in the bottom of the frame might relieve the problem, its not actually stopping it happening in the first place
Although the seal itself may indeed be fine, it could be that it's sealing properly around the door frame for some reason. Try putting a strip of paper between the two and close the door, it should feel tight if you pull the paper strip through the join between them. If it's tight all around, the seal is working fine and water is getting in from somewhere else. However, if it isn't, it's not squashing it enough to make a proper job of keeping water out. The door may have slightly warped over time and a little twist and tweek could fix it.
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
Marg6 and Pickled Onion, the door seal is doing an admirable job of keeping the rainwater from getting into the 'van. However when the rain runs down the edge of the door a puddle is forming in the channel at the bottom of the doorframe and is travelling under the trim, at the lower edge of the frame, and wetting the area below the door. I have removed the trim and the damp readings are going down. I just need someone to have a look at the lower outside edge of their door frame to check if they have any way of allowing water to drain away. Thanks again
Got to agree with others, the water ingress is what's wrong, not the failure to drain from bottom of frame! IMHO, you are looking at problem from wrong angle, but the solution is your choice.
Seals have two criteria, to be undamaged (which is easy to assess by visual inspection), and to be sufficiently flexible/springy to effect a adequate seal (far more difficult to assess, put the paper strip pull test described above is pretty good). Every possibility at the age of your van, the door seal is getting hard/compressed and has lost it's ability to seal effectively.
You also have potential for water ingress through window seals, hinge and lock attachments.
You also have to consider if anything has warped or distorted the door or frame in any way, has it ever been shut with something trapped in the gap? Or is the door not drawn into the frame correctly by poor catch adjustment?
Have you tried cleaning seal and contact area of door frame before coating with a silicone type lubricant (Tetford toilet seal lubricant, or awning rail lubricant are two of many choices) to reduce chance of water 'wicking' past seal by improving water repellency. DON'T use detergents to clean seal/frame, they have surfactants that destroy the very water repellency you are trying to improve, use methylated spirit or isopropanol alcohol that will be safe on plastic/rubber surfaces.
I suggest that by merely dealing with a visibly puddle via draining it by some modification, you will not actually stop water ingress to your floor (with expensive long term consequences), but just remove an obvious indicator of the leakage! The water REALLY shouldn't have penetrated that far.
Hi again, yesterday I had a very close look at the bottom of my door and frame (specs on and magnifying glass) and found that the seal on the door was below the lip on the frame, preventing the puddle draining over the lip, so the door was raised by 5mm. I have decided not to take a file to the frame, it's worked so far so why doesn't it work now? I can only assume that the door had become lowered somehow. I have some electric cable with cores of 3mm, and am thinking of putting some of that in the groove in the trim to lift it slightly from the bottom of the frame. The damp reading is going down nicely, now at 15%.
Me again. The damp readings are down to around 8% today so I've put the trim back in place. I didn't go with the electric cable in the trim groove idea, I felt that it was too "floppy" on the door frame due to the insulation not being fastened to the copper. Instead I used some 3mm diameter lead free solder, left over from another project, this has lifted the trim away from the bottom of the frame and doesn't look too out of place. I didn't take a file to the frame, I didn't want to risk another problem. Now just waiting for some rain to see what happens next. Thanks to all for your thoughts and suggestions.
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Topic: Problem with entrance door frame
The door seal is in perfect condition and water is not getting in through the seal around the frame. My problem is that water is pooling at the bottom of the frame and tracking through the inner trim. I need a way of draining the puddle which forms between the lip on the outside of the frame and the trim which is on the inside.
