☹️ Rotting floor 🙁

[2bob]

I thought I might as well update this thread for myself as much as anyone else .
I am not a DIY person but I have no choice but to give it a go .
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The plan for today is to remove all the wet wood and start to dry it all out ,also completely check the underside of the motorhome for anymore floor problems .


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After a full check of the underside I have found another damp patch . Front corner behind the drivers seat . This one has gone a bit further in towards the middle of the van .
Ironically it’s under the internal water tank but has rotted from the underside

The plan is to make sure all the damp wood is removed to let the problem areas dry out .
I will then use the wet rot wood hardener to treat the wood , then wood filler and then re ply the surfaces . It looks awful and I don’t expect to make a very neat job but hopefully it will stop any future problems .
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[2bob]

know the feeling well after takeing corner off this is what was found
and had same trouble as you all round floor had to take most stuff out it was on a sundance 05

 

[Swifter]

know the feeling well after takeing corner off this is what was found
and had same trouble as you all round floor had to take most stuff out it was on a sundance 05

How did you get on with the repair ? Did it take a long time ?

 

[2bob]

some one eles done it a lot of money --if you can do it your self go for it

 

[2bob]

here one more problem i had
this was copy but was same--Continuing our tour of Northumberland today on the A1 doing 55mph when the red fuel injector light came on,I also noticed the speedo not working.The engine seems normal with the usual pulling power and no unusual symptoms.I'm now parked up for the night so lifted the bonnet to check the fuses in the engine bay.Fuse no.11(15A) had blown so I replaced it only for it to blow again when starting the engine,I also noticed the yellow glow plug light flash a few times before eventually going off.--The problem is the oil vapour heater has shorted which blows the fuse,because of Fiat's weird and wonderful wiring it also takes out a few other electronic items with it which are working perfectly well.This can also lead to a wrong diagnosis and something of a wild goose chase with even some Fiat technicians recommending a new ECU after plugging into the diagnostic computer therefore running up a sizeable bill.--just unplug and tape up

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[Lenny HB]

That’s it for this week . Having a day off tomorrow, spending the day with the kids .
I will start again Sunday morning.
Another expensive trip to B&Q ( I am sure they are overpriced ) to make sure I have enough materials to crack on with the job early on Sunday .
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It’s been a hell of a leading curve this week but I am a little bit proud of myself for at least attempting this .
Thanks again for all the comments and likes of support and also the spare trim busbuddy is kindly going to send to me .
I was in a pretty bad place on Monday when I discovered this problem . I would never have done this alone with no encouragement .
Thank you so much guys
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Ronseal Wood Hardener £7.99 in Screwfix and they are part of the B&Q Empire.

 

[Swifter]

some one eles done it a lot of money --if you can do it your self go for it

Out of interest what was the cost and the total time they took to complete the job ?I understand if you want to keep the cost private

 

[B-well]

Well done and congratulations on undertaking such a task, excellent photos and commentary.
Now you will be the funsters next expert, members will be pointing others in your direction or even paying you to tackle the issue.
again well done and in much admiration.

 

[sweetie]

We had a 2006 Bessacarr E745 With a rotten floor which was just under 6 years old at time the dealer we bought it from had a battle with Swift and agreed to pay £2000.00 and Swift the same towards repair. They removed all skirts, gas locker habitation door and frame and step, cut along side of chassis and removed ply and foam then replaced with new foam and new ply. Then replaced gas locker and step and side skirts which where all sealed as they had not been done when it was made and water was getting down behind and between ply and the vinyl under sheet and no way out.
The quality of the work they done was absolutely disgusting and the van came back filthy inside and out with black sealer all over the place bolts missing from step and wiring loom to rear lights dragging on road Habitation door central locking not working in total they had it about 6-8 weeks. It went back to dealer to put things right and valet before we would accept it back. We kept it for another 3 months but had no confidence in van after that and purchased our current Burstner in avatar and asked the dealer if he could sell it for us which he did for a fee of £4000.00. Ended up loosing about £8000.00 in year we owned it total.
Now on our third German van, one British van was one to many.

 

[Swifter]

Nearing the end of the project now .
So far the total costs are £274 ( some of that is for tools I can use again and I purchased a bit too much of a few things ) and time taken is 25 hours . I would guess another full day and it should be pretty much completely finished .
I have been extremely lucky with the weather, no rain at all since I started the work on Wednesday.
I will certainly be a lot more aware of any problems in the future and shall be checking the motorhome on a regular basis

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[Just smiffy]

It may have cost you £274 (a lot less then a garage) but the knowledge gained is priceless...

Well done Neil

now change those rusty old jubilee clips before they give up....

 

[Swifter]

It may have cost you £274 (a lot less then a garage) but the knowledge gained is priceless...

Well done Neil

now change those rusty old jubilee clips before they give up....

Well spotted . It’s on the list of jobs now

 

[Simon Meadwell]

Been watching this thread closely.
Well done bloody good effort. I would send some photos to Swift to show them how its done.
Well done again.

 

[3DOM]

Looks good, well done for taking it on.

 

[Toady]

Well done mate

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[2bob]

Nearing the end of the project now .
So far the total costs are £274 ( some of that is for tools I can use again and I purchased a bit too much of a few things ) and time taken is 25 hours . I would guess another full day and it should be pretty much completely finished .
I have been extremely lucky with the weather, no rain at all since I started the work on Wednesday.
I will certainly be a lot more aware of any problems in the future and shall be checking the motorhome on a regular basis
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[2bob]

you done realy well and that has happen to a lot of m h you nead to keep eye on the trim on the corner as water gets in from the screws

 

[Claire Ambler]

Not just Swift! I have a Lunar Chanp 2004 with the same wet problem, some of the damage was caused by a poorly designed air outlet that let the shower water run into it!!

 

[minesapint]

What a bummer dude. Good luck with the repair, it looks like you have gotten to it before it’s too bad which is a positive.
Having seen some of the heroic efforts on MHF this past year of damp fixes of a greater magnitude there is bound to be some support from some knowledgeable funsters.

As the comment from the American chap, it is a good job you have got to it before it goes to far. I had a similar problem with a boat deck. I step cut the ply back to where it was fairly good and drilled a multitude of small holes along the edge and injected a two part Wests Resin into the holes. This totally stabilised the edge allowing me to step scarf a new piece of deck/floor into place and bonded them together with west epoxy resin. It saved having to get a big area out and it got the floor fixed without to much disruption.

 

[Afitos]

Firstly please no digs about Swift of British built vans please . Not in the best of moods after today.
Basically I gave the motorhome the first wash of the year today and also a good walk round and check over . Spotted a nasty gap in the sealant between the body trim and the side wall under the cassette access hatch . I was aware of a problem with the trim allowing water to get behind it and cause the floor to get wet underneath the van .
I had just washed it so I had I look underneath and this is what it looked like .
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I pressed the floor from underneath and sure enough it was spongy . I’ve had a good search on here and it appears it been a big problem with others in the past . I think I may have caught it early but the damage isn’t good .
The problem is a black sheet of vinyl attached to the timber .Water runs down the van and behind the trim . The floor soaks in the water and the vinyl prevents the timber from ever drying out .
Checked the whole underside and there is a patch the other side under the step as well
I’ve removed the offending vinyl to see the damage . It’s bad but the inside of the van is dry and it’s just the bottom layer of ply timber that’s wet . I hope to cut out the board and replace it . Not very good at this kind of thing but will give it a go .

pictures of the vinyl cover that traps the water and the damage .

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We had the same sort of problem with our 2005 Swift back 18months ago. I started to do it myself but found that the problem was far worse than I first thought. Ended up having the body lifted and a complete new floor installed. An absolute nightmare. Hope yours is easier.

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[jacksmith]

On my Bessy most of the rot came from the badly sealed skirts but there was more near the water pump under the dinette. I suspect the vinyl covering on the underside also does a great job of sealing any plumbing leaks or spillages from above into the wood floor too. Regular checks of all plumbing connections and sealing on the bathroom fittings are worthwhile.

 

[B-well]

Job well done now time on your hands to tidy the yard up

 

[Eggs]

Swifter good skills, and in short time.

 

[Snoopy]

Been watching all your up and downs..looks like you earnt that drink good luck with it all

 

[Ditcha]

Crackin job Swifter should be proud of yourself

PS do you want a job

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[matt34]

Great job well done i have the same van had a look and mine looks good underneath i havent got the plastic sheet that cover's the wood underneath 2004 my year going to treat the underneath wood as its been done before,what did you treat yours with? cheers matt

 

[PJGWiltshire]

Great job well done i have the same van had a look and mine looks good underneath i havent got the plastic sheet that cover's the wood underneath 2004 my year going to treat the underneath wood as its been done before,what did you treat yours with? cheers matt

It looks like he used Sandtex exterior paint, ( picture on about 12th post) I have used this on my old front door fantastic exterior paint.

 

[Swifter]

Great job well done i have the same van had a look and mine looks good underneath i havent got the plastic sheet that cover's the wood underneath 2004 my year going to treat the underneath wood as its been done before,what did you treat yours with? cheers matt

Hi Matt , yes as PJGWiltshire said it was Sandtex exterior 10 year paint. I am glad you didn’t have the plastic sheeting as it was a complete disaster and should never have been used .

 

[matt34]

It looks just plain wood thats been protected before,do i rub it down or just paint over? Not to far from you swifter im no far from Tewkesbury.

 

[Swifter]

It looks just plain wood thats been protected before,do i rub it down or just paint over? Not to far from you swifter im no far from Tewkesbury.

I wouldn’t worry about it in your case . It’s the plastic cover that caused all the problems as the wood that was getting wet from the unsealed side trim was unable to ever dry out and was completely sealed in when damp . Thank god I found the problem when I did because it was never ever going to dry out . I am disappointed with myself for buying a motorhome that had these problems but I will also never make the same mistake again . If you think the underside of the motorhome needs a paint then just sand back a little and then paint it. It’s not a very quick process as you will be on your back with most of the paint trying fall off the brush so it takes a while . Luckily I was able to paint the replacement boards before fixing them in place . I only needed to paint a few of the underside areas directly so it wasn’t a long process .

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