Help needed..... Water ingress

[GaryGavlaar]

I could really do with some advice on what to do with my motorhome as I'm at the depressing point of just seeing it turning more and more towards a scrap item if I don't do something to stop the issue.

I know there will prob be damage internally as I don't know how long this water has been getting in, but I have a couple of external damaged areas I've found, and water has clearly been getting in, as internal wall board is slightly soft although no damp patches as such.

I just need to work out what I can do to stop any more getting in and deal with any internal structure issues once I know it's sorted, but I'm not sure the best course of action.

First is the hab door.....

Above the door is soft on the wall board where someone has badly installed an external light

I thought I just needed to deal with the holes left by that, but it looks I may have an issue with the fit of the door frame itself.

The side of the mh has a slight bulge for some reason at top right of door and I think this may be where water is still getting in. It's a plastic style body not sure on the material, but it's not the aluminium skins you see on some.

I don't know if I should remove the door to refit, or just run some kind of sealant round it. There is a load of old mastic around it though and I'm not sure if sealent will adhere or react or if it's even a good idea....

Pictures attached of where bulge is and where soft internally.

Is there anywhere northwest that deals with this sort of stuff that anyone would recommend speaking to? She's an old girl... 99 bessacar e695.

Any advice really appreciated. Please don't just say it's scrap or you've bought a nail.....I already know this but I need to now try and keep this thing going as long as poss. I can't afford to just chuck many thousands of pounds down the drain..... Although it's kind of feeling a little like I've done this.

 

[HKF]

Where in the UK are you? Maybe there's someone close to you who could take a look at it for you, just to give you an idea of what may need doing. Just a fresh pair of eyes. Sometimes it helps

 

[HKF]

.... and there is evidence of pooling water on the roof between the solar and awning ....

L' Hobo I'm trying to learn things like this, to look out for and understand. Do you mean the area in the pink square, that looks more green? Is that evidence of pooling water?

 

[L' Hobo]

L' Hobo I'm trying to learn things like this, to look out for and understand. Do you mean the area in the pink square, that looks more green? Is that evidence of pooling water?

View attachment 950557

Yes!

 

[HKF]

Yes!

Great, thank you!

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[GaryGavlaar]

Where in the UK are you? Maybe there's someone close to you who could take a look at it for you, just to give you an idea of what may need doing. Just a fresh pair of eyes. Sometimes it helps

Northwich cheshire

 

[GaryGavlaar]

As in outer skin? Whole motorhome side?

The bulge im talking about where i think the water is getting into the van is circled in red.
I know the door itself looks ropey, the outer skin has delaminated from what ever is inside it, but i think that is down to the really bad design of the fridge vent heating the door over the years when its clipped open.

 

[Figaro]

Yes that sounds like a possibility, but the area marked in red appears quite well sheltered from the weather by the awning ? Unless rain can get behind the awning and in

 

[Barclaybasher]

The bulge im talking about where i think the water is getting into the van is circled in red.
I know the door itself looks ropey, the outer skin has delaminated from what ever is inside it, but i think that is down to the really bad design of the fridge vent heating the door over the years when its clipped open.

View attachment 950584

The outer skin on the door looks distorted, try a breaker for a replacement.
The bulge you circled, I would puncture that to release any water - that area is going to need repair anyway.
As others have said position the van so that any rain will drain to the other side, cover the area above the door and air the van to dry it out.
Good luck

 

[L' Hobo]

The outer skin on the door looks distorted, try a breaker for a replacement.
The bulge you circled, I would puncture that to release any water - that area is going to need repair anyway.
As others have said position the van so that any rain will drain to the other side, cover the area above the door and air the van to dry it out.
Good luck

Before I punctured the outside at this time of year, I would remove the panel above the door inside the van and see what's going on.

It looks from earlier pictures that there is a join near the top where your problem is + afterwards, the inside will be easier to disguise and repair later ( keep the old piece as a template) .
EDIT: I should add, the inside panel might not be easy to remove because it is probably stuck on BUT, if water has been getting in, it's probably weakened the adhesion?

PS. As pooling has also been taking place the opposite side of the Solar panel from the awning, I wonder if someone has, not only stuck, but screwed the panel to the roof and the screw holes is where the ingress is happening?

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[Lenny HB]

You are worrying to much, for a 25 year old Swift it's not too bad.
The outer walls are GRP (glass fibre).

Damp repairs can cost a fortune so best to tackle it yourself, if you do you will learn a lot and it will be easier than you think, you just need to be brave.

First you need to strip the inner wall boards off to try and find out where the water is getting in as water cappilleries and the leak can be a long way from the soft wall board.
Prime candidate would be the roof to wall seal also check if there are any fixings for the awning in the area.

The door delamination may take a bit of fixing but if the inside of the door is dry leave it for now, might be best to try and find a secondhand door. You will probably find the door is standard to quite a few Swift Group models.

The black sealant you can see around the trims is the butyl mastic used in manufacture it oozes out of the joints in hot weather that is quite normal.

If you think you have problems have a look at this thread, makes your look very minor and shows you what can be done.

damp repairs to kontiki

hi guys n gals. been having a proper rummage through our new acquisition, i knew the old girl had a few issues of damp but i now found a couple others, the issues are around the hatches at the rear, not much rot on the wall board and about 6 to 8 inches from the edge. the main timber ledger is...

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