Message Forums

Hi,

I have a 2005 Abbey van that is a little damp in the back. I first noticed it earlier in the year when I spotted some bubbling in the wallboard and some areas soft. So I went out and bought a damp meter from maplins. The results were that the rear roof locker at 25% and the lower back and sides below the seating was off the scale. Oh "dear" I thought, well it was a four letter word at any rate.

Anyway I set about armed with mastic and silkaflex to sort out where the water is getting in. I resealed the rail across the back, the original mastic was still in good condition but it eventually gave way and was replaced with new. The awning rails however, didn't want to give in. They were stuck fast with no sign of movement. Not wanting to damage them and as the screws had no trace of rust and the heads were still in mastic I replaced them and left the awning rails alone. I assumed that as they were that well stuck then how could water get in.

After drying out with a dehumidifier for about a week during which there was a fair amount of rain, damp readings were back to 10-15%. I replaced the worst effected wallboard and put it all back together.

Last weekend I went to the storage site to prep it for winter and check all is well. Well unfortunately it wasn't. Some parts of the wallboard around seat box height that were dried out but not replaced are soft again with high damp readings, although not as high as before. Is it just a case of I didn't get all of the moisture out with the dehumidifier and previously damp / dried wood acts like a magnet to surrounding moisture. All of the area above and the new wallboard are as dry as a bone as is the roof locker. So should I have been a bit more aggressive to replace more of the wallboard than I did, or do you think I still have a problem with water getting in.

I do hope it's not the awning rails as a dealer wanted £800+ to replace the awning rails. Apparently they don't reseal the rails as they can't remove them without damage, they heat them up and roll them off to break the seal and then replace with new, well that's what they told me.

Regards

Mike