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I may need to reseal the awning rails on our  Abbey Aventura 315.

It is a 2002 model,  a repairer has said that at about this time the manufacturers probably attached the rails with a hard setting adhesive rather than a mastic and that it may be difficult or impossible to remove the rails undamaged.

Has anyone come across this and if so how do you overcome the problem?

Thanks

The van has a rear bathroom layout. The problem is the offside rear, from the rear corner forward probably as far as the wheel arch (difficult to tell as it runs behind the kitchen units). It is most obvious around the loo but that has been resealed.

The walls of the van are dry apart from a few inches at the bottom where they contact the damp floor.

The loo is in the offside rear corner and the problem is worst in that corner. I thought water may be coming in at that corner.

This all came to light after we had an internal water leak about 18 months ago when a joint on a water pipe failed. This leak was spotted and repaired very quickly but the flooring did not dry out and it was only when we lifted carpet to investigate that we found signs of the damp floor which I don't think is related to the pipe leakage.

Van has been to a repairer but they were unable to identify cause of problem with floor.

I'm just trying to eliminate as many possibilities as I can!

 I had a problem similar to yours, the problem was the door where the you take the cassette out to empty, the problem with mine was the actual door at the top was slightly bowed letting the rain water in, i had a new door and frame and it still did not cure it, so what i did was cut a small piece of rubber and stuck it above the orignal rubber suround this cured it, just try pouring some water on top of the toilet door with the cassette out and see if it leaks onto the plastic floor where the cassette sits,

Quote: Originally posted by janus on 21/7/2012

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If your rails are stuck on with sikaflex then you will have to cut though the sikaflex to get them off. The repairers I know who do this use a piece of cheese wire and slowly ut surely start at one nd and go through to the other. Do not let anyone tell you than if your rails are fastened ith sikaflex they will it be leaking there, thry are just as prone to leaking as other sealants, if they were not we old never hear of leaking caravans as every manufacturer would use that sealant.

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Quote: Originally posted by Al+Mel on 21/7/2012

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Quote: Originally posted by janus on 21/7/2012If your rails are stuck on with sikaflex then you will have to cut though the sikaflex to get them off. The repairers I know who do this use a piece of cheese wire and slowly ut surely start at one nd and go through to the other. Do not let anyone tell you than if your rails are fastened ith sikaflex they will it be leaking there, thry are just as prone to leaking as other sealants, if they were not we old never hear of leaking caravans as every manufacturer would use that sealant.

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If a bond is made correctly with Sikaflex it won't leak. If the areas to be joined are not cleaned and degreased properly or the sealant is missed from sections of the join the bond will fail. User error will always be with us.

The keel bolts on our yacht were put in with Sikaflex 16 years ago and are under a bit more water pressure than an awning rail. Never leaked a drop, and every time the boat tacks the 3/4 ton load shifts from one side to the other wringing the join. Sikaflex is the best sealant I have used in 37 years of boat maintenance. Its not the cheapest though.

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