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Hello All

We have bought a Swift Corniche 12/2 and it is leaking through the washroom wall, in the corner of the caravan, and appears to be spreading under the floor, it feels a bit soft :(

We are extremely new to caravanning, always had a tent before, so any help would be extremely gratefully received :)

Thank you

Emma and Brian

HI Emma,

First thing to do is find where the water is getting in.

We have had a few Swifts over the years and most have suffered from leaks in one way or another. But that said nearly all are easy to cure given the time and patience to do it.

Try and find the highest point on the wall inside the van that feels damp and then start looking outside for things in the same area or higher that could allow the water to enter.

Have a look around the rubber seals for the window by gently lifting the rubber away from the van body depending on the age of the van you may find that the sealant under there has become hard and comes away in small pieces ? If it is and it feels damp then this is one area that will be letting the water in.

Check the seal for the Cassette toilet door both where it closes to the frame and then again around the frame where it fits against the wall of the van.

Again depending on the model and age you may sometimes have a body moulding running along the side of the van. Early swifts had one about a 1/3rd of the way up the wall of the van. Again with time the sealant strip behind this will dry out and allow moisture in. This is the same for the awning rail.

Is there a grab handle on the rear of the van in that area? these again can allow water in over time and then you also have the rear lights to check too.

The only problem in finding where water is getting in is that often the timber frame inside the walls and indeed roof too can allow water to track along quite a way before finally being seen inside the van.

A general rule that works most of the time when checking outside is that if some area looks like it might be letting in water then it probably is.

Once you know where the water is getting in and have stopped it then you are on the right track.

When it comes to sealing up the leak you have found there are many posts on here that will advise on materials to use the only thing i would add is dont be tempted to use silicone based products, the result will be that in 6 months time you will be doing it again and cursing as you need to get the old silicone off first

It was a private sale and was very cheap so now we know why!

Thanks for all the advice Simon and Ian

We've got a lot of work to do but feeling better about it now we have some good advice from people who have been there a done it!