Caravan Leaking issues and I may have found the solution
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- Опубликовано: 7 дек 2022
- #caravancamping #offgridliving #rvlife
Hello to all our Vagabond Life followers.
As you would have seen in our last video, we left Whitianga due to bad weather and with more coming, we decided to head home.
While away, Darren who tests and checks our caravan regularly with a moisture meter, found a high reading of moisture in one of our back lockers.
So we decided to head home and find our where it was coming from.
We have never had any issues with leaking before, and Darren prides himself on getting onto these things before they become an issue.
We have seen plenty of videos and read plenty of posts by people with leaking issues and if not caught early, they can become a nightmare to fix and a very costly exercise.
Darren goes about finding where the leaking is coming from and shows you how he has fixed it.
You may not even know you have an issue till the signs of rot start setting in.
So if you have leaking issues or you want to check and protect your valuable asset before it becomes an issue, then watch this video and it might just save you some money and sleepless nights.
If you have any questions leave them in the comment section and Darren will do his best to answer them.
If you haven't seen our previous video on how we fixed one of the main causes of leaking in caravans, use this link - • Is my caravan leaking?
Music by - Calven Gallimore Pixabay
#vagabond #boondocking #retireearly
To be honest it’s piss poor quality , all of these companies need more stringent monitoring from authorities , there is absolutely no need for this to happen these days . Great video 👍
Thanks Dave yeah I won't disagree with you there, when you think how much money we all spend on our rigs and for some to then have to pay thousands more to fix rot or leaking issues makes you angry and don't get me started with trying to get the companies to pay for the repairs 🤦.
Would be a good idea to use a rubber sealing washer over the screw fixings between the outer wall of the caravan & the inside face of the L-shaped moulding.
Hi Steve Yes would be or you could fill the screw holes up with sealer before putting the screws back in, which in this case we did.
Thank you for sharing the video. I am currently investigating the source of water leakage in the front area of our Pegasus IV. During my inspection, I noticed that the outside wall lip is touching the floor, just above the A-Frame at the same point as the water ingress above. I believe water may be entering with the same method.
Hey Phill thanks for the comment and for letting me know that you have had the same issue as us and that my video has helped you identify where the problem has been coming from, and will enable you to now repair it. Best of luck.
Excellent work. Very clear. Thanks
Hi Andrew, welcome to our channel, glad our caravan video was helpful.
We enjoy watching your videos. Keep them coming and hopefully we will see you on the road sometime .
Thanks Bronwyn ☺️ if you do see us, pop over for a chat and a cuppa.
Hi thank you so much for your video its a massive help here in the uk we are having the exact same problem with my 2019 bailey unicorn pamplona. Unfortunately for us our underfloor is plywood so its the part that rots. But as you say its that trim that lets water past. Bailey dont seem to learn and have done nothing to resolve the issue leaving it to owners to fix there bad workmanship.
Hi Stephen so glad you found it helpful. As we say if you can fix it yourself or at least give it a go, at least you'll know how well the completed job has been done when you do it yourself.
So annoying that the manufacturers don't do the job properly in the first place!
Thanks for your comment. Yes it is annoying but it happens with ALL caravans and motorhomes these days, they are pumping them out of the factory so fast, it became about quick profit and less about quality control. Very sad.
Absolutely spot on but check the front panels too and seal any gaps we did exactly the same with our Olympus and also our Pegasus 👍 great video we should work for Bailey r&d 👍
Thanks for the comment Darren, yes I did the front and back too, and yes we should start receiving something from Bailey for showing people how to fix their vans 😂
love your garage.
You would think that by now all the years that caravans have been getting made, especially the likes of bailey that they would have worked all the problems out re damp and water leaks.
i have a bailey myself and yes a lovely van with all the extras but its poor workman ship at the manufacturing line that lets them down, makes me laugh when you watch a video that bailey have put out of them being manufactured then at the end it goes to the final part which is quality control lol. (UK)
your video is really well put together
Yeah it is a great caravan and we love our Bailey too. I guess with anything, your business is only as good as your workers, plus the push for profits vs ensuring producing a top notch quality vehicle resigned, very sad. But if you can catch any leaks before it's too late you can still have a great van.
@@vagabondlife2018 Gonna give mine a go over the winter or when time allows, thing is we have to keep ours at a storage yard here so its all outside.
did you have to use any extra strong staples to go through the allow panel?
what i plane to do on the front and read of mine is to extend the body panel down about 10 mm behind the bumpers, so water just runs off the bottom and does not travel into the floor. our bailey we have owned for a few months now, did get underneath yesterday and had a good look around all the edges and pleased to say its solid but prevention is better then cure.
haha you remind me of myself with, if im doing it it has to be 100%, it just feels better in the mind when its pouring down that the water is running to the ground/road
Can i ask what is the weight of your van maximum.
All the best to you
@stehume the staples I used are 14 mm high performance staples and the sides of our van are made from fibreglass not alloy. All material in our van are used to keep it as light as possible. No timber framing (so can't rot in the internal walls) framing is made from recycled plastic and is structurally strong. Our Gross weight is 2500 kgs and out Tare weight is 2120 kgs. We weighed our van full of food and clothing and gear we would take away with us and quarter tank of water and we weighed in at 2320 kgs, even with a full tank we would have still been under our Gross weight. Hope that helps.
sorry to hear that Bailey has not built it propley. I've had a leaky bailey too. and they complain about lunars being leaky haha.
Happy caravaning.
Unfortunately it's not just Bailey caravans that are the issue, all manufactures have issues and we have spoken to many owners of all brands. It's such a shame that manufactures just can't seem to get the quality control right.
@@vagabondlife2018 you are right.
They basically have changed the problem from walls and roofs to floors.
The cost of them new is so expensive now to not be excused for poor build. I like Bailey's. But having had 2 of them with 1 similar issues as yours it's bad
Manufacturers should be ashamed of themselves after decades of building caravans still making mistakes like this , a 2018 van for christs sake , its ridiculous - great explanation and drawing by the way
Yeah we totally agree, it's quality controls that let them down. Supervisors aren't doing their jobs properly, just relying on the staff to do the job properly. Problem is some people go to work to get the paycheck at the end of the week, while others take pride in their work. Unfortunately there aren't too many of those workers around.
Thank you for posting this , ive just brought a 2006 bailey ranger, i have a damp spot behind the wheel arch.
Traced it , and it appears as the moulding is causing the issue
Hey Craig glad our video has helped you find an issue, unfortunately no caravan company are perfect, all have faults no matter what guarantee's they give, but being able to find any issues and getting onto them quickly is what counts. Glad our video had helped you look for problem areas.
Very interesting as I am in the middle of tackling some corner damp spots, as you said all four corners and two spots behind the wheel arches, on out Bailey Unicorn Cabrera 2012. Has been great to now, but the very wet summer we have had in New Zealand has impacted the potential for water egress. I can see where you coming from I think i might now have a slightly longer job. I have some damp material to remove dry and fill as well.
Hi Ken glad to hear the video had helped. It's annoying we have to fix what should have been done properly in the first place.
Hi Darren. Great video and you've solved the mystery of how that awning skirt rail comes off. We have a Bailey Discovery 4 which has exactly the same problem. It's only 18 months old but I wouldn't trust the monkeys at the dealership to do this fix properly. I want to do it myself (as with everything). I suspected that what you found was happening to ours and now I know for sure it is! We have wet on the front of the caravan underside floor too and as I don't want to break anything taking the covers off, I was wondering if you knew how the front cowlings comes off? Hope you stay dry now mate and thanks for posting your video. Now I've discovered your other vids travelling around NZ and some exotic locations. Subscribed!
Thanks for the feedback and subscribing. I'm glad the video was able to help.
I am not familiar with the discovery, but the rangefinder just has a few screws to take out for the front covers to come off.
I know some of the earlier bailey's had no overlap from the front wall, which left the front edge of the floor exposed to moisture.
Some people were smearing a sealer on this edge and then also putting a piece of aluminum angle on it for protection.
Everdure from bunnings, is great for stopping any rot.
Kind regards
Darren
@@vagabondlife2018 Cheers Darren. Yes. That's what I was going to do as double protection. Thanks again mate and happy travels!
Just sorted my 2019 bailey cadiz, many thanks for your advice. Water pissing down back of moulding into floor. Thanks again .
That's great news Paul, I'm glad to hear you got your van sorted.
My bailey cadiz has a 6yr water ingress guarantee ...so should yours at 2019
Yes ours has a 10 year water ingress, but since Bailey pulled out of Australia I have heard of many Bailey owners nightmares in trying to get there issues fixed, constant battle. We only had a minor issue which we caught very early and fixed so no damage luckily. The video we put out was to stop any issues we had heard from other people like the wheel tubs etc.
@@kennethwebb4385 I decided to sort these issues myself, which I did do. 'I have little faith in the local dealerships'. I sold this caravan in January, and bought a new Bailey pheonix. Unfortunately this had damp issues also, my love affair with Bailey is finally over. Buyer beware.
Good video mate. Water ingress is always a worry with a caravan. We have been lucky enough with our Jayco. Although we have friends with a Jayco like ours that haven't been. Where did you buy your moisture meter from? Seems like a good thing to have. 👍
Thanks for the comment, I just bought it online on Trademe. It's a radio waves/frequency type of meter not the type with the two prongs (they are the invasive type) The problem is you wouldn't even know you have a leaking problem untill it became a big issue.
I wonder if eternabond tape would be any good where you put the silicone i just think that it will seal the staples and the corner edge. From what I've read its really good stuff a bugger to get off and can last for maybe 10yrs+.
Hi thanks for the comment. I had never heard of it before your comment and I've had a read up on it and I can't see any reason why it wouldn't work or do the job. If you give it a go, let me know if it worked for you.
We have a caravan of the same model and age as yours and are about to replace the whole floor if you interested in the journey here in Mt Maunganui. Duncan at Prelim
Wow really the whole floor 😮. You must have had a huge leak for the whole floor needing to be replaced. Sorry to hear that, and I am guessing it's not being done under warranty, or you would have had a major fight to get them to accept paying for it.
The damage is significant but having got a close look at the design, damage and the remaining likely issue of ongoing leaks I decided to future proof the carravan. We are new to carravaning but already love our Nebula and plan to keep it for many years. I don't think the leak was actually very bad but I think the vinyl is the vilan.
Have you found out where the leak has come from (originated)?
From the floor staining it appeared to be from the wheel tubs, but now that we have removed the shower I have a suspicion that the drain penetration could also be a culprit. It's a terrible method. I will send you a picture. I'm also thinki of adding in a bit more floor support. You should come and see it when we have it stripped out.
Hi Darren, Great video, have you had any problem with the underfloor plywood getting very wet in the corners?
Hi Brandy welcome to the channel.
No, our caravan is fiberglass underneath, so don't have that issue.
I have seen alot of English caravans with this problem though.
I think alot of it is attributed to the same issue though with the moulding along the bottom of caravan.
The water gets in there and runs along that moulding to the back corners.
I just gave a friend a hand to repair his English van with this very problem.
Hi Darren. Really appreciate your video. I am in the process of of pulling away one of the decorative strips on my Rangefinder Astro. Once that one is removed I am finding it quite difficult to to pull away the below moulding (that has the clip retainer section). It seems to be quite well stuck in place with silicone and I am somewhat distorting the clip retainer section in the process. Did you struggle with this? It does not look as though there are any staples holding the wall overhang to the floor, but it is not sitting that flat and probably a good idea for me to staple it on reassembly.
Hi Charles
I just took all the screws out holding it and gently just pulled it off from the bottom.
If you still have problems you could slip a long Stanley blade down from the top to cut the Sealant as you pry it away from the caravan from the top first. Hope that helps.
@@vagabondlife2018 Thanks for the prompt reply. It looks as though they may have
used more silicone in behind the holding strip on my van. I am then thinking about shortcutting the remediation process somewhat by not removing the holding strip but simply putting silicone down the gap where the strip has left any gap against the wall skin, and then also siliconing up behind the outer strip when replacing it.
Hey, last question. What’s the brand and where did you get the moisture meter. Going to buy one!
The brand we got is called Smart Sensor. It's not an expensive one. Unsure if you are in NZ or not. We got ours off trademe (like eBay) it cost us about $50 NZD, and it's the best investment we made. www.trademe.co.nz/4341749617
Hi Darren,
Seems to me that I could run a small bead of silicon along the wall at the joining of the decorative white strip and that would do a pretty similar job to what you’ve done as far as preventing water from running down the side and getting behind the mounting strip that’s fixed to the wall? You’ve seen more of the set up than I have so what do you think?
Hi Graeme yes you could do that, however you still may get a bit of water from the corners. I guess I am just that type of person, that likes to do the job once and know it's 100%.
@@vagabondlife2018 Yeah noticed you do a very fastidious job on your videos, good to see! If I do as I’d suggested I’d also silicone the tops of the corner mouldings.
Most of the time not enough sealant was used
You can see clearly from my video that there were areas where sealant was either needle thin or completely missed. I have spoken to many others who advised their caravans are the same. Such a shame that poor workmanship let the company down.
@vagabondlife2018 yes we have Elddis motorhome here in uk 🇬🇧 I pray to my God for no leaks
The best piece of advice I can give you Karl is to purchase a moisture meter. Ours is not an intrusive one, it does not make holes in the walls to work. It cost us $50 NZD to purchase and was the best $50 we spent. Be proactive by checking regularly and that way you can catch any leaks before they become a write-off for your caravan.
Yes I'd don't allow engineer's to ues damp meters that stab the walls, great video. I check my van regularly and outside seems. I did notice you didn't show any damp damage on floor inside van .if you catch it fast enough it can dry out
We are lucky we had NO moisture/damp damage inside the caravan, but we can see how easily it can happen.
Hi again Darren. Thanks again for your video. I’ve removed the trim and the fixing strip from my Uk Bailey van. There was clearly moisture getting in and affecting the floor. Now my van doesn’t have any staples holding the wall to the edge of the floor. But I think sealing the edge and stapling is a sensible idea. What sized staples did you find suitable? I guess you used stainless ones? Thanks in advance.
Hi Graeme I think they were 14 mm staples, they weren't stainless steel, but neither were the ones I pulled out, however after I replaced the staples I ran a bead of silicone sealer across the top of them to help protect them from rusting IF water/moisture was to get back in that strip again.
@@vagabondlife2018 Great. Thanks. I’m getting a very odd reading of around 35% inside floor on top of the vinyl right near the outside wall. Both sides at about 400mm from the front for only about 100mm. Same both sides! Everywhere else on the floor is around 2-3%. Very odd. I’ll keep an eye on how it dries out. Again thanks for the video. What’s troubling is Bailey could’ve done this during assembly!
That's exactly what we thought too, we are guessing they were pumping them out of the factory so quickly, that quality checks went out the window, and clearly by the lack of sealant in some areas, the workers didn't have any care in the work they put out.
The only way to check the floor is to cut the vinyl against the wall and peel it back slightly to see if any water/moisture has leached into the ply floor.
@@vagabondlife2018 The laugh is on me. I did a bit more careful investigation of my 35% reading. Discovered it is immediately above the steady - on both sides. So I went underneath and put the meter against the steel where it reads 100%! Phew. Relief.
Could you please share name of Facebook group for baileys? We are bout to buy our first caravan n start having weekends away.
But hubby felt a soft spot when looked, so page could be useful troubleshoot, or maybe not buy.
Thank you for your helpful video ,😊❤️
Hey there guys, glad you found the video helpful. Are you looking for the New Zealand or Australia Bailey FB group?
@@vagabondlife2018 yes please 😊. We are based in Taranaki
This is the NZ Bailey FB group. Enjoy you caravan 😀 facebook.com/groups/NZBaileyOwners/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
Hi what setting do you use on your meter?
I have our moisture meter on density 3, but don't think it really matters if it is truly wet.
@@vagabondlife2018 thanks
Hi guys thanks again for vid I guess Ird better get outside and start pulling off moulding on my nebula.
Had trouble with the awning mounts that went through that same moulding no sealer at all did a fair amount of damage can flick email pics through of the repair if you would like.
Hi Matt it is worth having a look at your Nebula, we wouldn't have even known there was a problem if we hadn't bought the moisture meter and checked regularly. It's just from lack of sealant and slack work by the workers in the factory. We are lucky our van is usually in a garage but it builds up over time or quickly if outside, especially with all the rain we've had this year. Please send us your pics rewana115@gmail.com ☺️
I’ll send the pics sometime this evening I did watch your vid on the wheel tubs to need to do that as well. It’s good your handy imagine the cost that would be if you had to take it to someone. Just slightly in love with your garage/house setup just awesome.
Hahaha thanks Matt, yes it's a great set up.
Thanks will appreciate the photos, we could include them in another video if that's okay with you?
I sent the photos hope they came through unless they ended up in the junk mail folder. More then happy for you to do anything you like with the photos. If I’m doing anything interesting on the van I’ll make sure to take photos.
Thankyou for this very helpful video. I have a new English Bailey van. It looks as though they have positioned the offending strip to finish below the bottom edge of the outer skin so water is not forced to “climb” up between the edge of the floor and the grp outer skin. But I will get a meter and check it when the weather clears. Did you take readings inside or underneath or both? Also, what brand of silicone are you using?
I have a problem with floor in front of the sink it has collapsed and seems to be down on the bearers ( if they have any) the vinyl floor has sagged... how is the best way to fix it..the floor seems to run under the cupboards so not sure
how to get to repair the floor? by the way I have the same van as yourself
Hi Colin 🤔 well there will be no easy fix unfortunately. Firstly you will need to work out where your leaking is coming from. Could be the wheel tubs, could have been a water pipe leak under the sink, or from the hot water cylinder under the seat beside the sink.
Then you will need to pull out your kitchen cabinets because if it's as bad as you are saying, you have had a major leak and it has rotted your flooring to the point of collapse. If you don't remove all of the rotten flooring, any new flooring you put in will eventually end up the same way as the rot leaches through.
I strongly suggest buying a moisture meter as this will give you an indication of how extensive the moisture problem is (how far extends beyond your kitchen floor and cupboards)
Once you have pulled up the vinyl cut out the rotten flooring, and replace with some new ply of the appropriate thickness (I think it is either 7 or 9mm).
When you glue the ply down make sure you use a glue that is compatible with polystyrene (otherwise the glue will just eat through your polystyrene underneath your ply floor). Then bog any joins and give it a sand so joins are smooth, clean your surface and relay your vinyl.
Hi Darren,fantastic video,has your damp been cured now? We have a 2015 Bailey Cartagena had for 12 months and come across the exact same problems ,just watched the video and looks like I’ll be busy.Does the “decorative trim “just pull off away from the fixed trim .Not yet watched your other video on the wheel arch butts ,that’s for this weekend .We have put the winter cover on now to keep the weather away,once again thanks for your video and hope you have some Dry holidays 👍
@AndrewJohnson-ow3yc thanks for your comment and question Andrew.
Yes our leaking issue has now gone (thankfully) 🙏 and once you have replaced the rotten floor (if it was needed) luckily not in our case, after ensuring the ply floor is COMPLETELY dry, then applying the everdure, then when the area is dry, sealed and will last forever. The trims is easy to come off , but does require some force, best to just get a screw driver in behind where it clips in and slowly pry it away (you will have seen me doing this in the video) using a screwdriver to open up the V slot the trim clips into. Don't be afraid of breaking it (unless you are really rough) but by using the screwdriver to pry the slot open and yanking at the same time (as I show in the video) you will get it off no sweat 👍
Well Darren I’ve done that job as to your video ,the fixing screws where even above the v slot ,so well open to the weather ,dropped below with plenty of sealant and then also done the front and back tucking some awning rail protector( as we call it in England)up behind the face panel as seen on another video, so fingers crossed it works and as you say we should never get any damp again
Glad to hear my video has brought about attention to areas not properly sealed at the factory causing so much worry and concern for those of us who purchased what we thought was a good product. Keep in touch and let us know if you find these issues coming back since you completed the repairs and resealing.