☹️ Rotting floor 🙁

[Swifter]

Firstly please no digs about Swift of British built vans please . Not in the best of moods after today.
Basically I gave the motorhome the first wash of the year today and also a good walk round and check over . Spotted a nasty gap in the sealant between the body trim and the side wall under the cassette access hatch . I was aware of a problem with the trim allowing water to get behind it and cause the floor to get wet underneath the van .
I had just washed it so I had I look underneath and this is what it looked like .

I pressed the floor from underneath and sure enough it was spongy . I’ve had a good search on here and it appears it been a big problem with others in the past . I think I may have caught it early but the damage isn’t good .
The problem is a black sheet of vinyl attached to the timber .Water runs down the van and behind the trim . The floor soaks in the water and the vinyl prevents the timber from ever drying out .
Checked the whole underside and there is a patch the other side under the step as well
I’ve removed the offending vinyl to see the damage . It’s bad but the inside of the van is dry and it’s just the bottom layer of ply timber that’s wet . I hope to cut out the board and replace it . Not very good at this kind of thing but will give it a go .

pictures of the vinyl cover that traps the water and the damage .

 

[MR BLO]

What a bummer dude. Good luck with the repair, it looks like you have gotten to it before it’s too bad which is a positive.
Having seen some of the heroic efforts on MHF this past year of damp fixes of a greater magnitude there is bound to be some support from some knowledgeable funsters.

 

[PJGWiltshire]

Other more skilled will come along. Just to give you some heads up. My son is working on the floor and walls of a caravan at the moment. I lent him my multi tool with the different blade attachments. It soon made light work of cutting through the bottom section of the floor about five mill in thickness. Then he was through to the insulation. He replaced the insulation and replaced the 5mm board. he then over boarded the section again

 

[Swifter]

Other more skilled will come along. Just to give you some heads up. My son is working on the floor and walls of a caravan at the moment. I lent him my multi tool with the different blade attachments. It soon made light work of cutting through the bottom section of the floor about five mill in thickness. Then he was through to the insulation. He replaced the insulation and replaced the 5mm board. he then over boarded the section again

Yes it’s a very thin layer of board and then insulation . The step will need to come off and then replace the board . I have resealed the trim but want to make sure it’s 100% watertight before the project begins .

 

[TheBig1]

is the van around 2004-5? I ask because swift had a very bad batch of floor ply that they repaired shedloads of under warranty. Best stuff to use to repair/replace is expoxy impregnated high temperature bonded ply. It will outlast the van

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[Swifter]

is the van around 2004-5? I ask because swift had a very bad batch of floor ply that they repaired shedloads of under warranty. Best stuff to use to repair/replace is expoxy impregnated high temperature bonded ply. It will outlast the van

The bad batch was the vinyl covered one I have , it’s traps the water. Yes it’s a 2006 . Kicking myself for not being more aware , ironically the black vinyl covers the very damage it has created

 

[Just smiffy]

If your not confident but doing it your self just take it slow and easy, looks like you caught it early enough to make a good fix, cut out all the rotten you find and replace and seal... lots of info on here, just put damp floor or rotten floor in the search box and it will come up....
YouTube videos will give good info too but weed out the crap first...

measure twice cut once, just take your time and do it right, if your not happy with a bit you’ve done then redo it, it shouldn’t cost a lot in materials but only your time.. you will feel much better when you know it’s been done to your satisfaction..

good luck and remember there’s no stupid question you can ask about it on here, you will always get help...
Keep us updated with pictures as you go along and you’ll get advice ..

 

[Swifter]

Thank you all for your kind words and advice .
I have woken up more optimistic today and extremely glad I found this now rather than further down the line .
The step is bolted through the floor so I should hopefully be able to remove it and remove the worst of the timber .

 

[Jake Royd]

Different vehicle I know. I have a patch of rot in my floor, behind one of the rear wheels.
I could repair it myself but i'm taking it to Cannock Resprays , post April 12th.
If their quote is not too shocking they will do it , they have an excellent reputation.
Just metioning it in case you might want a quote.
Also Dave Newell in Telford perhaps , noting you are near Hereford.

If doing it myself I had planned to cut the floor out using a plunge tool, epoxy the edge , fix a marine ply section back in and marine ply the outside surface with a thinner section to give it strength and seal off the repair. All done with wicked adhesives and epoxy. I can (just) get to the inside surface.
Mine is similar I guess , outer ply, then foam insulation, then ply then inside floor covering.
Total thickness about 1.5"

 

[busbuddy]

The bad batch was the vinyl covered one I have , it’s traps the water. Yes it’s a 2006 . Kicking myself for not being more aware , ironically the black vinyl covers the very damage it has created

Before you dive into the work...If you have a couple of weeks spare I would recommend searching the internet for the soggy floor problem as there are loads of informative and reconstruction posts on the subject, it wasnt just confined to the swift group built Van's either it's just that instead of trialling the new material swift went bull in a China shop with it so their Van's suffered in big volume
The so called 'bad batch' was actually supposed to be the new wonder floor material and it should have worked but they forgot to factor in that a manufacturer would cut the board down leaving open edges allowing moisture in which the vinyl coating didn't allow to escape
Some owners did the repairs themselves and did a good job
When looking to buy mine I saw a few that had been in for factory repairs, some diy ones and a few that were held together with hope.....I was lucky because I found an untouched one with the normal flooring
It really was a lottery back then

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[Terry]

Busbuddy is correct it happened on Swift's from 2005 to 2007 then similar started on a few 2009 also on a few Auto trails but not many. It was established that the skirts had not been sealed and instead of issuing a recall Swift made the decision to tell dealer's to seal the skirts and tried to keep it quiet
At the time the CEO of swift was a guy called Peter and his PA was Gale? ( Not sure) but cut a long story short they did a really good PR job, promised to rectify any issues with their product no matter what ageI think he sold his stake in the company around 2012 ish then rumor had it that Swift stopped fixing floors It may be worth giving them a call ? People have long memory

 

[Swifter]

I thought I might as well update this thread for myself as much as anyone else .
I am not a DIY person but I have no choice but to give it a go .

The plan for today is to remove all the wet wood and start to dry it all out ,also completely check the underside of the motorhome for anymore floor problems .

After a full check of the underside I have found another damp patch . Front corner behind the drivers seat . This one has gone a bit further in towards the middle of the van .
Ironically it’s under the internal water tank but has rotted from the underside

The plan is to make sure all the damp wood is removed to let the problem areas dry out .
I will then use the wet rot wood hardener to treat the wood , then wood filler and then re ply the surfaces . It looks awful and I don’t expect to make a very neat job but hopefully it will stop any future problems .

 

[JockandRita]

I'm really sorry to hear of your damp woes Swifter. Your heart must have sank when you found the extent of the damage. I know mine did with similar to our old Hymer's basic cheap ply under flooring, behind the tandem axles. Wheel splash was the main culprit.
They use fibreglass under flooring these days..........thankfully.

I had excellent success using those Ronseal products you list above. Once it was all done and smoothed down, I coated the worst exposed area behind the axles with fibreglass roof paint, and the area leading back towards the front with black Waxoyl, which my mechanic pal then did for me annually, when greasing the axles.

I hope you get some decent dry weather for the project. The very best of luck with it.

Jock.

 

[robnchris]

Main concern is to find out where and how the floor is getting wet, no point in repairing it only for it to happen again.

Epoxy resins from a yacht chandlers will the products to use.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Swifter]

Main concern is to find out where and how the floor is getting wet, no point in repairing it only for it to happen again.

Epoxy resins from a yacht chandlers will the products to use.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Thank you . The water gets in behind the body trim and runs down the back of it . The “ special “ ply board produced by Swift came with a plastic vinyl coating that basically held the water in that had wicked in from the side of the floor . It’s ironic that the black plastic coating to protect the floor has in fact made it rotten .
I had sealed this trim in the past but clearly I’ve done a poor job , however looking at some of wood , I presume this problem has been going on for a while , before I purchased the van .
I have completely sealed it now .

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[busbuddy]

I had sealed this trim in the past but clearly I’ve done a poor job , however looking at some of wood , I presume this problem has been going on for a while , before I purchased the van .
I have completely sealed it now .

It's not done too bad, some motorhomes of that era didn't make it to 2 years before the step fell off

 

[PJGWiltshire]

To give yourself a bit more room whilst under the van.
Get some bricks laid flat and and drive onto them. That way that extra four inches will make easier. Make sure the wheels are fully on them

 

[Swifter]

To give yourself a bit more room whilst under the van.
Get some bricks laid flat and and drive onto them. That way that extra four inches will make easier. Make sure the wheels are fully on them

Great idea . I guess my levelling ramps are another option ? Maybe not as safe as bricks though .

 

[PJGWiltshire]

You need a strong secure platform, even better if they were breeze block but just make sure that its level and firm

 

[Phill D]

Great idea . I guess my levelling ramps are another option ? Maybe not as safe as bricks though .

if i need to work under the van i normally use a few ricks laid flat with a concrete 100mm block on top and use my Milenco triple ramps to drive on and off. the bricks and block are just about the same height as the top of the levelling ramps.

good luck with the repairs, you deserve some.

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[grasscutter]

You are doing the job correctly. When I had my Swift I found out in time and it went back to the factory. They did what you are doing and removed the vinyl then dried out the wood before treating it with a sealer.
Good luck with your efforts.

 

[Phill D]

You are doing the job correctly. When I had my Swift I found out in time and it went back to the factory. They did what you are doing and removed the vinyl then dried out the wood before treating it with a sealer.
Good luck with your efforts.

I think its a bit late for the sealer treatment, needs some surgery and and a few replacement small panels then seal.

 

[Swifter]

Well that’s it for today . Will continue early tomorrow . Thank god for furlough and working from home part time lol . I simply wouldn’t have been able to even consider this project under normal circumstances .
It’s also really helping be to understand more about how my motorhome works by spending 8 hours a day crawling around underneath it .
It’s lovely to see the wood finally be able to breath and start to dry out after all that time being wet .
Its all a huge learning curve for me being me, not being a DIY person .
Did make another discovery inside the toilet cassette hatch where the plastic trim is . This had cracked and was allowing water in and had had completely rotted the timber brace behind . When I was under the van I didn’t think to check on the outside so didn’t know I was under the cassette hatch . This wet timber has now been removed , I will treat what is remaing and replace the timber . I am glad I realised what was happening as I did think I was feeling up into the wall and had planned to use fill and fix foam to seal it . That would have been funny if it had all gone into the cassette hatch
So I have a total of 4 problem areas all of which are continuing to dry out before sand down and use the wet rot wood hardener on ALL the timber that is exposed . After I’ve filled any bigger gaps with foam and sanded that down I will use some wood filler and then finally recover with ply painted with black Sandtex and stick on ( not sure what I will stick the ply on with but that’s about a week off yet ). Weather forecast looks good for a while so will do as much as I can each day .

 

[Phill D]

keep at it you will win in the end...

 

[Just smiffy]

It’s also really helping be to understand more about how my motorhome works

It’s a good felling ...

and saving money too

well done, great photos

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[busbuddy]

That's your thetford door leaking that has causing the rot immediately underneath, the plastic trim will have broken because frame and surround would be loose, it's just trim to make gap look nice not to stop water so you need a new door frame
I tried loads of new bits before I bought a new frame, wish I'd bought new frame first

 

[Swifter]

That's your thetford door leaking that has causing the rot immediately underneath, the plastic trim will have broken because frame and surround would be loose, it's just trim to make gap look nice not to stop water so you need a new door frame
I tried loads of new bits before I bought a new frame, wish I'd bought new frame first

Good advice . I will get one ordered . Yes the frame surround inside had cracked and caused this additional leak .

 

[busbuddy]

Ah your inner frame had cracked, I thought you meant the thin trim bit between frame and toilet to cover the wood

 

[Swifter]

Ah your inner frame had cracked, I thought you meant the thin trim bit between frame and toilet to cover the wood

Yes I think that’s the one I am talking about lol . It’s been a long day .
Do you have a picture of the one you mentioned?
It is the thin surround that covers the wood . Do you know where I can purchase one please ?
Edit .
I think this is what I need

 

[busbuddy]

Not sure if I kept mine, didn't refit it, I will have a look when I get home tomorrow night

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