Dampness Project - Rear end now!

[DJL220]

Following on from my previous damp projects, I am now working on the rear of the motorhome. I am now about to resolve the rear dampness issues on our Bessacarr E795.

if you have followed my progress beforehand you will be aware of the dampness issues in the roof and flooring , see links below for the full details.
Roof thread

Dampness project - Roof first

Hi Within this thread I will document what I find as our Bessacarr MH failed on a recent Hab check for dampness. The ceiling has started to go spongy after our first trip away. We purchased the MH around 6 weeks ago and the owner stated that the leak in the roof had been resolved as the ceiling...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Floor thread

Dampness project - Floor now

Hi Funsters Following on from my previous damp project (https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/dampness-project-roof-first.205004/) I am now about to resolve the floor dampness issues on our Bessacarr E795. I am reaching out to the wealth of knowledge in this forum and will again show...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

By the time I’m finished I will have a brand new van!

We have just returned from a weekend away and I could smell the never ending damp in the van, so I thought I would have a look and see what I could find. At first I thought it would only be a small repair. After removing the fresh water tank and the seating at the rear I was left with a blank canvas.

There was tale-tale signs of damp and the smell started to increase as I removed more and more items.

It didn’t take long for it to be groundhog day, damp rising up the wall behind the wallpaper and rotten wood around the edges. A certain amount of deja vu from the flooring project at the front of the van.

I could see where this was going so I cracked on with the removal. The black plastic of shame that was fitted to the Swift’s of this era has again produced the result of not letting the water escape and be able to dry out.

After many hours I have managed to remove one half of the rear, need to leave a little structure in place.

As this is a similar repair to previous I am going to use the same method of repair. Removing 3 pieces of wood and making the whole piece from treated wood. Will need to construct a frame around the end and join this to some good timber left.

all in all a lot of work again on the Bessacarr.

Pretty sure the fresh water tank bung when removed did not let all of the water escape out the back of the van. Over the years the water has built up and the result is a very rotten rear end

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Following this with interest. Best of luck

 

[Argar]

DJL220 Can't believe you're looking at more damp work - still going on our van and I've hit the one year anniversary. Same issue water gets in and there is no way out. To protect the walls Eura Mobil put extruded polystyrene all the way around the bottom of the van - wood above it is rotten on every piece I've got to

Good luck on the repair - I'll be following

 

[Swifter]

I feel sick whenever I see that black vinyl . The worry and work it caused me was crazy.
Good luck

 

[irnbru]

Thats certainly a mammoth looking task youve been doing in your van. Well done for having the guts to tackle it. Have you actually found the source of water entry?

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[gus-lopez]

Good luck with it all.

 

[DJL220]

I feel sick whenever I see that black vinyl . The worry and work it caused me was crazy.
Good luck

Yep I feel your pain too!

 

[DJL220]

Thats certainly a mammoth looking task youve been doing in your van. Well done for having the guts to tackle it. Have you actually found the source of water entry?

I think so on the back end, poor sealing/rubber on the sides. Possible leak from the water filler and defo a leak from the tank went emptying, some going across the whole back end. Will do some water tests before fully fitting the backend

 

[Torq]

I've pretty much all the same repairs as you to do on my 2000 Granduca Pegaso 7 berth. All resulting from a bad roof light repair and poor construction, when the aluminium roof skin was being fitted it was cut up to 2cm too narrow exposing the timber along the top of the offside so when the roof rail seals failed water got in. The top rear offside corner has rotted so much that the wood has turned to compost. Also it'll need a new roof skin as it's full of holes and has detached from the ply underneath, which may actually be particle board!

 

[DJL220]

So a little progress over the past few days mainly working late into the evening. One side is cleaned out and ready for the decent timber to go back in. Weather hasn’t been the best so ducking in and out of showers.

First test fit, using a lap joint and will glue and screw/nail.

Test fit with the ply in place, fairly happy with the fit. Just need to ensure everything lines up before fitting the first halve tomorrow.

Just waterproofed the wood with a first coat of sealer, the outer wood is pressure treated which should give a little extra life. Will join the old and new ply with some filler strips and use some epoxy resin underneath the MH.

Fingers crossed I should be able to crack on this weekend

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[DJL220]

I've pretty much all the same repairs as you to do on my 2000 Granduca Pegaso 7 berth. All resulting from a bad roof light repair and poor construction, when the aluminium roof skin was being fitted it was cut up to 2cm too narrow exposing the timber along the top of the offside so when the roof rail seals failed water got in. The top rear offside corner has rotted so much that the wood has turned to compost. Also it'll need a new roof skin as it's full of holes and has detached from the ply underneath, which may actually be particle board!

I feel for you, when I started on the rear project the timber had also rotted some much it was like compost. Really not sure what was holding the backend together

good luck with your repairs

 

[Torq]

Thanks! Tbh I knew it had issues when we bought it but the price was so good I couldn't let it pass. We got a couple of seasons out of it before the engine dropped a valve. That was 3 years ago and I finally got it back on the road for the summer. With covid, camper prices have gone through the roof over here and when it's fixed it'll be worth over twice what we paid for. The only problem I have is that while I can fit it in the shed, I'm short on space so the classic bmws have to go!

 

[DJL220]

So a little effort over the weekend and one side of the rear now has some structure reinstated. It’s not the whole story as the water has also damaged the side around the locker. That will need repairing after the back has been completed.

Progress shots of the other side which appears to have travelled a lot further up the wall

Above you will see I have cut the plywood along the chassis rail, I will joined the ply by gluing another piece to bridge the gap.

Really damp in this corner and the water in the wood was very apparent. Still not 100% sure if this is due to the water being released out of the tank or if the water is coming in from a failed seal. Will get the hose on the back to check!

In the end I chased the dampness further up the wall, will bring van back to life again

On the flip side the other side is ready to connect back to the chassis and I’m really pleased with how solid the n/s has become.

The underside has been painted black to match the rest of the M/H.

 

[DJL220]

Not had much time over the last week, managed to crack on over the weekend and the light is showing at the end of the tunnel
I managed to chase the rest of the dampness out on the O/S and cut the replacement timbers, painted and added protection too.

pictures of the test fit

Trying to rejoin to the existing timbers with the cross below.

Tonight I managed to install and glue the pieces and the backend is taking shape and is now the most solid since i have owned the van

Just need to clean up the glue, fit some foam, new ply top, ply the walls, wallpaper and fit flooring. Fingers crossed should be done by the weekend ready for our next trip. The final piece of the puzzle is the 18mm ply around the garage door, just need to replace that and I’m done

I have re-engineered the fresh tank outlet so it will no longer leak over the back of the MH, why Swift didn’t do this is beyond me. All it took was some pipe and a jubilee clip, cost less than a few quid!

 

[Jamesh]

Good job!

More solid than new!

Putting another hat on I've never seen those extensions on your table saw before...

Cheers James

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[Swifter]

Brilliant work. You should be very proud. A fellow funster has shared with me a receipt for his repair work on a damp Swift . Absolutely eye watering prices !

 

[DJL220]

Brilliant work. You should be very proud. A fellow funster has shared with me a receipt for his repair work on a damp Swift . Absolutely eye watering prices !

Thanks Swifter
That’s the only reason I am completing the repair work myself. I got quoted around £10k just for labour on a previous project. The wife said we either scrap the MH or crack on
Every time I undertake a project the MH becomes much quieter when travelling, less rattles and background noise.

 

[DJL220]

Good job!

More solid than new!

Putting another hat on I've never seen those extensions on your table saw before...

Cheers James

Thanks James
It’s an old and cheap table saw that keeps on going, they extend out for an extra 300mm on each side. Saved me making an extension table many a time

 

[Grasmere9]

Wow!! I have never seen anything like this! Has anyone ever shown photos to the manufacturers? It's terrible that a vehicle in the UK with it's less than dry weather should be made from so much wood that can rot!

 

[DJL220]

Wow!! I have never seen anything like this! Has anyone ever shown photos to the manufacturers? It's terrible that a vehicle in the UK with it's less than dry weather should be made from so much wood that can rot!

The best or worst thing is the wood was untreated pine

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[StitchUp]

Fitting untreated pine in the build is bl**dy reckless! If it was the manufacturer, they should be named & shamed!

You've done a great job

 

[JockandRita]

Fitting untreated pine in the build is bl**dy reckless! If it was the manufacturer, they should be named & shamed!

Agreed, and they have been named several times..........................but not shamed enough unfortunately.
They didn't earn the model name "Leaky Kontiki" for nothing. We checked out three of them some years ago using a damp meter, and every one suffered damp issues, with one in particular having (just days before) undergone a full habitation check at Broonfools of Newark The private owners were devastated when I showed them the meter readings as evidence, that their pride and joy was soaking wet internally.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Argar]

DJL220 Amazed at how quick you manage to do these repairs - mine seems to have taken me ages!

Well done!

 

[DJL220]

DJL220 Amazed at how quick you manage to do these repairs - mine seems to have taken me ages!

Well done!

I know what I’m doing this time as I have had practice
Plus I need it to be ready for the next trip away!

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I know what I’m doing this time as I have had practice
Plus I need it to be ready for the next trip away!

You are doing an amazing job. Thanks for posting it all up as well

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[Mr Mousy]

DJL220
Fantastic work, enough said

 

[DJL220]

You are doing an amazing job. Thanks for posting it all up as well

When it comes time to sell the MH I can at least prove its not damp

 

[JockandRita]

When it comes time to sell the MH I can at least prove its not damp

You'll not be needing to borrow my meter then?

Just like your your other work, it's a credit to you. If Peter Jones is still in charge at Swift in Cottingham, I could put a good word in for you, if you fancied a job with them?
I'm sure you could teach them a thing or two (and more) about quality and robustness.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[gus-lopez]

Excellent job as usual.

 

[DJL220]

Short on time after work so I have only managed to make and test fit the new boards for the floor. Happy to move forward one step at a time

Staring to take shape and look good - first time in a long while.

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