Water ingress 2004 Swift Sundance 530lp

[Paul.L]

We bought our Swift Sundance nearly two months ago, through a broker (similar vans were £5k more)
We haven't used the van yet, but plan an overnight this weekend.
I decided to remove the loose carpets for cleaning earlier this week. When I went to put the carpets back in, there was water on the floor, near the habitation door, and under the welcome mat tray. (Rain and windy weather for 24 hours)
All water wiped up (mat tray removed/replaced).
I initially put it down to possibly not closing the door properly. Then today, I go inside the van, to be met with the same puddle of water. (We have had heavy rain and winds again)
I have tried to determine where the rain is getting in, and all around the door seal is dry?
Any help/advice will be gratefully received.

Thanks for reading

Paul

 

[Figaro]

Sounds like a seal not making good contact ? Try getting someone to spray a hosepipe on door while your inside.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Just check inside whilst it is raining and see if you can see the leak.

 

[Lenny HB]

Any rooflights in the area?

 

[Paul.L]

No rooflights above, Lenny

Just had a look at the outside of the door.
When the door is closed, it isn't as flush at the top as the bottom. Not by much, but maybe enough to cause a small leak?
Any ideas of habitation doors are adjustable?

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[ambulancekidd]

 

[Ivory55]

Not instant but you can improve the rubber seals by rubbing Vaseline in to them

 

[busbuddy]

Check the bottom edge of the door surround on the van, hard to explain but the part you would stand on as you get in

Swift tend to not use a lot of sealant in the bottom corners where the bottom piece joins the door frame sides

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

If the door is twisted there is no hinge adjustment,you could try to take the door off and "undo the twist by reversing the twisted area, carefully".and fit a rain guard/drip stop

Fiamma Drip Stop 75 Door Guttering | Leisure Outlet

www.leisureoutlet.com

 

[Paul.L]

No rooflights above, Lenny

Just had a look at the outside of the door.
When the door is closed, it isn't as flush at the top as the bottom. Not by much, but maybe enough to cause a small leak?
Any ideas of habitation doors are adjustable?

Got that wrong - top is flush, bottom isn't

Check the bottom edge of the door surround on the van, hard to explain but the part you would stand on as you get in

Swift tend to not use a lot of sealant in the bottom corners where the bottom piece joins the door frame sides

Thank you, makes sense
I'll check it tomorrow (blink twice at 3PM this time of year and it's gone dark all of a sudden!)

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[TDub49]

Does the Sundance have a wooden floor? If so, it might be prudent to look underneath to see if the water that's coming in is not finding its way out through the bolts that hold the step mechanism in place and softening up the floor. It's happened on my Ace Siena and we're now looking at having some floor surgery done to rectify the problem. Still got to find where the water is coming in but I suspect it's down the hinge side of the door.

 

[TDub49]

Does the Sundance have a wooden floor? If so, it might be prudent to look underneath to see if the water that's coming in is not finding its way out through the bolts that hold the step mechanism in place and softening up the floor. It's happened on my Ace Siena and we're now looking at having some floor surgery done to rectify the problem. Still got to find where the water is coming in but I suspect it's down the hinge side of the door.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that we have the same problem with the door - flush at the top and out a bit at the bottom.

 

[Capri Keith]

No rooflights above, Lenny

Just had a look at the outside of the door.
When the door is closed, it isn't as flush at the top as the bottom. Not by much, but maybe enough to cause a small leak?
Any ideas of habitation doors are adjustable?

Hi, it could be the same as on a tread on Friday in motorhome questions. Habitation Door Issue.
Sorry not cleaver enough to attach link.

 

[Lofty1]

The sundance of that era had lots going back for rotten floors due to the outer edges and plastic not being sealed together, get the whole floor checked when we bought a 2007 one years ago all around the step and all under the rear was rotten alas it it to late to claim off swift , but if yours is the same maybe your could go back to the dealer. see

Sundance 630L Rotten Floor​

• Thread starterLes Simpson
• Start dateMay 9, 2016

 

[maison]

We had a similar experience to Lofty1 with an older Swift Sundance.

we were lucky that we had a three month warranty from the dealer. The floor had rotted, for the reasons Lofty1 outlined. The design fault was rectified on later models.

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[Lenny HB]

Not instant but you can improve the rubber seals by rubbing Vaseline in to them

Please don't as that will rot the seals.

 

[Ivory55]

Please don't as that will rot the seals.

How long to rot ?

 

[Lenny HB]

How long to rot ?

Depending on what they are made of, just use silicone grease that won't harm them.

 

[Paul.L]

Tales of expensive damp repairs have now got me quite concerned.
Although we bought the van through a broker, I suspect we should have some consumer protection under the sale of goods act.

 

[grasscutter]

As others have said theSwift vans of this era did have a number of problems with damp floors. Check all floor edges that you can get to close to where they join the side walls.The problem was caused by water ingressing the joins of the side skirts and entering the floor that was made from a laminated plywood. The lamination trapped the water in the plywood. I had a Swift that had to go back to the factory for this
I really hope this is not the cause of your damp and that you can locate the cause. Good luck.

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[Ivory55]

Tales of expensive damp repairs have now got me quite concerned.
Although we bought the van through a broker, I suspect we should have some consumer protection under the sale of goods act.

I don’t think I would be holding my breath

 

[busbuddy]

I would expect a 2004 van, if it had the wet floor problem of that decade, to have no floor left at all by now

 

[Lenny HB]

With water collecting on the top of the floor it's not a damp problem but if it's been happening for a time it could still cause problems with the structure similar to damp problems.

Is the van parked level as I have come across similar problems in new vans when parked on a slope, I think it's due to the door not sitting square in the frame when on a steep slope.

 

[Paul.L]

I would expect a 2004 van, if it had the wet floor problem of that decade, to have no floor left at all by now

The floor feels solid, so I don't suspect it to be rotten

With water collecting on the top of the floor it's not a damp problem but if it's been happening for a time it could still cause problems with the structure similar to damp problems.

Is the van parked level as I have come across similar problems in new vans when parked on a slope, I think it's due to the door not sitting square in the frame when on a steep slope.

The van is on the driveway, which has a slight sideways in line from offside to nearside.

I called the broker, and he is coming out to take a look on Friday

 

[sonar]

I have just cured a slightly twisted door. Swift 2003.
the top was out just enough to let the rain and wind in.

opened the door and trapped in a hose pipe slowly in the bottom of the door.

I had to start off by placing a timber at the top of the door wedged to the floor.
within an hour the door was able to near on shut.
I did not force the door.

overnight is seemed to have worked.

but there are a number of doors that have problems.
mine for example….. I will make another post about it soon

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[gus-lopez]

Why not try a hosepipe?

 

[busbuddy]

Do you have the white rubber trim that covers the gap between frame and wall on inside of van ? You could peel that out to see if there are any traces of water ingress in the wooden door frame in the wall

 

[Paul.L]

Quick update . . .

The broker chap came today to assess the situation.
The rubber seal at the bottom is a bit perished, and needs replacing.
He is going to order 6 metres of rubber door frame seal, way more than enough to replace the entire seal (which I am happy to fit myself)
I'll have a go at adjusting the door to even up the closure too.
If it doesn't cure the problem, they are happy to call in an engineer at their expense.
Feeling a bit more at ease about it now that the broker is happy to help out.