Karosser Rot

[Sheriff]

The mount for one of my front legs was a bit wobbly so I sent it to my tame fabricator to beef up a bit, and this is the email he sent me after he'd looked at it:-

OK so the not so great news, after removing the RH front leg mount it became clear why it was struggling to do it's job. There is a leak that has gone unnoticed for some considerable time which has caused all of the wooden structure in that corner to rot away (see photos). The vinyl lining on the inside and the aluminium on the outside covered the problem so there was very little evidence what was going on out of sight and the water could not escape. There were pieces of timber sandwiched in the structure to reinforce it around the mount. I have removed all of the rotted wood in the area and will replace it and bond/screw it all back together. So basically I am making progress but the job is a bit bigger than hoped.

Bit of a worry, you never know what horrors are lurking beneath the surface.

[rubberrat]

That's worrying, from the experience of SKarosser owners compared to other makes, these seemed to be the one that didn't suffer from water ingress. Maybe we should look at one of the pro damp meters the dealers use.

The water fill point is in that corner isn't it?, wonder if a failed seal there could be the culprit?

[zildjian]

Nobody's safe eh, and I just yesterday ordered a damp meter as well, I was obviously going to check our own camper first but i'll bring it along in June and we'll have a grand day examining one another's pride & joy for water ingress,

Maybe we can make it into a competition!

On a slightly serious note again though, as Mark noticed, that is an area where water is intentionally tipped in,
And RichC's apollo had a little problem with its water filler system so it might be as well we all have a look/sniff for damp

[Mike]

Seems none are exempt from the damp, good luck with the repair

[zildjian]

Looking again at pictures though I notice the filler inlet to freshwater tank appears much lower than the wet-damaged area,

Ingress must surely have been either at the mounting bracket or above it,
and your man mentions glue+ bond that area only so I suppose that likely means the bracket fixings really.

Guessing only but if it had been loose for awhile, following a knock or something, water might get in through unsealed bolt holes and exacerbate it till it became 'wobbly'
either way fortunate (if that's the term) you found out at home.

[Peaky]

Looking again at pictures though I notice the filler inlet to freshwater tank appears much lower than the wet-damaged area,

You'll notice that the water hose has been unclipped from it's normal position. This is due to the clean strap marks on the hose. It has then been pushed through the anchor point access hole temporarily. The leak may have been around the filler cap, as we all just leave the hose pipe wedged in & running

[rubberrat]

We do, I always left it running until it overflowed, than dropped some out with the release valve so it didn't slop into the buck through the overflow tube (and that's where I keep my folding chairs - Iv'e endured damp chairs more than once ) but I won't be doing it again.

[zildjian]

Well I went all over interior of ours with damp meter at weekend,
Results appear good anyway with only one area indicating anything over 1% in moisture.

This was immediately behind mixer tap so possibly steam related from washing up?

We have a guide we'll post up of acceptable levels, I didn't have that to hand before I started so only from a point of.....

Poke it into tree trunk= 32%
Spike myself = 22%

Not very scientific but needed some idea, without a member of Caravan Club within reach I wasn't able to establish benchmark of wetness

[zildjian]

So....
Readings between (0-15%) no cause for concern
Readings between (15-20%) dealer to make a note of these readings and re-check at next service.
Readings between (20-24%) possible early signs of ingress, look for tangible evidence or ask for a re-check.
Readings between (25-30%) moisture evident, remedial work required; may not need stripdown unless surface damage (staining, pimpling, and softness) is apparent. (There is a risk of wallboard deterioration due to retained moisture in the structure if resealed only.)
Reading (31 % and above) structural damage is occurring, deterioration inevitable. a full stripdown of the affected area is required.


As I say i'll bring it with me in June so you can have a go yourselves

[Sheriff]

That's better....