Awning Rail C Channel

The all too familiar phrase of 'Buyer beware' was as usual, not taken much notice of. That advice is what we give others, not what we do. The 10 year old ABI Marauder seemed like a bargain at just over £4000 including awning plus a load of extras. No bvious signs of damage. No musty smells and an assurance by the private seller that it had been serviced last year and there was no problem with damp. (I did ask). To our untrained and overly eager eyes it was well worth spending all of our savings money. My Wife's dream of a caravan realised. Arrangements were made for storage (our drive's too small), the cash handed over and away we went. Further scrutiny when we got it back revealed nothing bad. It was the following weekend that we ventured out with it. Everything worked as it should. Water, gas and electrical units as per text book. Awning was in great condition with no tears or really bad staining. All in all a great first time caravanning.

I went to the storage compound a day or two after we'd parked it back there, to put some of our essentials in the Van. (The stuff we forgot on our first time out). It had been raining quite heavily the previous day but it didn't cause concern as it had rained when we were out in it and there were no obvious signs of water ingress or damp. With our own limited experience of the caravan and believing what the seller had told us, there was no reason for the thought to enter my head.

- Caravan Awning Rail Repair

I was rummaging around inside the front external locker when I first spotted the signs; crumbs of rotted wood beneath the front down spar. Closer inspection revealed a not insignificant missing section of wood beneath the aluminium sheet that covered it. The edges of the wood I could feel were sodden and crumbling away. That area below the panel had been cleaned up so no telltale signs were present at the time of sale to betray a problem without very close scrutiny (or to someone with more sense). 55 years of age and still getting stitched up!

Wizards Caravan Repair

Caravan Awning Spares Second Hand Poles Clips Rail Sizes

First thoughts: We're stuffed! How big is the problem? How much will it cost to repair? Can it be repaired? Should I hire a hitman? In short, total panic. Numerous hours of searching the net produced scary results. Professional repairs are not cheap and because of the nature of the beast, you cannot be given a proper estimate until the caravan has been completely checked from stem to stern. Could be something, won't be nothing. Big money we do not have.

Much whingeing, worrying and discussion between my Wife and I followed the next few days and to be perfectly honest I didn't have a clue where to start. That was until I came across the forum section of the website'caravaning4u'. The section titled 'Caravan repairs and maintenance' is a mine of information and like all the other sections of the site, is full of people only too glad to freely give their advice and experience. It was via one of the 'Damp' topics that I got in touch with Wizard and his website here. Part of the 'Fixed it' members group of 'UK Camp Site' who have taken the time and trouble to document their work for all to see. And I thought I had problems??? After reading and seeing how others had overcome real problems I got in touch with the main man, the Wizard. With his advice by Email (He did offer to come and look at it but I am too far away from him. Great bloke) and using the links to the sites of the others who have detailed their repairs I quickly realised that my 'end of the World scenario' was a trifle overstated. Ours, hopefully, was a minor problem in comparison of the others and with the help available we could sort it out without any major outlay of money or too much work. I had to uncover the true extent of the problem before I could start to repair and remedy the situation. The problem area seemed to be confined to this first spot I had found. The opposite side of the bulkhead was sound and free from damp. Also there were no signs of heavy damp or water ingress inside the van. I did get low readings on the damp meter from the inside the van in the area immediately behind the bulkhead section. That is the lower corner of the nearside through the wall panel. The aluminium sheet covering the known damp area in the bulkhead was first to be removed.

You can see the top layer of timber covering the insulation has discoloured with damp. Thankfully it started to harden out as it got higher. The damp (water) appears to have collected in the lower section and began its rot from the end upwards. The section 18" or so from the floor is reasonably sound. Likewise as it enters the main framework of the van.

Ray's Caravan Repair - Caravan Awning Rail Repair

Awning Rail 1.2m Long

The advice from the Wizard and others was to check the usual suspects, that is: Any damage to the external bodywork of the caravan itself - Window seals - Doors - in fact any exposed joint or seal. Nothing obvious there, move onto our prime suspects, the rails. Awning rail (numero uno) and the rails covering the other panel joints on the exterior. From the photos I sentthe Wizard he was fairly certain the awning rail was the problem. Wizard then gave me detailed instructions on how to start. No easy way to do this. From the location of the damp it was almost certain as Wizard had said, that the water was coming in from under the awning rail. It had to come off. (Fears of tackling such a job can be allayed by checking out the work the others have completed using the links at the bottom of this page). The caravan had to be brought home, tight driveway or not. Too much work to be carried out at the storage yard and I needed the electricity for my tools. It was a squeeze and the van had to be manually pushed in A frame first so I could have access to the suspected side. Before starting work: The essential list of items I would need to eventually replace the front awning rail section which would be the first point to check. These included 1 tube of 'Seamseal', a non-drying sealant (really messy stuff). A 5 metre length of 32mm Caravan Mastic strip. 2 tubes of 'Sikaflex' sealant and a box of screws ('Spax' 3.5X30mm from B&Q). Rolls of 2" duct tape, Ronseal Wood Hardener and White Spirit. Cost: just over £20 in total. The awning rail is in two sections on our caravan and I was hoping that by removing the front piece I could find and fix the immediate problem without taking the whole thing off. First off the plastic piping covering the screws of the rail was eased out as far as the awning rail joint, mid-way along the top side.

Removal was easier than I expected thanks to the fact that the screws were not too badly corroded and came away without damage. The rail came cleanly away without problem. Note:This a definitely a two person job. All too easy to bend the rail if you try and do it alone. The slap-dash way the mastic had been originally applied to the point where the rail curves down toward the front was apparent as you can see in the photo. Gaps everywhere!

- Caravan Awning Rail Repair

The rust stains from the staples can be seen forward of the first lean area indicating the start of the water ingress.

Gap In Awning Rail Sealant

Pcs Stainless Steel Awning Rail Stoppers Silver 6mm Stops Motorhome Campervan Caravan

Awning rail removed, the true extent of the problem is revealed. This is the section just back from the start of the downward curve. Again, rusty staples below the patchy mastic betray the water entry points.

- Caravan Awning Rail Repair

The cleaning of the old mastic and sealant wasn't as much of a problem as I thought it was going to be (the way it was originally applied helped a bit;>). Using a paint scraper first and then wiping the area down with a rag soaked in White Spirit had the area clear in a couple of hours. Note on White Spirit: Never knew why they called it that, being a clear liquid. Clear that is until it dries out. White patches all over the van where I'd put my mitts! Windows, walls and anything else I touched. It's the same with me cooking, more mess than the worth of it. Anyway, the muck removed I could see obvious areas where water could get in. Sickening to think that the lack of attention to detail by the makers of the caravan during the original build. You can see from the photos below the 'hide it and be damned' mindset. In theory, very little if any, sealant should be

Awning C Rail

- Caravan Awning Rail Repair