Background
I had noticed over the past 2-3 years there was some slight dampness at the base of the ball just inside one of the entrance doors. I thought it was due to condensation but was always suspicious it may be due to water getting in. Over the winter of 2015-2016 i noticed that the water heater cupboard and door surface was distorted and displayed the signs of moisture damage. I dismantled them in January 2016 and allowed the door to dry out. In the Spring of 2016 i opened up the wall to find out what damage had been done.
On further investigation i found that the swelling and distortion of the inner door surface and the wall panel was due to water being absorbed from the carpet surface. The water was getting in via one or more cracks in the outside door sealing about one third of the way up the side of the door. The water was running down the gap between the metal door frame and it's wooden surround onto the wooden frame at floor level. The carpet is foam backed so the water tends to stay on the top surface and is absorbed by any absorbent material in contact with the carpet, in this case softwood frame parts, MDF and hardboard sheets. The cracks in the external door sealant were temporarily sealed with silicone sealant until more permanent repairs can be carried out.
On further investigation i found that the swelling and distortion of the inner door surface and the wall panel was due to water being absorbed from the carpet surface. The water was getting in via one or more cracks in the outside door sealing about one third of the way up the side of the door. The water was running down the gap between the metal door frame and it's wooden surround onto the wooden frame at floor level. The carpet is foam backed so the water tends to stay on the top surface and is absorbed by any absorbent material in contact with the carpet, in this case softwood frame parts, MDF and hardboard sheets. The cracks in the external door sealant were temporarily sealed with silicone sealant until more permanent repairs can be carried out.
The side wall panel was cut and removed to reveal the damage to the area behind. This picture shows rather a lot of water running down the panel. This was due to the insulation being removed and condensation forming as i was working on this panel in early Spring when it was quite cold outside. However the dark colours of the wood show that water had been getting in. Fortunately the wood dried out very quickly and there was not signs of rot or even the smell of rotting wood.
This picture shows the heater cupboard a few months after the temporary repairs were carried out. The wooden frame parts have dried out and there has been no signs of water getting in again. The wood is still showing stains from the water but there are no signs of rot. The steel staples that have rusted will be removed when the final repairs are completed as damp rotting steel causes accelerated rotting of wood.
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This picture shows the staining to the horizontal and vertical frame parts and proves that the water was coming from the leak(s) around the door frame. The horizontal frame part looks badly damaged but in fact a lot of the discolouring is due to the adhesive that was used to stick the wall panel to the frame.
In this picture the plastic trim has been removed from the door edge to reveal the fixings and gap between the metal door frame and the wooden frame of the caravan. As the sealing on the outside had failed and cracks appeared water was able to run along down the gap onto the wooden frame member at floor level and run along the surface. Of course, the water would run along any frame members that were below the water entry point. Fortunately the amount of water entering was relatively small and it appears it only got in in any quantity when the rain was heavy and driving in a particular direction.
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