# Damp in 4 year old Autosleeper Executive



## Zuma (Apr 29, 2006)

I have recently noticed some staining on the bottom of the wood surround below the bathroom door and kitchen area. I put a damp meter on it which registered as damp being present in a relatively small area. Have any owners experienced this problem. if so could you throw any light on what it could be? Many thanks


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Hi Zuma,

Sorry to here about the damp.

Auto Sleepers are not known for the leaks, in fact the only place I had a leak in a A/S was around a window.

Could it be an internal leak from a waste water pipe? Does your water pump recycle when not being used.

As you say it's in a relatively small area could it be condensation over a long period.

Just some thoughts on the subject.

Don


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

... especially the Executive, which has the monocoque (all in one) body. I would think that if it was leaking, you'd see evidence on the roof lining. As Don says, condensation or maybe water dropping from the bottom of the shower curtain? Any chance of a photo?

Gerald


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Hi Zuma

As Don rightly points out Autosleepers don't leak often and in fact the body cannot leak...but unfortunately they do around the windows and rooflights ..not often I know, but our's has leaked from both a rooflight opening and a side window and the indications you have described are exactly the same as showed on ours...we caught ours early so no damage was done other than a little staining at the bottom of the bathroom door. We still do not know which leak caused the stain at the bottom of the bathroom door frame...but all is dry now, and I check often with a damp meter.

The cure is to remove and reseal the around the rooflight that is leaking.....it could possibly be any of the three nearest ones, I think in a four year old Executive it will have two 400mm rooflights near that doorway and a smaller one in the loo. So it could be the bathroom or kitchen rooflight they are the closest or even the center one that is leaking ...depending on how the van is parked up, the water will have run across the roof panel and then down. I would bet it is the one over the sink , if that one leaks the water can easily run across the panel to the bathroom door. Your damp meter will help in deciding which one is the culprit (if it is sensitive).

Best of luck.......

Mike


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## sergeant (Jun 7, 2006)

Hi Zuma, A little anecdote from the trade to cheer you up before the bad news. Twice over the years i have been working on motorcaravans i have encountered owners with a similar problem. In these two cases the owners were rather elerldy. Both complained re staining of the wood & damp showing on the carpet. Upon entering the vehicles i immediately smelt urine quite strongly, put my nose close to the floor & the smell becme quite pungent, Question to owners- Do you have dogs? Yes they both replied. Well says I, "I suggest you keep a close eye on them when you are travelling because they are using your van as a lampost." Shock horror cant be Fido says them. Within a couple of weeks both sets of owners had the decency to ring & apologise as my diagnosis was correct. Any way to the bad news, Around the outer edge of your floor on the inside there is a gully in the fibre glass moulding a bit like a moat & what this means is that if you have a leak anywhere in the vehicle it tends to show up in the lowest point right where yours has. View critically exactly how it is parked where you normally keep it & bear in mind that water doesnt normally flow uphill. Another irate customer 6ft 5inch threatening me with bodily harm etc over his executive leaking through a skylight reduced to 6inch tall when fault was diagnosed as full gutters on his house allowing the overflow to hit the roof of the van & bounce into his skylight. Remember it might not always be the obvious, Steve


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## 88901 (May 10, 2005)

We had a similar problem with our executive and found that the problem was a partial blocked drain from the tip up sink in the washroom. The sink tips into an open funnel which has a strainer in it, if you wash your hair in the sink, hairs collect and reduce the rate at which water passes down the funnel and into the drain pipe so that a half full sink, tipped up quickly will cause an overflow that goes under the shower tray and wets the carpet and timber around the doorway. Hope the problem is as simple as this
Ray.


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

sergeant said:


> Remember it might not always be the obvious, Steve


Hi Steve

Never were truer words written......

Hi Zuma

In fact since thinking more about where the leak may be....if it is in fact a leak from the outside :roll: I would also check for damp around the bottom of all the window frames. Autosleeper Executives and the other monocoques do sometimes have problems with the fit and water seal especially around the two big side windows. We had a leak from the top of the large side window and if either leak the water entering will track around the frames and then run down the inside of the body (out of sight) and then, as Steve says, it will find the lowest point to run to.

Mike


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## Zuma (Apr 29, 2006)

Many thanks for all your advice. Having spoken to Charles Trevelyan at A/S I have decided to take my vehicle to them for investigation/repair and also to have the windows resealed with the upgraded bigger seals, which will hopefully cure the intermittent leaks from around the frames.

Regards

Mark


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## Zuma (Apr 29, 2006)

Good news, just heard from A/S, rear window and bike rack mounting leaking, no problem to repair. Phew!!!


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## dodger148 (May 9, 2005)

Glad they found your problem for you. 
I was going to suggest looking at the mastic seal around the toilet, Around the time your van was made there seems to have been a few Execs and Talisman that either didnt have any or not enough and if you were a sloppy washer or emptied the sink quickly the splashed water went down the sides or back of the toilet (hope that makes sense!!)


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## Zuma (Apr 29, 2006)

Oh well, finally went to collect van from A/S. To our utter dismay the floor was still registering high damp in the exact spot before the repairs were carried out. The floor was also wringing wet towards the front of the centre aisle and under the seat whre the water heater is situated.

Van left with them for another week, wet in aisle and under seat was caused by failing window to body seal, replaced foc. Van was duly delivered to our home by A/S technician. Both his damp meter and mine used to assess repairs, the carpet in the centre aisle and under seat was bone dry, the original damp area still remained! I spoke to Charles Trevelyan, he expected it to dry out within the week, alsa still damp one week later.

Interestingly, the carpet does not feel damp and when kitchen paper is pressed firmly in this area there is no sign of moisture, I was wondering, do you think that the cooker could be part of the problem ie condensation forming on the metal sides? or could it be damp air filtering through the floor vents? Or could it be that A/S have failed in their efforts to rectify the problem?

The repairs carried out by A/S is as follows:

1. Remove kitchen and water test area
2. Reseal light clusters
3. Reseal bicycle rack fittings
4. Reseal kitchen window to body seal
5. Reseal all window seals

All this for the princely sum of £1002.00!!

I think that a trip to A/S is on the cards, don't you?

All suggestions greatly appreciated

Mark


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## 89564 (May 28, 2005)

I had a problem with damp in my first motorhome and found it difficult to locate the source.

I covered the whole of the floor with Sunday Newspapers and then checked twice a day to see if i could at least locate the area of the floor onto which the water was falling or seeping.This got me to the back offside.

In that instance it was a poorly fitted cycle rack.

Nick


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