I had this problem when I bought my van at 8 years old. This is a design problem so it’s very likely that others have it too..
The problem is caused by a Water Trap behind the front locker / front bulkhead. Water gets thrown up here from the car when towing in heavy rain…
Fix:
- Treat the affected (and as yet un-affected arear) under the floor with Cuprinol 5 Star. In fact, why not go along the WHOLE of the underside on both outer edges.. See the staining and mould there… it’s getting damp!
- Then after a couple of weeks to dry… Spray the area with Waxoyl… Yes that Waxy stuff to stop cars rusting underneath.. NOT Underseal!!!!
- Spray into all the nooks and crannies especially behind the bulk head.
- Better still – use “brushing” Waxoyl and apply copiously… don’t worry about it running down your arm… it feels horrible, but it will wash off with some detergent – not so easy for your clothes though!
- Then a couple of weeks later – put some more Waxoyl on!
- I also recommend buying some Universal Mudflaps (Ebay!) for around £12, cut these to fit and fix them just behind the wheels by screwing a wooden batten just behind the wheel arch with the mud flap fixed to it using steel repair strips (B&Q). – and they apply Waxoyl.
I can upload photos of this if you really want!
I’d be interested to hear a bit more / see some photos of the area that you are talking about here, and how you accessed the locations to do the fixes.
I also have a Bailey Senator series 6, with some damp in the floor at the front left. I wonder if its the same cause?
Richard I will upload details of my front window repair when I can. Maybe for now I will just upload some photos with a few notes when I have time …
Regarding your damp at the front near the floor – I had damp at the very front (nearside) that appeared to be affecting the side wall at the very front. After much “pondering” – I came to the conclusion that the damp was caused by “poor design / construction” on the part of Bailey! – Look underneath the van where the Front Bulkhead joins the floor – there is a “Water trap” there – any spray from the towing vehicle will get blown up behind the bulkhead into this area – it won’t take much for it to breech….
Cure: I wasn’t impressed with any of the Bailey resilience to water under the sides of the floor at all… I had what appeared to be “mould” along both sides of the floor along the edges of the van – and in the area where the Vans own tyres throw up water from the road directly onto the floor…. So, firstly, I treated ALL suspect / exposed areas with Cuprinol 5* (other wood treatments are available!) – Then once this had had a couple of days dry – there came an even “messier” cure – I liberally coated all “at risk” woodwork under the van with WaxOyl. (no other similar treatment is available!). Its very messy and it keeps running down your arm as you liberally paint it on – you could try the spray – I started with that, but I moved to the brushing stuff after. Work it into all the cracks and build up a good Wax seal to prevent water ingress. I gave it several coats over a few days. I also bought some “universal” mudflaps from Ebay (sheets of Neoprene rubber) and fixed them using some “treated” pine, I cut these flaps to fit behind the wheels and secured them with the wood strip. I will upload photos of the flaps as well when I can. Once you have stopped the cause of the damp, treat the damaged / soft area – the inside walls are “polystyrene” covered with thin wood and vinyl. Use a “hypodermic” with a needle (get a cow one from a farmer or a vet -its bigger than human needle!) to inject Cuprinol 5*, then once dried, get some Cuprinol Rotten wood hardener (its a resin of some sort) and inject that into the soft woodwork – if you don’t wash the Hypo afterwards – you will lose it as the hardener will harden in it!
Another place to check for damp (not the lower damp) is the Seams on the roof front and back. There are Ali strips that go across the van roof – check the seals along the strips and especially where they join the seams at the sides of the van – I recommend using “The Dogs Bollocks” from Evo stick for this – not cheap – but neither is the Caravan! DB is about £10 a tube (Screwfix), it’s clear, it will seal to damp surfaces and it is high quality – it is miles better than simple Silicon Sealant.
Access: Lying on your back under the van! and.. From above via the lockers….
Good Luck and let me know how you get on…
Now I have looked at this reply on my website – I see I have already said most of this before! Ah well – compare the notes!