4petedaniel Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have a 10 year old Autosleeper Amethyst and we are wintering in Spain where we are experiencing a lot of unexpected rain. But even so I did not expect soaking wet carpets, which I expected had come from the hole I had cut in the roof to install my new Satellite dish. To counter act this I put a water proof sheet over the camper only to find I was even wetter after the next spell of rain. I finally traced the incoming rain was from my fridge inlet on the outside of the van. Now I have had the same type of fridge with the same type of covers on other vans and never had this problem before. Now there must be thousands of these Electrolux fridges fitted Does any one else have the same problem and if so what is the remedy to stop the rain ingress? Petedaniel (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Pete If my past experience of water leaks around windows is any guide, then your problem could well be that the water is getting in via cracked sealer around the vents rather than through the vents themselves. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Are your fridge vents fitted upside down, if they are they will let water in?? *-) *-) *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petedaniel Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 No the vents are ok and there was no wind at the time but the was a quarter of an inch of water under the fridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Are you sure the water is entering via the vents, or are you assuming it must have done so because you found it around the fridge? I assume you will have removed the vent frames by now to look so, assuming you can't see any obviously degraded mastic seals, have a look on the floor for any water/waste pipes that may pass behind/near the fridge. Or, it just might be from the sink, which is often sited near the fridge (or vice versa!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petedaniel Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 There is no doult it is from the fridge vents. there is a lot of water under the fridge I have also asked around the camp site and it seems that i am not alone most of the autosleeper models here have wet carpets and we all suspect the vents the only simmerler van with out wet ingress has taped up the vents as he is only using the electric hook up. and it seems to work but as I need to use gas from time to time it seems I will have to find an other method Petedaniel >:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbow-Chasers Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Have a check on the overflow side of things just in case you have a blockage - bearing in mind the fridge/ice box is turned on and off throughout it's use, there may be a blockage of some kind backing up. If the vent is still and issue, then reseal everything or see a fabricator amount a stainless shroud to fit over it. If that works, you could probably sell them on ebay!! lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob b Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Some fridges have a drain pipe leading from the fridge to a small plastic container to contain the water from condensation.If you remove the vent, you can check it out to make sure that the problem isn't with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Can you turn the vent away from the rain, or get into a sheltered position? Not a permanent solution, but it might help. These vents are generally very good, and do not allow ingress. However, persistent driven rain must, inevitably, splash through eventually: they are vents. I know you've already satisfied yourself it is the vents, but could it possibly be the habitation door seal, or a loose door hinge? The door is beside the fridge and, as the fridge is a wheel arch model (so far as I can see), I would have expected the water to run off the wheel arch in several directions causing more widespread wetting than you seem to be indicating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE SHEPHERD Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Sorry to hear of your trouble. I have had a number of Auto Sleepers and sadly they all let water in at some stage,but even so I have just got another used one. When you've found the problem and the cure, it will still be a little cracker. TS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petedaniel Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 I have now taped up the vents and it seems to have solved the problem .at least while i am not using gas But it would seem to me that there is a mager flaw with the manufactur as the vents point up and down on tne gas outlet vent and it is the same with the other autosleepers that I have checked and the also have a wet carpet problem Petedaniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philjp Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Check out this site http://www.tribby.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=262 Some of us Tribby owners have had the same problem Especially in high winds and heavy rain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 We use vent covers in the winter months! they are standard I think as these we had on our Avondale Caravan and they fit our Kontiki! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 We have an Autosleeper Talisman which was bought because of it's 'Monocoque' construction and almost watertight reputation. The Electolux/Dometic fridge vents are a weak point especially if it is raining and the wind is in the 'wrong' direction but easily fixed with Winter vent covers which have cured the water ingress for us. :D :D Available here; http://www.waudbys.co.uk/?search=winter+covers&x=23&y=10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Use the vent covers that is what they are for.....irrespective of running on gas or electric. The cover's do not block the gas exhaust *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Regarding the fridge vents, I do not know the vehicle in question. But surely its reasonably easy to make a small awning type of cover just for wet weather and fix it above and surrounding the vent as required with plastic tape, the sections could even be made from cardboard and covered with parts of a Tesco plastic carrier bag, all cut up and stuck together with tape. Go to your local school and ask them they are always making shapes. I'll bet you it wouldn't happen to me more than once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 4petedaniel - 2009-01-08 3:53 PM I have now taped up the vents and it seems to have solved the problem .at least while i am not using gas But it would seem to me that there is a mager flaw with the manufactur as the vents point up and down on tne gas outlet vent and it is the same with the other autosleepers that I have checked and the also have a wet carpet problem Petedaniel Sorry but why do they 'point up' air will get in anyway and as gas is heavier than air surely the vent's should point down! Can they be turned around? Regards Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petedaniel Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Help some one out there must have had a similar problem there as me and one other Autosleeper a Talisman mine is a Amethyst same body on this site in Spain and we both have the same problem water leaking into the van I have put a cover over the roof I have taped up the fridge vents and I have sealed up the windows but I still get a wet wall and carpets. The wet wall is along side the gas bottle storage which is bone dry, The Talisman gas bottle storage is much nearer the cab, I am certain that it is not the gas storage where o where is it coming from? Petedaniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Can you post any pictures, to give a better idea of what is wet, and where? Remember, we do not all have Amethysts, or even Autosleepers, so we do need some guidance.For example, I have no idea of the relationship between window, gas locker, and fridge, so cannot visualise where water entering through any of these might get to. Also "carpets" and "wall" are not very helpful descriptions of where the surfaces are which are wet.All I can say at this stage, is that water will tend to go straight down from its point of entry. As a start, if there is water on the floor, look above the wet patch. If a wall is wet, begin looking higher up the wall for the source of the leak. It is seldom quite so straightforward, but water doesn't go up unless it has something absorbent to draw it up, and it seldom travels very far sideways unless there is some kind of channel. However, as vans have two surfaces separated by insulant, it is possible for the water to emerge on the inside, some way from (though always below) where it is getting in on the outside.I know it may sound silly, but the rain is outside, so that is where the water has come from. Unless there are holes in the side/roof of your van, therefore, it will be coming in through a cable entry, rooflight, window, door, or some other hatch or grille.Have you an awning? Have you checked that the awning attachments are all secure and sealed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Is it 'water ingress' or 'condensation' ?????????? Something to think about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Pat, I think when petedaniel refers to gas vent pointing up-wards he may be refering to the 'chimney' from the gas burner, not a gas 'vent' ? What do you say pete? Do you have any rethink about that? I have had heavy condesation from my freezer compartment and my aircon unit, it may be worth your time to check that theory out, better than a wet carpet followed by floor rot. Best of luck, it will keep you out of mischief while waiting for the spring......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAS Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Hi Pete, Since having our Tally 4 years ago we have suffered 2 horrendous leaks. The 1st one coming in from the offside picture window that ran behind the driver seat, soaked half of the gangway carpet and ran across the back of the passenger seat. The second one entered the body through a hole behind the back bumper which was a manufacturing fault that hadn`t been finished off properly. I noticed this one when looking in the floor level cupboard under the sink & found it all wet. It also wet the carpet near the step and was heading towards the fridge. If you`ve got a leak near the fridge & the vents are fitted the right way up don`t automaticaly assume the obvious as Autosleepers first thought our rear leak was coming in through the kitchen window. Check everywhere floor level as these vans have a bad habit of springing leaks around the windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 'Winter covers' for Electrolux/Dometic refrigerator ventilation grilles are intended to limit cold airflow across the rear of the fridge when the outside ambient temperature is below 8°C. The covers are also recommended for use when a leisure-vehicle is taken out of service for an extended period. Fitting covers should provide useful protection against heavy rain being driven through the ventilation grilles by strong winds, but, if stormy weather is combined with a hot ambient temperature, the fridge's cooling performance may be reduced while the covers are in place. Electrolux/Dometic ventilation grilles are designed to shed water well. If it were possible to fit a grille upside-down, then it would certainly let in rain with a vengeance. However, to permit this to happen would mean that the bodywork-mounted frame to which the grille is attached would also need to have been installed inverted and the chances of that happening are minimal. When an upper ventilation-grille includes an outlet for the fridge's gas flue, a casual inspection may give the impression that the small section of the grille-frame that carries the flue-extension can easily let in rain, but closer study should reveal this is unlikely to happen. All contemporary Electrolux/Dometic ventilation grilles are created equal, so grilles fitted to a 1998 Amethyst will be identical to grilles of the same type fitted to all other motorhomes of that era. If lots of rain were entering through Amethysts' grilles then, logically, it ought to be entering through the grilles of thousands of other motorhomes and there seems to be no evidence this has been occurring. There is the possibility that development has made current Dometic grilles more rain-resistant than those of a decade ago and, if it could be established with certainty that, on an older motorhome, water was managing to enter through a grille, replacement with the latest type might prove worthwhile. It's tempting to guess that, because some of the Auto-Sleepers models that have been mentioned in this thread have monocoque bodywork, this construction method might be significant. As has already been advised, it's much more likely though that the leaks are the result of sealing around windows, doors, hatches, grilles, fixings, etc. having failed due to sealant degrading over time and/or sealant not having been adequately applied in the first place. Browsing through internet forums that have dedicated Auto-Sleepers sections indicates that the company has a far from perfect record when it comes to water ingress, particularly (as SAS warns) where window-sealing is involved. It would be unfair to claim that A-S motorhomes are any worse for this than vehicles from other manufacturers, but, for anyone considering buying an A-S motorcaravan, when it comes to 'watertightness' it might be wise not to place too much faith in Auto-Sleepers' reputation for high build-quality or on the vehicle having a one-piece bodyshell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 4petedaniel - 2009-01-13 3:13 PM Help some one out there must have had a similar problem there as me and one other Autosleeper a Talisman mine is a Amethyst same body on this site in Spain and we both have the same problem water leaking into the van I have put a cover over the roof I have taped up the fridge vents and I have sealed up the windows but I still get a wet wall and carpets. The wet wall is along side the gas bottle storage which is bone dry, The Talisman gas bottle storage is much nearer the cab, I am certain that it is not the gas storage where o where is it coming from? Petedaniel Pete, I have an Autosleeper Talisman, If you have the 'Sliding Type' large side windows ? these are a weak point for potential water leaks. They use a 'wet trough' system with drain holes in the outside of the window frame, which often block up allowing the water to run INSIDE the van, the water usually shows itself in the underbed lockers....but if there was enough, it would wet the whole carpet. Thats why Autosleeper EVENTUALLY went to 'Top Hung' conventional side windows. Worth a check anyway, can't say mine has leaked anywhere else. once we fitted the 'winter fridge vent covers' . Good luck. :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petedaniel Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Can you enlarge on the leak from the window. as it is very wet just below the lefthand side window, and even though I have put tape around the window I still suspect it is coming in from there, as the wet patch starts imedditatly below the window and spreads out to almost half the carpet. if you have had a simler problem how did you find it and how resolve it? The windows are the large picture type Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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