Hi fellow Eriba owners,

Newbie here and my first post, so a big hello to you all.

‘Eric’ is my 2011 Troll 530 GT, which I have owned for 2 years.

On the weekend I gave Eric a good clean following his winter hibernation (caravan left out in the elements with no cover). All good but on opening the two seating storage areas at the front, I noticed the floor towards the front paneling on both sides was wet to the touch. The storage items in there also showed signs of dampness/water staining where they had been in contact with the floor. Looking at the inside paneling higher up around the front windows, there is water staining (almost) all-round one of the windows , nothing around the other.

At the front of the caravan, I understand the potential leakage points to be the window seals, window attachment fixing locations and the awning rail. There does appear to be some black sealing compound that has oozed out between the rail and the body – it doesn’t look pretty but it may be doing the job. Now for my questions:

1) The window sealing is the obvious first place to inspect, but how best can I determine where the water is entering? Any pointers? I want to avoid soaking the outside front of the caravan with a hose if I can.
2) Are these jobs a DIY fix or are they best left to a specialist? I’m reasonably competent with repairing stuff and not near any Hymer/Eriba dealers as I’m based in West Wales, but I would imagine any certified caravan fitter would be able to assist.
3) If I do decide to tackle the job myself and depending on what I find, should the new window seal be bonded in with Sikaflex 522 (or similar compound)? Is this easier performed with the window removed? What is the preferred method of resealing the awning rail to the body (Sikaflex 522 or similar compound, or sealing strip) and does just the front corner to corner section of the rail come off? Similar for resealing the window fixing location to the body.
4) Any other parts/materials I would need to buy for the above jobs and where from?
5) Can the water staining on the internal paneling around the window be removed by cleaning or how can the surface be re-made 'as new'?

Apologies if my questions have been covered before, I did have a quick search but didn't find a suitable thread.

I have got a Protec outdoor cover on order which will help but I would like to resolve Eric’s water ingress issue before taking him out and about.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

Cheers,
Rob.

We had water ingress round one of our front windows which turned out to be caused by the awning rail rather than the window rubber. We didn’t feel competent enough to tackle the repair,, there are folk on here who will. From West Wales you are not a million miles from John England, a member on here, who did our repair. He is an Eriba specialist with a lot of experience. Would recommend him without hesitation.
No doubt the technical experts will be along shortly to give you advice if you do want to DIY.
We have lived with staining, short of replacing the board there’s not a lot else you can do, unless you want to paint the whole interior.

Hello Rob, When Erica (yes, ours a she) got a light leak below one of the windows, we thought it would be an expensive job, but turned out easy to repair. We had a look at the rubber around the window and noticed it was very green and quite a few surface cracks. So with nothing to lose, we scrubbed around the rubber seal and removed all the muck. We let it dry and then decided to put some silicone on it and see if that made the rubber more pliable. We left the window wedged open for a couple of days and hey presto, the rubber seal looked like new. We gently closed the window and waited until it rained again....and wow, no rain inside. So each year we spray all the rubbers with the silicone, leave a day and then close the windows and to date have not had a problem.
If you are unlucky and require a new seal, this company does most makes...there are thousands.
https://www.sealsdirect.co.uk/shopping.a...Zrfq4VJeJ2w#125
The silicone we use is this.. as we also use it on the slide mechanism of the loo.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thetford-Seal-L...%2C155&sr=8-104

Regards Chris

Your windows will be the opening type which will be the easiest seals to change out. Was your van stored level or at an angle, water may have found a way in rather than just dropping off?

These guides will help you if you want to change your seals.

Replacing window rubbers step by step guides

Try Captain Tolleys creeping crack cure. Available on e bay or most chandlers stores.
We had water pouring in our rear window on our 2017 Triton whilst on holiday in Norway , caused by poor fitting of the window seals after the recall
Bought a bottle of the creeping crack cure at a local chandlers as I had left my bottle at home.
Run it around the window seals and any suspect joints.
Easy to apply. It displaces water and seals the leak.
Great stuff. The leaks did not re appear after 3 years use.

Thanks for all the replies. I've had a further look at the awning rail and window seals. The only location that looks a bit iffy is where the awning rail profile transitions across the front, centre-point of the caravan (above the centreline of the windows). The rail is ever so slightly proud of the body where it changes direction and the sealant is questionable. I think I will give that crack sure a go and see what happens.