Water in Bed Ends

[andrewghamilton]

Hi folks

I'm a new expanda owner - a second hand 16 49-3 and I opened it today to a funny smell - patted the back canvas and discovered a heap of water had got in. The seals look ok, but obviously we are beginners at folding the beds up and must have done something wrong.

Anyone got any tips from your own experience with this?

 

[Drover]

Heap of questions for you @andrewghamilton ,
1. was it packed away wet ?

2. Dry packed and stored during rain or driven while raining ??

3. New from yard and just discover this ??

Now first off open the whole thing up so it can air dry, remove mattress , when dry inspect mattress and canvas for any mildew, while your waiting for it to dry, (will be a few days) look for any snail trails in the dust if not then: when all dry clean the whole area around the lid, close everything up but before you close the lid run some chalk ( builders line marking is good ) around the rubber seal, you can also put a very light smear of olive oil ( very light) on the panel, close lid, no pressure, then open, you should have a nice chalk mark on the panel side , if not then thats your leak point.....next up to prove the concept rechalk, secure lid and run a hose, not big pressure over the lid area, when its run off open up and have a look, what you can see should tell the story.
More than possible that the leak is at the end of hinge/body seal area and will require a replacement of the foam rubber section.......the hinge itself shouldn't leak but the ends will allow run off to get around the seal.

 

[andrewghamilton]

Thinks for the reply

- packed up dry
- it's new to us but was all good when we opened it a week ago. It has rained hard in the last week and I smelt it when I opened the door today to put some gear in there.
- it is a 2008 without hard lids
- spoke with the previous owner who hasn't had it happen so I guess I'm doing something wrong in pack up - or the rain just hit at the right angle...

Thanks for tips on locating - will give it a go tomorrow. All is drying out now.

Heap of questions for you @andrewghamilton ,
1. was it packed away wet ?

2. Dry packed and stored during rain or driven while raining ??

3. New from yard and just discover this ??

Now first off open the whole thing up so it can air dry, remove mattress , when dry inspect mattress and canvas for any mildew, while your waiting for it to dry, (will be a few days) look for any snail trails in the dust if not then: when all dry clean the whole area around the lid, close everything up but before you close the lid run some chalk ( builders line marking is good ) around the rubber seal, you can also put a very light smear of olive oil ( very light) on the panel, close lid, no pressure, then open, you should have a nice chalk mark on the panel side , if not then thats your leak point.....next up to prove the concept rechalk, secure lid and run a hose, not big pressure over the lid area, when its run off open up and have a look, what you can see should tell the story.
More than possible that the leak is at the end of hinge/body seal area and will require a replacement of the foam rubber section.......the hinge itself shouldn't leak but the ends will allow run off to get around the seal.

 

[Drover]

Oh, I just assumed hard lid, hopefully the tips may still apply.....but most important dry it all out, if any mould present brush off then apply a mild nappy san sort of stuff over it, not strong, when dry again give the canvas both sides a good spray with water proofing the same stuff that you spray a Drizabone, usually a white liquid in a hand spray bottle, good price actually at Annaconda , which surprised me............I dose mine at least once a year and it keeps me dry, you need to give it a drenching first time then just a quick spray will do.