While I was digesting what I had found inside the caravan I decided that in time I would reseal anything that was mounted on the outside and looked easy to do. I started by looking at the fridge vents.
Notice anything wrong with the bottom vent here?
I didn't until I started looking at the top vent, wondering how difficult it would be to remove as there is the gas burner flue integrated in to it.
It turns out you can just lift out the small part on the end and remove the metal ducting, then unscrew the vent just like the lower one. Easy. Notice the difference in the grills yet? The lower vent (top pic) is upside down! This means that any water hitting the vent is directed inside the caravan as when fitted this way the slats slope down into the caravan. An easy mistake to make, possibly?
I removed both vents so I could clean them up and reseal them. On removal I discovered that there was next to no mastic at all, only remnants of what had once been there. I'm guessing someone has had both vents off to look at the back of the fridge at some point and had no mastic so just put them on and hoped for the best. Either that or they didn't care!
Fortunately it appeared that not too much water had found its way in and although the inner walls were a little damp they weren't rotten. I refitted the vents using mastic tape and they now both look like this, also the bottom vent is now the right way up.
I'm glad I decided to check them when I did or it might have led to more rot inside. Hopefully everything will now dry out behind the fridge and no more water will get in.
Simon.
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