Awning Rail- Removal

The awning rail on this caravan is in two halves, because of the damp ingress, it’s the rear half that will have to be sealed first, after the damp has been seen to.

Length of awning rail is 8.5m, thankfully it comes off in two halves, the join is above the large window.	Does not look very neat as the black plastic pieces do not meet, will have to try and rectify that.	Behind this section is the damp, nothing apparent from the outside.
Plastic trim has to come out first, start with a screwdriver it just pulls out.	All the screws have rusty heads.	Extra holes in the rail, must have been sealed before, holes without screws have sealant in them.
Condition of the screws, some had rusty shanks.	Working by myself, started at the join in the middle, just came away, took no effort.	Once started it came away easily.
Condition of the old sealant,the rusty bit in the centre is a nail which is used to tack the roof to the side before sealing.	Damp patch behind here, water went past the screw.	Get as much off with a scraper then use white spirit to soften, keep doing it, until clean.
All sealant removed, using a stainless steel nail to pin the roof to the side, the damp repair is behind here.	Backside of the awning rail, this side goes against the van, note the screw hole in the top channel.	Profile of the rail, top is to the right.

 Page Created 7th March 2007