In Hot Water

About 5 weeks ago we noticed that one of the cupboards under the bench seats had water in it, unfortunately the one where we store various papers, as well as the pc and printer. We got everything out and spread it around to dry, and tried to figure out where the water was coming from. Given the hot water service is housed at the end of this cupboard it seemed like a pretty good assumption that this was leaking, although we couldn't find from where. We booked the van in to the local caravan repair place and a couple of days later hitched up first thing and took it over there. Less than 2 hours later they rang to say it was done, and when we picked the van up we were told that they had replaced a faulty valve. We kept an eye on the cupboard for a few days but it seemed to stay dry so we repacked it.

2 weeks later when we next had reason to access the same cupboard we found that once again everything was wet. It was a few days before the caravan repair place could fit us in, this time they decided that rain was leaking in from around the plate in front of the hot water service, and resealed all around it while we waited. We were a bit suspicious that this could be causing the amount of water that we were finding, and sure enough within a week there was once again water evident in the cupboard. Back we went to the repair shop, this time they kept the van for several hours and claimed that it definitely wasn't the hot water service, but that the water was leaking in from somewhere outside, origin unknown. In order to pin it down they said they'd have to keep the van for several days and remove the windows, the tail lights and all edge seals to find what was wet underneath. However, they wouldn't be able to fit us in for several weeks.

Given we need the van to live in, we are leaving Albany next week, and we still have misgivings as to whether the cause isn't the hot water service after all, we declined the offer to book the van in. Assuming we ever get more than a day or two without rain (hopefully once we leave Albany if not before) we should hopefully have more evidence as to whether the fault is a leak from outside or not. We will then book the van in for repair somewhere in Sydney, which we intend to reach at the end of March, and try and cadge a bed from relly's there for a few days. Meanwhile we have to try and find somewhere else to store the things that normally live in that cupboard!

Note that we have updated the itinerary below up until we reach Darwin, where we intend to spend the winter months this year.