VW Trident: Is there a leak under the carpet?

There is a stangely restricted recurring damp patch in/under the carpet of our 2007 Trident, halfway between the two front seats level with the backs of the seats and only an inch in front of where the carpet changes to lino. Does anyone have an idea what this might be please? Taking up the carpet to look seems to be a major job involving removal of the front seats.

Not sure if it is the same but on my Trophy I had very wet carpet around that area and it turned out to be from the Hot water tank, cracked pipe!

...I know it's not much help, but the position you describe is exactly where, on some campervans, the circular alloy disc is, that takes a table leg for an auxiliary table....it is very unlikely, but could a hole have been cut out of the floor for one ?
I know on our T5's the small table is mounted by the door, but maybe a previous owner preferred a central location ?

I seem to remember a thread that was similar to this a while back and I think it turned out to be a windscreen leak. The water ran along the metal floor and soaked the carpet between the front seats.
Typically I can't find the thread now.

finbar

Could your water pump be under one of the seats (I'm not familiar with the layout of the Trident) when we had this problem it was the pump to motor seal that was leaking when under pressure?

Many thanks for the comments so far: we don't have a hot water tank, I'm pretty sure there isn't a table-connection hidden under there, I found that thread about a windscreen leak and we've not got that. Not sure where the water pump is and will look into that. Will keep looking!

Steve Gantlett wrote:Many thanks for the comments so far: we don't have a hot water tank, I'm pretty sure there isn't a table-connection hidden under there, I found that thread about a windscreen leak and we've not got that. Not sure where the water pump is and will look into that. Will keep looking!

Turn on a tap and follow your ears. 

Steve Gantlett wrote:Many thanks for the comments so far: we don't have a hot water tank, I'm pretty sure there isn't a table-connection hidden under there, I found that thread about a windscreen leak and we've not got that. Not sure where the water pump is and will look into that. Will keep looking!

If the T5 trident layout is the same as the T4, the water pump will be mounted in the porta loo cupboard. It's  behind a panel at the rear of the cupboard, held in place by 4 screws.

Well, it seems the water pump is "beneath the rear end of the offside seat" - which is more or less where my damp patch is, but actually the battery is there, so I presume it means that the pump is in this position but UNDER the floor. Does that make sense? If the pump is under the floor, I'm wondering how it could be responsible for damp above the floor? Any more advice much appreciated!

Do the taps and shower run smoothly without sputtering, that would be another potential sign of a leak in the water system?

...on my T5 Trooper (and presumably all A/S T5 vans) the leisure battery is under the drivers seat, and beneath that, under the floor, is the Eberspacher diesel heater....I wonder if any of the pipework or wiring could possibly come in contact with the centre floor, and transmit some moisture ?

Are there any roof vents in that location on a Trident?

My last high-top had a Fanmaster (I think it was called) vent, which from the factory had had a screw driven into the wrong location, causing it to split the vent outer surround - which led to a very slow leak which dripped through onto the carpet. It was so slow that I never saw it drip, but there was a telltale small pool inside the inner frame when I took that off...

I'm confused is this a Trident because I thought they all had a rock and roll bed and a porta potti in the cupboard beside the fridge?  Is it a Topaz?

finbar

 Something to be aware of regarding leaks from heaters and water related things fitted in cupboards or under seats. As I found out Autosleepers fitted the carpets in my Duetto wall to wall then fitted the seats and cupboards. Any leaks then soak into the carpet and as I found out never dry properly and the van floor rots from the inside.
When the body shop did the repairs to mine they took out the carpet under the side seat to weld the floor. It wasn't fit to put back and will stay like that.
I found a leaking heater and pump in the first six months of owning the van but never thought about the carpet you cant see.

It's a 2007 T5 Trident - yes a rock and roll bed (and a porta potti in the cupboard beside the fridge). We completely drained both the domestic water and the waste water yesterday, and again tried to sponge-dry the damp carpet. The van is just standing still on level ground the whole time, and again the carpet is wet this morning. It is raining almost every day at the moment, but I'm darned if I can find where any rain leak is coming from. I think I'm gonna have to give up and pay for a service garage to take the seats out and the carpet up and see if they can find out what is going on.

Steve
I have a T5 Topaz.  We had a water ingress showing below the offside window. Careful examination revealed a window that had not been properly closed. Open the window and ensure that the lower guide groove is clear right to the forward end;  and, ensure that nothing is preventing the window from reaching the forward extremity. Close the window, press firmly from the inside, and then check outside !
Keith
PS My wife has a theory that 'water is very thin' !!!
It can appear on the carpet a long way from the point of ingress .

Just to add my 2p worth...

From all the comments it sounds like you have 2 possibilities:

1. Water coming from under the carpet - leak from the pump etc. I've never needed to track down the pump on our 08 Trident - but I would assume it's in the same place as the T4 (behind the loo cupboard). I really find this unlikely. Leaky battery possibly?? (Although I think you'd smell that!)

2. Water coming from the big skylight.

I personally think the skylight option is much more likely. The front edge must be roughly where the wet patch is.

Why not get a washing up bowl and leave it in the 'right' position for a few days in this rain? You'll soon know whether the water is coming from above or below??

HTH
Steve


Edit: I would have thought that if it is the skylight it 'should' be a relatively easy fix?? Pull the unit out, clean it up, lots of new goo, clamp it all back together...

Water always runs down. good idea to leave a bowl under the skylight. If you can't find the leak from above I advise you to take the carpet up as it could be causing more problems.

Thank you again for all your ideas. I double-checked all the windows and again the carpet is wet this morning. Actually, the skylight wasn't fully tight shut (it is now!) but I really don't think it was coming from there: no signs at all of any dripage from that onto the lino below, from where it would have to have run about 2 feet forward to then run under the metal strip where the carpet starts. I feel sure I would have detected this, but, just in case, I've now put fresh newspaper over all the lino to detect any drips. It must be coming from somewhere!

...how about this to try and find the source - stay in the van for a while, in the dark, and shine a torch on the headlining/skylight area...any drips or runs will show up shiny in the light.
I sometimes use this method to find a dropped contact lens, a torch makes it shine.

Our problem is ungoing, but we are making progress.... Everything has been battened down double-tightly (skylight, windows, fridge vent cover), the fridge has been off, and both the domestic water and the waste water fully drained. The carpet did not get any wetter (just residual damp we keep trying to sponge up) and we went for a 50 mile run in it last week (and have not moved it since). But it rained properly again yesterday, and now that same point at the back of the carpet (between the backs of the two front seats) is noticeably wetter again.
My best guess now is that there might be a slight leak from the windscreen edge, though I can't see it or feel it at all. But maybe we need to 'reseal the windscreen' as someone already suggested. What does this involve? Getting the windscreen taken out and refitted? This sounds expensive and difficult and highly likely to end up being the cost of a new windscreen? Could be worth it though IF it is the source of the leak! Any further advice much appreciated.

A few years ago my car windscreen leaked.
I was 'advised' to break the windscreen and get a new windscreen and rubber fitted on my insurance!!  

PB

Have a look on the VW t4/T5 forum. Do a search in the T5 section for "windscreen leaks".
I never realised that so many T5s leaked. It seems to be a common problem

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Finbar

Wow! Thank you for that, Finbar. I've read through the 8 pages of just one thread, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] , and it looks like my nightmare might have only just begun!

I had a car a few years ago (VW Passat as it happens) that had a leak caused by a  blocked pollen filter., that is just in front of the windscreen, near side. It manifested itself by a very soggy rear n/s footwell - a puddle a couple of cm deep at one stage.

The point being that a damp patch could well be caused by a leak some distance away.