Hi. We have just bought our first caravan. When purchasing, we tested in all the cupboards, as advised, with a damp meter & all seemed ok. However, we have now got a sodden roof & walls! Have resealed skylights & awning rail to no avail & are starting to get very worried that the damage will become too extensive very soon. Ceiling & 1 wall already blistered. Is there any kind of sealant available that we can paint the whole roof with to ensure there are no invisible leaks there.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as at the moment we are in despair & feel that our hard earned savings spent on the van are going to be lost as we wouldn't be able to use or sell on.
When you say you have re-sealed the skylights and awning rails, did you remove them and properly clean all the old sealant off before re-sealing, and what did you use to re-seal?
Hi, if you have just sealed it,in these temperatures it will not dry out until we get some warmer weather and dry air so it might be hard to tell. Best of luck.
I would have concerns about the `outdoor sealant`, as the mastic strips and guns are designed for the purpose (but sikaflex works well too) and shouldn`t be confused with domestic sealants or silicone, which aren`t recommended.
hi,i dont no much about caravans,and having bought a one couple of months,we used damp meter which showed no dampness.we now store it outside but before it was kept in a garage,we are worried about dampness getting in,we are going to buy one of those covers which will hopefully keep it dry through the winter months.what sort of caravan have you bought and how old is it?good luck
We have bought a cover, which hasn't arrived yet but that won't actually solve the problem. The van is a Sprite Challenger & is about 15 y old. I guess we are fighting a losing battle but we have spent a fortune & completely refurbished inside & I am reluctant to just give up.
I'm really looking to see if there is some kind of sealant/paint that we can paint across the whole roof if anyone knows of a suitable one, just incase there is a small leak that we can't spot.
Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest so far - much appreciated.
Hi Kerry , it's more likely that you have water getting in via the skylights / awning rails . Have the skylights / awning rails been removed and resealed ( including sealing the screws that hold them ) . If they haven't and just a bead of out door sealant has been applied this could be the reason why you still have water getting in . Best thing i can suggest at the moment is to cover the caravan with plastic sheeting until the weather warms up a bit , or get the caravan under cover . When you checked with your damp tester did you make sure the probes penetrated the wall board covering ( you sometimes need to file the probe tips to get them needle sharp ) , if they don't penetrate you won't be checking the wood underneath the covering and you won't know if there's damp there . Do have a look around my website and all the links on it to Fixed it Club members sites to see how to go about repairs etc .
If you need any more advice post on here and The Fixed it Club members will be here to help .
We have bought a cover, which hasn't arrived yet but that won't actually solve the problem. The van is a Sprite Challenger & is about 15 y old. I guess we are fighting a losing battle but we have spent a fortune & completely refurbished inside & I am reluctant to just give up.
I'm really looking to see if there is some kind of sealant/paint that we can paint across the whole roof if anyone knows of a suitable one, just incase there is a small leak that we can't spot.
Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest so far - much appreciated.
Try the Caravan Roof Repair website, there is a company specialising in 'LIQUID ROOF' which is absolutely waterproof and will seal cracks/splits etc. its not cheap but think of the cost of a new van roof? and you only need do it ONCE.
Good luck.