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Topic: Damp Repair -Sterckeman Starlett

mbbc

05/10/2014 at 9:52pm
Location: Manchester
Outfit: Sterckeman Starlet

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Hi, this is my first post. I've just bought a secondhand caravan and been advised that it has damp. I am trying to work out how the water got in, how bad the problem is and how much to take on myself as a DIY project. All of the affected areas are at the back of the caravan. There is a soft area under one of the windows and some areas of what look like bubbles under the covering paper but these bubbles are hard. My guess is that there has been a water ingress problem in the past and it has been cheaply sorted and the panels dried out but not replaced. I've added pictures in my profile. It looks like I am limited to 3 pictures and it shrinks them to low resolution. Anyway, is anyone familiar with fixing damp issues in this range of caravans and can someone recommend someone reliable in the Manchester area to get a quote from? Thanks!

bill60

05/10/2014 at 11:07pm
Location: cleveland
Outfit: freelander2 GS compass rambler 18 6

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The water could be getting in from anywere starting with the awning rails or any metal strips that hold the window in place or used to cover joint's on the outside panels or lose rear grab Handel's ,if you are OK at diy its not hard to repair it yourself ,have a look for the fix'd it club on here and see how other people have repair"d their caravans 'I am in the middle of repairing a twenty year old van for my daughter and son in law that has damp problems ,just take a few photos as you take it apart so you have some idea how things go back together once you removed the rotten wood etc and use silafix512 to reseal the caravan not household sealant from b and q etc has the type of sealant won't last more than five minutes before your caravan starts leaking again

normal household sealant as this no good for caravans

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Freelander2 GS new tow
car

Ludovine

06/10/2014 at 8:05am
Location:
Outfit:

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How much do you want to spend? Nowhere competent will charge less that £50/hr+vat & repairs are time comsuming, so £500 upwards. If you want to diy then you have a choice of a quick job on outside sealing seams & behind window rubber with Sikaflex512 or similar PU sealant as suggested or stripping inside area completely replacing with new materials & resealing outside by removing trim first.

Your caravan is of conventional construction so repair method will be same as any other make. Click links on this website to get an idea of the work involved.

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Freeman on the land.

mbbc

23/10/2014 at 9:08pm
Location: Manchester
Outfit: Sterckeman Starlet

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Thanks for the responses. I've done a bit of poking around and, whilst I have found some black soft bits of wood, I haven't found anything really scary yet so I am going to hold off until I have some more time.

I guess that the rubbers will need replacing or resealing and some of the wood panels will want replacing.

blitey

26/10/2014 at 8:00pm
Location: Wolves
Outfit: Stirling Elite Searcher & BMW X5

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Hi there, i feel your pain, we bought a second hand caravan early on in the year to discover the wall behind the toilet was riddled with damp,i did't take on the job myself but gave the WORK to an approved caravan workshop in Staffordshire, in the end they had to remove the toilet,replace timbers and wall boards, the total cost was £650....all is ok now.

i can give you their details if you wish there about 10 mins from junction 12 of the M6.

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A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never quite sure.

mbbc

26/10/2014 at 9:38pm
Location: Manchester
Outfit: Sterckeman Starlet

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Hi Blitey, thanks for that but Stafford is too far away and I need to get the hang of towing it first as it's a big jump in size from my old Dandy.

Anyway, next job on the list is two new tyres and then I'll have a go at reversing it and taking it around the block.

I'm quite encouraged by the fact that what I thought was a big horizontal solid rotten structural cross-member is actually just a flimsy bit of thin rotten wood with polystyrene behind it which is easy to replace. All of the high damp readings are at the back of the van which I think means removing the overhead cupboards and wall panels behind them. This does not look too bad but the panels around the windows might be a bit tricky for me.

Thanks again!

joandjake

28/10/2014 at 4:27am
Location: None Entered
Outfit: None Entered

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Big job but alot easier than you think, well i did it, and im only a basic diyyer. its basically an aluminium skin, wooden batons, foam insulation and plywood over the top, remove all the old damp stuff, nail and / or glue newer stuff to the skin....unscrew the awning rails on the outside, shove a load of sikaflex or just as good and cheaper pu18 sealant behind the rail and in the screw holes, screw the rails back on...these are the biggest source of damp ingress normally....i loved doing mine, saved a fortune and the self achievement was great

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