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Subject Topic: Help please, is it as bad as it looks? Post Reply Post New Topic
PersonBenR1
via mobile 25/7/2020 at 11:08pm
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Please see photo. It’s our first caravan so bought it without really knowing what to check. It’s an Avondale Rialto 640-6, twin axle 2003 model.

Not sure if you can tell from the photo but the horizontal timber support joist is also rotten. We have striped the paper back to what appears to currently be the full extent of the damp so I believe it is just the patch showing as the board is hard and dry everywhere else

Any advice would be much appreciated

Thanks
Ben


Personmarg6
26/7/2020 at 7:47am
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ok first thing is to find where its letting in water, i know that might sound obvious and you may assume its from the bottom of the window but that may not be the case, so buy a damp meter, the one you should have bought before buying the caravan! and check everywhere else on the caravan too before you even touch this. it could just be the window seal need replacing and then the rest of the boarding/framing repairing, but until you check the rest of the caravan over i wouldnt start anything, if you find damp elsewhere go back to the original advert and read it again, did they state damp free? if so they cant argue with that pic can they?


PersonRob and Tina
via mobile 26/7/2020 at 10:27am
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Also before you go too far, I presume you have a B+E licence as you will need this to be able to tow this caravan as it has an mtplm of 1550kg.

Tina


PersonBenR1
via mobile 26/7/2020 at 10:50am
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We’ve had it checked everywhere else by a professional (so annoyed I didn’t do that before buying but you live and learn!), everywhere else is good and solid. The seal on the window looks ok too so I wonder if they’ve left the window open by accident and it got a soaking that they never dried out properly?

The advert doesn’t mention anything about damp, it does say it’s 17 years old so not in new condition. I guess that would be their get out clause!

Gutted about it really because the rest of the van does seem really solid.


PersonBenR1
via mobile 26/7/2020 at 11:18am
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Yes I passed my B+E license last Friday so that is all taken care of


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PersonPickled Onion
26/7/2020 at 11:19am
 Location: Near Alton Towers
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Hi and welcome to the forum Ben. I think the window would have to be left open for many months for this amount of damage.

My bet is the lack of adhesion of the rubber seal to the outside skin allowing water to get behind it, quite a common occurrence I'm afraid due to its age. Peeling back the wallboard covering should reveal more info on just where the water was getting in but remember it will run downhill (mostly) due to gravity.

The good news is that although it looks dramatic, it's not too difficult for the average DIYer to rectify. Plenty of info and pictures on this site, (see Wizard and the other Fixed It Club members posts) plus YouTube as well.

Dave.

-------------
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day,
Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for a whole weekend.


PersonBenR1
via mobile 26/7/2020 at 11:29am
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Thanks Dave, my dad used to work for Swifts for 20 years so is pretty handy. He was in the cabinet workshop repairing and installing the furniture, but hopefully he’ll be able to give it a go.

Some one else I showed it to said the damp shouldn’t spread anymore (assuming the window is definitely sealed properly which I will double check) and said to just fix another board over the top of the damp to hide it more then anything.

What are people’s thoughts on that? I would think it should be replaced shouldn’t it? Although the board immediately adjacent to the damp is completely solid so maybe it wouldn’t spread further?


PersonColin21
26/7/2020 at 11:29am
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I think the window would need to be left open for a really long time (weeks) to cause that much damp. I would look a bit further afield than the window. The water could be coming in from a seam or a fitting somewhere. If that picture is the back of the caravan, it's difficult to tell without knowing the model, it could be from above the window or even the rear lights. I would be prepared to replace that horizontal timber right across the back, side to side. There is plenty of info on how to do this sort of thing on this site. Search Fixed-it club.


-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


Personbirder99
26/7/2020 at 12:02pm
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Get some infra red heat onto it. It will dry a lot faster and enable you to get on with the work. I would remove the wall board and ensure all timbers are dry and that there is no moisture between the outer skin and the insulation. I would guess that it is an aluminium skin and if you leave any moisture it will corrode from the inside creating small pin prick holes in the aluminium. It will also give you chance to check that the water has not come in from the awning rail and run down the sides of the window framework. It is almost as easy to fit a large sheet of wallboard as it is to try and patch a smaller piece. Whatever you do you will need to get all the timber that is showing signs of rot removed and any black/purple stained timber treated.

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'A sure cure for sea-sickness is to sit under a tree'


PersonBenR1
via mobile 26/7/2020 at 12:43pm
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Thanks for all the quick replies, much appreciated.

The damp patch is located underneath the ground floor bunk bed window on the side of the van.

If it was leaking from the awning rail, would we not see signs of damp all the way down the wall? It does seem solid all the way up about the ground floor bunk window. I will strip the paper off above as well though just to make sure it’s bone dry above.

How would I know if there was water between the aluminium skin and the polystyrene insulation?

A new wall board fits almost perfect into the whole ground floor bunk space so will probably just do that rather then try and patch it in as well, thanks for the tip birder99


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Personblueexpo97
26/7/2020 at 12:57pm
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This may be of some help to you.

-------------
XVI yes?

As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.


PersonPickled Onion
27/7/2020 at 11:23am
 Location: Near Alton Towers
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Covering it with a new board is only a short term fix. If the source of the water leak is found and fixed I think removing the wallboard is a must, even if there isn't much damage when you have a look. Damp leads to mould and mould is very unhealthy to breathe in.

The other reason for replacing rotten timber is that they are the structural components in the very flimsy box that is a caravan body.

Dave.

-------------
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day,
Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for a whole weekend.


PersonBenR1
via mobile 27/7/2020 at 9:28pm
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Thanks Dave. Yes we are definitely going to replace the damp timber, it’s right where my 3 year old would be sleeping so don’t want him laying next to that.

We are going away in it a couple of times in August (already booked before we noticed the damp!) but are then going to tackle it in September.

I’ve read conflicting views on whether to take the polystyrene off as well or leave on and dry out rather then remove.

I’d be a bit nervous about taking the poly out in case we split the skin, but how would I know if there was any water left between the poly and the skin?


Personmarg6
27/7/2020 at 9:35pm
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the polystyrene is only glued onto the outer skin, your more likely to end up with it falling to bits in removing it rather than damaging the walls of the caravan, replacement is easy enough as b & q sell it and then needs a particular glue for use on poly to reglue it back in pace



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