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OK, this is probably a stupid question, so apologies, but the biggest concern for caravanners seems to be to avoid damp getting into your van.

But, apart from the smell, what problems does it cause? Is the strength of the walls affected, does it make the caravan colder?

Most posts I've seen say that damp is normally in inaccessible places (under beds etc), so it's not an aesthetic issue. Another symptom seems to be spongy floors - is there a real danger of the floor collapsing?

Excuse my ignorance - just interested...

Damp in a caravan is the equivalent of rust in a car.

It devalues it, and if untreated will render the vehicle scrap - the cost of restoration will far outweigh the value of the unit.

So pretty serious........

I thought the spongy floor was attributable to delamination rather than rot.  If that is the case then delamination is the layers of the floor separating rather than rotting and this can be fixed cheaply with an injection kit that hardens the floor and glues it back together again.  No?

Ali

Not only all that, but the weight of the extra water in the wood will make the van heavier to tow and upset the balance, thereby making it potentially unsafe and more likely to be the cause of an accident, even if it doesn't fall apart.

And it will not be very nice for anyone with any breathing problems to spend a night sleeping in it as it could exacerbate their illness.

Well that's the idea, with no wood it can't rot!

Ali

it is a bailey, there will be other ways it can fall apart.

owning a caravan is a hobby itself, it is not just the holidays it is the days spent on it pottering about, resealing bits of trim, screwing bits back together, doing diy, swearing when it dont fit and now and again, stepping back with a steaming hot cup of tea in your greasy hands and thinking... my van looks braw

Quote: Originally posted by snowy747 on 19/11/2009

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Well that's the idea, with no wood it can't rot!

Ali

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No most modern caravans have wooden battens still.  I am not sure about German ones or things like Eribas but the names you will be familiar with are the same old structure of yesteryear!

Ali

The hymers have an aluminium frame and the eribas a tubular steel frame, all the rest have wooden frames.