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Quote: Originally posted by Bob™57 on 08/2/2007

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Having seen lots of caravans with some soft panelling during my search at the end of last year (practically all of those I went to see actually) I am starting to come to the conclusion that nearly all caravans, even fairly new ones, have some sort of problem in that respect.

Most of these caravans with the exception of a few, looked fine until I prodded around a bit. In fact several of them actually looked almost brand new inside.

I am wondering if it is really a problem or whether once you discover it and know it's there, it then becomes a worry.

Any caravan which has sprung a leak will probably go unnoticed until it shows itself by the panelling becoming soft or a damp meter check is done during a service. Providing the source of the leak is traced and remedied then the inner panelling should eventually dry out and shouldn't get any worse. 

Providing it isn't too bad and a visible eyesore, and it's in an area where it can't easily be seen, is there really any need to go to all the trouble of ripping it apart and repairing it?

Judging by the numbers of caravans I have seen with a bit of soft panelling, it would appear most people just ignore it and live with it, especially the older caravans.

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           I am with you to a degree on the frst bit that I highlighted Bob.Years ago when we had our first few vans which used to cost us less than a thousand, we knew there was a certain ammount of damp but we were happy to turn a blind eye to it and go merrilly on our holls. Then we didn't know what we know now about damp testing e.t.c. and I must say with the van we have now (which is nowhere near new but three years ago cost all our savings) I am paranoid about it getting any damp. We have just had to have the front resealed after discovering a leak, which brings me to the sacond point,

 with respect, I think just sealing up the leak and leaving the inner material soggy is not at all good. It needs to be dried out completely before it is sealed. It took ours a week with a dehumidifyer (sp) at the repairers. Sealing in the damp will only produce more problems surely it would smell too as there would be nowhere for the moisture to go.

Hi all , here's my webpage http://hp-h.com/p/wizard41/ it's got info on how to go about damp repairs and links to other Fixed it Club members webpages ( Have a look at Alan Parkers website ) .
If you need advice just post on UKCS , there's normally one or more of the " Fixed it Club " on here and they'll be happy to advise you .

atb

Wizard

Quote: Originally posted by alancrist on 08/2/2007

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I agree that you can live with a bit a damp - my brother in law bought an 80s Adria for £50 and lived in his caravan during the week for a year due to work. He knew it had damp around the front window and worked around it. He manged to get quite a few fair weather trips away in but it eventually caught up with him in France when he had a blow out on the way to the ferry. When the tow truck pulled the van onto the truck the corners of the van came apart! He eventually limped home parked it on the path and sold it  - for £50.

He knew it had damp and the price reflected it.He was wiling to work round it at that price.It seems that many sellers/dealers are keen to hide the damp and the work needed to rectify but this is not reflected in the price.

Alan

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I think you have hit the nail on the head there, Alan. Most of the caravans I saw probably had lots of life left in them, but the annoying thing was that the owners, all of them, were advertising their caravans as damp and rot free and the prices certainly didn't reflect the condition.

...and they were all blatently lying which certainly left a stale taste in my mouth.

As far as we know, our 8/9 year old van is damp free.  We have it serviced and damp tested every May and have had it from new.  There are no signs of damp, no soft spots, no musty smell, and we would like to keep it that way.

So the question is, should we leave well alone, or should we have it resealed?  Is it just the awning rails to worry about, or are there other bits that should also be done?

I know we could do it ourselves, but time is short at the moment, so we would probably need to get it done at the service.  So how much might it cost?

So how often should a van be resealed?

Hi Jennifernn , now that's a difficult question , i did know someone ( a few years ago now ) that had their caravan resealed by a caravan dealer , and their completely dry caravan became damp soon after the reseal , they were gutted and wished they'd never had it done .
The other way you could look at it is , the sealant / mastic will go hard and eventually let water in , so may be a reseal would be a good idea .

There's what i'd do , have your caravan damp checked once a year by your dealer , and also buy a damp meter and test your caravan as often as you like . That way you should spot any damp at an early stage and can then have it resealed .

atb

Wizard

can we trust dealers though cos the dealer my van is at recommended that i board over the old boards and just put some new struts in along the way

now i thought about it but then i thought where is all the moisture going to go that is still in there

i dont know really has anyone else been told this

but looking at all the work that has gone into repairing damp nobody has  suggested covering it up

john

can we trust dealers though cos the dealer my van is at recommended that i board over the old boards and just put some new struts in along the way

Hi John this probably isn't what you want to hear , but to board over ( cover up ) the damp wallboards , doesn't sound that clever to me , it does sound like a bodge job .
I don't know how they'd put new struts in as these are underneath the wallboard , you'd have to remove the wallboard to find them .
You could ask the dealer what happens to the damp now it's trapped in the caravan .

atb

Wizard

cheers mate but am gonna strip wallboard all off and see from there ,i couldn't see the point of trapping all the moisture in behind the new boards surely the problem would come back twice as fast

john

Yep' it makes you wonder some times.......we can put a man on the moon and bring him back safely..... but we can't make a caravan that doesn't leak.

I suppose its part of the joys of caravanning....... if you can manage to brain-wash yourself.

Good Luck

Les Wilson.

Ah but if we had watertight vans we wouldn't change them so often and then the dealers would be out of pocket see.  Sorry, being cynical.  I can't believe the technology doesn't exist, Airstreams don't rot do they?

Ali

I reckon you are right on both counts there Snowy,  but its annoying when you pay as much for a caravan as you do for a car sometimes........and even old cars seldom leak, so they surely could do it if they so desired.

Regards,

Les Wilson

If you are buying a caravan anywhere,including dealers, then test it yourself with a damp gauge bought from B&Q or elsewhere.They are not 100% accurate but it will give you some idea. Always try the top  corners and around all the windows and the door.Look especially behind the seating under the windows.The last two caravans we have had have both been damp in these places.The first one we part exchanged and the next one we had repaired under warranty.( It was the dealers 12 month cover. Was it damp when we bought it I ask myself !!!)