Just damp checked my old van and its reading 15 to 16% all over other than a small area at the top of the wardrobe and this is reading 20% (top of inside wall).
Should I be concerned about this given its inconsistent with the rest of the van?
i am no expert but i am advised 20% means 'keep an eye on it' but not necessarily a sign of water ingress.
if the rest of the van reads lower, its at the top of the wall board and just beneath the awning rail i would suspect its the start of ingress.
could, however be down to condensation?
is there less insulation in that place? cold walls cause any moisture in the air to condense.
i have kept my caravan under a cover since September. i was dismayed to see the beginnings of mildew on the fly screen and on the ceiling next to the roof light in my washroom. feeling how cold the area was compared to other areas of wall in the van i suspected condensation. i bought a 'Dehumidifier' for £10 from a local discount warehouse for £10 one with discs of calcuim carbonate (i think) and a 2 litre catch tank beneath it. placed this on the dinette table and propped the washroom door open.
after 2 weeks the ceiling and flyscreen are now dry and no more mildew i probably emptied 50mls of water from the dehumidifier tank . i think the cover may promote condensation in the caravan. but where i keep my caravan its dusty and i want to keep the rain out.
the cieling was damp so i cleaned it and wiped it dry.
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How old is the 'van? If it's really old just clean around the seams & put a fillet of PU sealant along them in the adjacent area, easy, cheap & it works.
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.
I had readings much the same as you in my 1997 van.
The service engineer suggested "Penny Vents" in the worst areas.
Now that I have fitted these, I have had no readings above 17% in the last 3 years.
Had my 2003 van serviced at the end of November - really chuffed as highest reading was 12 😀😀😀and we had been away for two wet weekends just before...😀😀
I've been quoted £145 plus vat to reseal awning rail. If the readings continue I might get this done. I always worry that is its not done properly the van may start leaking elsewhere.
Water may be tracking along the screws and the only way to stop that is to reseal under the awning rail. £145 seems a really good price if they are doing that.
What you do damp wise will depend on a number of factors, like,
How old is your van?
How long you expect it to last?
Do you want to spend money on it now or wait to see if the damp gets any worse?
I suggest you try the cheapest option which is to fit Penny Vents in the worst areas and see if that improves the situation before you start shelling out loadsa money hoping that the work will solve the issue.
We had some damp above the door area. I just ran some sealant around the area, above the door and the awning rail and fitted the Penny Vents on the inside wall. The damp there is now down to 10% and so had no more issues there.
That area is also above the cooker, so the damp could have been due to that and not necessarily coming in from outside.
All vans are going to show some damp, from condensation, folks breathing, damp carpets on wet days, you name it, there is always going to be moisture from many situations.
I keep the heating on very low towards the end of the season when it's parked on the drive - also open the door on sunny days to keep it aired - makes a big difference
At the end of the season and for about a week before we head off the following season, we use a "proper" dehumidifier to dry out any excess condensation.
It also dries out our sleeping kit which is then vacuum packed and will remain dry, although packed in the van, until the next time it is used.
Proper dehumidifiers are expensive, but they are well worth the money.
There is nothing quite so comforting as crawling into a nice warm comfy sleeping bag the first night you are away in the van.
Dealer happily took our last van in part ex - the independant damp report showed max readings in the mid 20's but they didn't quibble about the part ex price.