AAAHHHH Damp

[Kaye_374455048]

Hi, just noticed a damp patch in my van, prob the size of a £2.oo coin, but has casued a hole, its where my seats are but seat covers are not moldy as i would expect. Could this be condensation from the inside? dont know what to do now, only had the caravan a couple of days and just noticed it, its a 1994 model so i know its to be expected.

 

[Barkas]

Hi Kaye. Where exactly is the small damp spot, is it on a external wall on the inside, is there a seam or join between 2 panels on the opposite side to the damp outside or is there a puncture in the outer aluminium panel opposite the damp where water has got in. You say there is a hole, is it wet and mushy , It sounds to me like some waters been getting in and the damp is just starting to cause panel damage to the interior wood panel. Even though its a 94 model do'nt put up with it and get it looked at. Maybe it needs a re-seal because of its age, some of these older vans have had a lot of owners and some have been neglected. My van is a 94 model and I am in the middle of a re-seal that I'm doing myself to maintain the vans integrity.

 

[Kaye_374455048]

Hi Barkas

Hubby has just had a look and he thinks its the whole side of the van which is damp, really dissappointed and dont have the money at the moment to fix it. It doesnt feel wet or mushy and we have had a heavy downpoor of the last few days. Im going to give the van a good wash and get out with my ladders and some sealent to seal all the joints outside to stop anymore coming in. Knowing we cant get it fixed at the moment is there any ways we can prevent futher damp or is there any DIY kits we can get?

 

[Barkas]

Hi again Kaye. Damp vans where the whole side is damp are dangerous for 2 reasons, Firstly, the damp could have rotted into the timber frame which will weaken the structure and cause a side collapse on the road when the van is stressed the most as it passes over potholes and bumps on the road so it could be a danger to other road users, Secondly, there will be invisible spores floating off the wall and as you know that can be fatal especially to young children once inhaled so I would'nt be going on my hols in it...so...having said that, you need to know straight away how far the damp has spread, and is the damp coming from a leak or is it from condensation, is it the whole side as your hubby suspects or, is it a localised small area, take it to someone who can use a damp meter to asses the ingress, don't buy a meter from Wickes or B n Q and try it yourself, experience plays a large part in the assessment, take it too a dealer and they will asses it for you at a cost. If your hubby is correct and its the whole side then its a BIG job, on the other hand a smaller job could be tackled by yourselves, once your armed with that info take it from there and decide what to do.

 

[Barkas]

Hi again Kaye. Damp vans where the whole side is damp are dangerous for 2 reasons, Firstly, the damp could have rotted into the timber frame which will weaken the structure and cause a side collapse on the road when the van is stressed the most as it passes over potholes and bumps on the road so it could be a danger to other road users, Secondly, there will be invisible spores floating off the wall and as you know that can be fatal especially to young children once inhaled so I would'nt be going on my hols in it...so...having said that, you need to know straight away how far the damp has spread, and is the damp coming from a leak or is it from condensation, is it the whole side as your hubby suspects or, is it a localised small area, take it to someone who can use a damp meter to asses the ingress, don't buy a meter from Wickes or B n Q and try it yourself, experience plays a large part in the assessment, take it too a dealer and they will asses it for you at a cost. If your hubby is correct and its the whole side then its a BIG job, on the other hand a smaller job could be tackled by yourselves, once your armed with that info take it from there and decide what to do.

Hi Kaye. If you want to seal the outer joints as best you can till you get it tested, purchase some caravan mastic from a dealer (make sure its not past its sell by date ) then when its dry weather, run a thin bead along the top of all the sealing strips on the van and around the roof lights and gently smooth the bead down with your finger and make sure there are no air holes in the sealant,once you get the hang of it you will be cracking along, you could also remove the end caps from each strip and pull out the plastic insert and seal each screw head as this is another favourite water ingress item. Dont use WD40 damp repellant as a quick fix as this will turn your oil based sealant into mush. Thats all you can do till you get it assesed

 

[Gumbo]

Hi again Kaye. Damp vans where the whole side is damp are dangerous for 2 reasons, Firstly, the damp could have rotted into the timber frame which will weaken the structure and cause a side collapse on the road when the van is stressed the most as it passes over potholes and bumps on the road so it could be a danger to other road users,

Bollocks it is the size of a