Broken seal, should I be worried?

[joefreegard]

Hello, I was hoping for some advice.

i bought my first caravan 3 months ago and have struggled to get rid of a musky smell that I now fear might be damp.

its the worst in the tall cupboard for hanging clothes that is in the toilet. As seen in the picture below

Underneath the cupboard is the gas locker, which is in a metal box in side the bottom of the cupboard. When inspecting it today I noticed 2 things, first, The mastic seal at the rear bottom edge of the gas locker (as you look into it from outside) is broken. Could this be letting damp into the van?

Second is that the gas pipe, that runs out the bottom of the caravan, along the underneath and back up into the water heater has no seal around it. I can see the tarmac though the gap. It’s sealed at the water heater end. Is this something to be concerned about?

Other than the smell, there are no signs of damp at all, the smell isn’t even that bad, but it does seem to get into all our clothes ect.

 

[CustardAvenger]

Hi,

I'm no expert in diagnosing or repairing damp caravans, but any gaps in mastic/sealant may be causing water to enter the caravan. Some photos may allow others on the forum to give better guidance.

My first caravan in 2012 was a late 70s/ early 80's CI (we did not know the exact age, but I think it was no younger than 1983) and that had a particular smell to the interior. It was not damp or mould, but it did transfer to fabrics and never went after 6 years of ownership.

Perhaps purchasing a damp meter would give you an indication of potential issues? They are under £20 on Amazon.

 

[joefreegard]

Thanks, I was thinking of getting a damp meter, I’m not sure I’d be able to get into the area of concern though. It’s pretty tight.

I’ll try and get some photos when I get the chance.

On an unrelated matter, what’s your XC60 D4 like at towing? I’m looking at getting one.

 

[Damian]

With regard to the gap where the gas pipe goes out of the gas locker, if there is no other hole in the floor then that is acting as the gas drop hole and must not be sealed under any circumstances.

 

[joefreegard]

Ok, well that’s one less thing to worry about then. Thank you. Although the gap isn’t really in the gas locker but rather in the floor of the cabinet that the gas locker sits in. It comes out the side of the locker and through the floor next to it.

 

[CustardAvenger]

On an unrelated matter, what’s your XC60 D4 like at towing? I’m looking at getting one.

It's really good. However, I don't have much towcar history to compare it to!

I have the All Wheel Drive version, so basically it's a de-tuned D5 5cyl engine. 2wd versions have the same power but 4cyl engines with less torque. (Mk2 XC60s are all 4cyl), with my low towing ratio of 78% the car is more than powerful enough and comfortable. Mine has the 17" alloys; OEM went upto 20" with a correlated decrease of sidewall profile and increase of kerb anxiety.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one, but I didn't like the manual version, it felt rather agricultural!

 

[joefreegard]

Good to know! I’m pretty set on an automatic anyway.