Damp by front window.

[Morecambe Dave]

I apologise before hand if this has been talked about before , but im a new member... we have a coachman pastiche caravan 2007 and we have discovered some damp below the middle window. Being new to caravanning im unsure were to check to solve the issue. I'd much appreciate any advice regarding the problem. Many thanks..

 

[toad a caravan]

The ingress of water could be from anywhere,it just happens to be showing up at that place,I would scrutinize all places that use a sealant, especially on the roof to side panels,has this just shown up and have you been towing the caravan in heavy rain recently in case the window frame rubber seals are failing..Gary

 

[toad a caravan]

To test the rubber seals efficiency trap a piece of writing paper or similar between the seal and window,once the window is open then closed trapping the paper you shouldn't be able to remove it

 

[ProfJohnL]

You have an 18 year old caravan, and frankly you are lucky that you haven't been aware of damp sooner.

Unfortunately by the time you can detect damp inside a caravan, it often means the cause had been letting water in for some considerable time, and rather like an iceberg, what you can see is just a small percentage of the actual damage which is hidden from view.

The cause is invariably a seal which has deteriorated, and is likely to be the window seal in your case, but the repair does require that all the affected material needs to be stripped out (even the hidden material) to assess the damage, which involves a strip down around the affected area. There have been repairs which are fully successful, but so often the extent of work necessary might render it financially unviable - only you can decide if it's worth it or not.

There are a number of Youtube video's where people have undertaken similar types of repairs.

A competent DIY'er can do this, otherwise you will need to seek professional help, especially if the work requires moving any gas appliances or pipe work.

Only replace the affected material with properly damp proof treated wood, otherwise the rot is likely to return hidden away, and doing more damage over the next year or two.

 

[toad a caravan]

By coincidence yesterday I posted an image in the Technical Section with regard to this subject

 

[toad a caravan]

Make sure you use a suitable timber such as muranti, roofing timber is ok if your putting slates on it

 

[Morecambe Dave]

Hi all we've actually only had the caravan about 8 months we paid £2,900 for the van, its a shame as the van is excellent other than the small bit of damp. I will check the window seal as soon as I can.

 

[izzy]

I had a similar amount of damp in exactly the same place on our Elddis
It turned out to be the window hanging rail that had sprung a couple of screw at that end
I resealed the rail at the end and refitted new screws with a few extra with full intention of removing and resealing the whole rail but found this not to be needed as the damp dried up with a bit of heat and has not leaked since.
May be worth a look!

 

[ProfJohnL]

Make sure you use a suitable timber such as muranti, roofing timber is ok if your putting slates on it

This is a touring caravan - why would he want to hang slates on it?

 

[Len W]

I recently had a similar problem after opening the front window which is large and one piece . because we do not as a rule open the front window the rubber was attached to the inside window pulling the rubber seal away from the body of the van when I opened it . Quick squirt of Sikaflex, problem sorted. My caravan is 15 years old and not damp, the way to ensure it stays that way is to spend time ensuring that there is no or little water ingress. Not such a big problem with an older van as the unit has by this time had a good shake down and if any problems arose they were dealt with by the previous owner - happy days . Stay on top of it and It should last a good few years. This summer replaced herzim strip all around on our van Probably should say the water was getting in behind the rubber seal at the top of the frame rolling down inside the rubber seal and appearing at the bottom of the window ledge.

 

[Beachball]

Hi Morecambe Dave Welcome to the forum sorry i cannot help but you should get plenty of advice from others what to do,

 

[toad a caravan]

Prof, one source of treated timber is from a wood/builders yard,this timber is what's known as kiln dried and tread to resist damp,one of the uses of this treated timber is used for roofing onto which slates or tiles are placed.I prefer to source the correct materials when structural integrity is of prime importance (including weight) as I'm sure you do,(kiln dried wood also has a tendency to warp)

 

[ProfJohnL]

Prof, one source of treated timber is from a wood/builders yard,this timber is what's known as kiln dried and tread to resist damp,one of the uses of this treated timber is used for roofing onto which slates or tiles are placed.I prefer to source the correct materials when structural integrity is of prime importance (including weight) as I'm sure you do,(kiln dried wood also has a tendency to warp)

I am perfectly aware of what and where to find suitable materials for wooden caravan repairs thank you. It was your reference to hanging tiles was not explained and thus seemed entirely irrelevant.

 

[Dustydog]

There’s treated timber and treated timber.
For those who don’t know the four grades .This will help

Ironically the manufacturers , certainly Bailey as far as I can see have only ever used untreated soft woods, probably “green”😜.
A project like the OPs deserves the best considering all the hours of labour needed.

 

[toad a caravan]

DD,correct,it's always good practice if you want to do a good a good repair to use the correct materials and dimensions,hence my prior remarks pertaining to muranti timber which has favourable properties for caravan construction and was used by caravan manufacturers rather than materials used in the building industry..PS... many moons ago I repaired a Monza,it had a damaged wooden gusset from the front corner between the floor and upright vertical support,I knew a timber/wood machinist well and asked him what type of wood was it,it happened to be willow,half an hour later he appeared with a perfect copy of the original

 

[Len W]

I personally would not go pulling boards off the walls it might be the damp is very recent. And all you may find is the work you now have to do.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I personally would not go pulling boards off the walls it might be the damp is very recent. And all you may find is the work you now have to do.

With damp in a caravan, it is important to know the scale of the job. If you only repair the small area at the surface you can see, you will not know the true extent of the work that is needed, and by leaving affected material in place, the spoors of the rot will continue to develop and you will have to quite quickly revisit the job to repair the damage you ignored in the first place.

 

[Len W]

With damp in a caravan, it is important to know the scale of the job. If you only repair the small area at the surface you can see, you will not know the true extent of the work that is needed, and by leaving affected material in place, the spoors of the rot will continue to develop and you will have to quite quickly revisit the job to repair the damage you ignored in the first place.

While I agree with you the job needs to be done properly in the event that the guy finds its been leaking for a long period of time, a small amount of water on the front window ledge may not be a cause for concern. If this was a £40k caravan I would say yes, pull the thing apart. But he may be better checking the rubber seals on the front window and whacking the heating on full for a day until it's as dry as he can get it then checking again.
What for some is a lifestyle for others is just a hobby.

I live in a 300+ year old house, have done for the past 30 years. The main job is trying to keep the damp out, but there's no denying that it has damp and the heritage trust people would not be impressed if I were to start tearing the building apart. I do not live in a laboratory clean room for that reason and mold spores and the like are part of everyday life. I wouldn't suggest anybody live in a moldy caravan but it's not been established that it is moldy in the first place.

 

[ProfJohnL]

In relation to a caravan, the risks of damp and its consequences are very different to bricks and mortar property. low levels of Moisture/humidity are actually necessary for human and animal occupation, but excess can poison the environment and cause structural damage.

Whilst weakend structural materials occur in both caravans and homes, the fact that caravans are subjected to far greater stresses and strains caused by towing vibrations and in general caravans are physically much flimsier means the point at which the material might fail is has a much lower threshold.

Mould & rot damage to the wooden structure is not only unpleasant, but it can affect the structural stability of the caravan, so you can't afford to ignore the possibility the problem has been long standing.
With many instances of damp repairs in caravans, the evidence of the leak may some distance away from where the source of leak. So just "touching up" the symptom does not cure the problem which will continue to grow.

Until you have exposed the whole of affected area you wont know if it's a new and localised or long standing problem. The process of repairing should not be started with the preconception that what you can see is all that's potentially wrong. you should begin by exposing what you can see and going a little further until your exposing unaffected material.

I am not advocating removing the whole wall as a matter of course, only enough to expose the affected material.

 

[Len W]

I am not suggesting he ignore water ingress in a caravan . I had a leak over the front window of my caravan a couple of weeks ago while in Galloway SW Scotland . The culprit was the window rubber seal had pulled away from the caravan allowing water to run down behind the seal and into the caravan. The water appeared on the window sill in the precise place this chaps photo shows. While I will grant you it does not mean that it is the same, there is still a chance it could be very minor . Also my eyes are not as good as they used to be even so I could not see any mold in his picture.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I agree there is a chance it is a recent leak rather than an established, the truth should be established discovered whilst the area is exposed, and that would mean little exposure would be necessary, But ignoring what could be be a an established leak is a bad plan.

As for not seeing mould, if it has been an established leak, if there is any mould/ rot would most likely be found near the source of the leak and spreading from that point rather than from the most recent evidence of water.

This is why it's important to trace the leak back to its source.

 

[Dustydog]

I learnt the hard way a few years ago. A brand new window seal had failed unbeknown to me. It probably failed at least 6 months earlier, when it was fitted.
The main frame lower timber support within the gas locker box was soaked. The only internal sign of ingress came as I say 6 months later. The lower wall board was soaked and was beyond saving.
The timber rail was replaced as was the lower wall board, new seals fitted and all is good.

As the Prof said Until you have exposed the whole of affected area you wont know if it's a new and localised or long standing problem.

It’s no good “wallpapering over the cracks”. You must establish the full extent of the damage and the true cause.

PS . My AWS did all the work foc as the new seals were defective. The self set adhesive failed.