Damp Caravan

[Janice_5065473]

Our 2003 Crusader Aurora has recently been in for a damp repair in our bathroom under the extended warranty (first reported in March 07). We were not happy with the service & length of time before repair carried out, so did not renew the warranty in October 07. The area repaired is ok now but we have found another damp area in the opposite side now just above the fixed bed area. My husband has stipped away the rotten wood in the affected area (in the closed off section) that links the over-head wall cupboards. Do the panels come with the wall covering attached? - or is it Plywood & separate self adhesive wall covering that we need to obtain. He his also tackling the exterior awning rail that we think is responsible for the problem in the first place. Also, do we need to rip out where the wood is slightly damp but not rotten further down the wall & replace the whole panel top to bottom. We are currently trying to dry this section out! Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks Jan

jackrascals

 

[rob_jax]

Jan,

You can buy wall-boards pre-finished in a range of colours.

Do you need to rip out the wood that is only damp? Not if you dry it out and stabilise it before replacing the wall-boards - otherwise it will then rot

Robert

 

[PaulHull]

I've recently completed a damp repair on my caravan and basically any rotten wood was removed but any wood with good strength remaining was left to dry naturally (took a month but it was during winter) - it was then 'shored up' with a matching piece of wood glued and screwed to it and covered with wallboard (obtained from a static caravan manufacturer - not a perfect match but close enough!)

Hope this helps

 

[Janice_5065473]

Thanks for replies - we've removed all rotten wood and we are currently drying out the rest of the damp area with a de-humidifier. Have contacted the Explorer Group to see if they can tell me which wallpaper it is & if they can advise a Supplier. We're also waiting for a sample to come from a Company called O'Leary's. Robinsons of Chesterfield were able to obtain replacement wallboards for the bathroom area (different to rest of caravan) when they carried out the last repair but they have not been helpful in this case & I don't particularly want to pursue any further Business with them after last fiasco. Wish me good luck - we'd like to get this sorted before our Easter trip to Grassington.

Jan

 

[Geist]

Hi Janice.

Did you buy the van new? If so, why aren't you suing the seller under the 'fit for purpose' terms of the SOG act?

We are talking about a 5 year old caravan? - I think you might find that a small claim court would consider it 'unreasonable' for an expensive caravan to have rotted in such a relatively short time. You also have the evidence of of the previous repair to assist your claim that the goods are unfit for their purpose.

Your claim has to be against the seller of the goods - not the manufacturer (although many might feel that it is Explorer Group who should be taken to court) If you bought the van on finance, that's good - it makes the finance company liable (even if the agreement has been completed) and they know their obligations and the likely outcome of a claim, far more so than the average caravan dealer.

I honestly don't know why you're messing about trying to fix it yourself - for a modest outlay (scaled, depending on the size of the claim) you can yank them off to the county court - which, imo, is where they belong.

It's an easy process, very informal - and they cannot have costs for expensive legal advice awarded against you - you have virtually nothing to lose other than the initial cost of issuing the summons. So, write to them, give them 14 days to sort the matter out, write another 'letter before cation' if they fail to do so - and them whop them with the summons.

You might be very surprised who does what, if they see that you mean business.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Janice,

Whilst what Geist has writen is basically correct, the small claims courts under SOGA may not award the total cost of repairs, because of the age of the caravan, and the fact that you have started to do repairs your self.

Whilst it is not strictly necessary, I think it would be wise to seek proffesional advice before procedding to court.

 

[Janice_5065473]

Thanks for comments on both parts - in one instance I think -'yes' lets pursue this with Robinsons, especialy as this is the second time we have suffered this treatment from a Caravan Supplier. Our first second hand caravan purchased from West Yorkshire Caravans (no longer Trading) was also damp despite them giving us a Damp Test Report to the contrary. Robinson were aware of this & this is why we took out the extra Warranty. We feel jinxed with this and have lost faith in the Service or lack of Service given to Buyers nowadays. We are going away in the caravan for Easter and want to get it as right as possible, pursuing a repair with Robinsons could be long & drawn out affair. I am going to write to them but feel it will be a waste of time. We are learning a very hard lesson but at least if we do the job ourselves we will know that it is done right. I have ordered the wallboard from O'Leary's, it will be here on Monday. The caravan is drying out nicely - just got to decide whether or not to repair the area where the main damp was (hidden behind the top lockers) or replace the whole area - top to bottom, which means removing the window trims & fixed bed. Wish us luck!

Thanks for all your help & concern.

Jan

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

hi i gather its a fixed side bed?. is the damp in the 2 lockers above the fixed bed?. if so what material is in these lockers?.

jo-anne

 

[Steve L]

While I have every sympathy with Janice, and I do hope she ends up with a very usable caravan. It worries me somewhat that cravans of only five years old are showing signs of damp and wood rot.

Our caravan is actually 25 years old. Yes it has had leaks in the past 5 years and I have had to reseal the awning rail, but so far, I've not had to strip the interior to the extent of Janice's van.

We were thinking of upgrading to a newer van, but I realy wonder if we'd be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire!!

Good luck with your repaires. I would photograph the repair extensively and send a copy of them to your dealer. Maybe he'll feel sympathetic. Also I would talk to a solicitor to see what they reccomend.

All the best.

Steve L.

 

[hogrider56]

While I have every sympathy with Janice, and I do hope she ends up with a very usable caravan. It worries me somewhat that cravans of only five years old are showing signs of damp and wood rot.

Our caravan is actually 25 years old. Yes it has had leaks in the past 5 years and I have had to reseal the awning rail, but so far, I've not had to strip the interior to the extent of Janice's van.

We were thinking of upgrading to a newer van, but I realy wonder if we'd be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire!!

Good luck with your repaires. I would photograph the repair extensively and send a copy of them to your dealer. Maybe he'll feel sympathetic. Also I would talk to a solicitor to see what they reccomend.

All the best.

Steve L.

I'd stick with what you have got...even if it is 25yrs old....Your van will most certainly be better-made than the modern flimsy things around now.

 

[Janice_5065473]

Hi Everybody,

Thanks for latest advice - the damp appeared behind the false cupboard that links the side & back wall lockers (yes it is a fixed bed caravan). When we removed the wallboarding - the wooden framework in that area just crumbled away - it was so rotten. Could not believe it - it has been serviced Annually with Robinsons and not picked up. It is drying out well with the de-humidifier.We have had to replace the rotten wood framework in this area and are hoping to get away with just replacing this section of wallboard. This will be hidden behind the false locker. More important is to get it sealed outside - my husband has removed a section of the awning rail & found the problem - which he puts down to a design fault. Re-sealing it all again has not gone smoothly but we are hoping we have done enough to seal it. It has forecast heavy wind & rain tonight - so this will be a good test!. The caravan was first registered in Sept. 03 - so is not even 5 yrs old yet and this is the second area to suffer damp (same area but in the bathroom). It wasn't cheap either - we paid over