Damp readings in your Caravan.

[Hutch]

Having just had the Caravan serviced, 3rd year, I was told we had a damp reading of 12% at the front end."Nothing to worry about" So at what level should we be worried, ?
And yes I will contact Coachman and ask them, just want to know what others have been told.
Hutch.

 

[Gagakev]

Hutch. I am lead to believe you start to worry at 18% , you then need to have it checked about three months later. So at 12% think you were told right.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Because wood is a porous material it will naturally assume a level of moisture. It will go up and down, as the ambient humidity varies, but also if the caravan has been used recently, the levels of moisture will be raised a little as we exhale air with raised humidity, and when we burn gas in an open flame, it releases almost as much weight of water as the weight of gas used. Some of this moisture will be absorbed by the wood and other porous materials.

With proper ventilation these excess levels will drop back to ambient levels over a few days. You can use a dehumidifier to accelerate this , but using one for more than a couple of days won't make much more difference.

Its always a matter of interpretation, but I have heard that 15% is considered the maximum normal reading. This will be affected by the temperature of the wood, and how the measurement is taken as most caravan wall boards have a plastic coating which if its not pierced by the probe then you 're not reading the wood.

 

[Sproket]

Funny enough i just checked a extensive repair that i did in 2012 and the readings that i got were an average of 12 / 13 % .....
We have a Karcher window vac that I have brought over to the van from home to use on the van windows ( on a morning ) the amount of water that it collects is unbelievable hmy: as we would just normally mop it up with some kitchen roll and think nothing of it..... although i am led to believe that vans with alde wet central heating don't seem to have the same problem with condensation on the windows... as mentioned on another thread purchase a damp meter and then if you have any concerns about a certain area you can keep an eye on it ....

 

[Hutch]

Thank you Gentlmen for your replies, puts my mind to rest, I have a window vacs, but we don't usally get much condensation, on the windows, but I shall purchase a damp meter and keep a check myself.

 

[Thingy]

Had a mixture of readings at the rear panel of our last van. Range between 12 and 18. Same as some, i was told it was nothing to worry about. I spoke to Swift about it and I was told they would only intervene at levels around 25 to 28. After an 18 reading though they told me the same about a three months check. My answer was if they thought it needed checking after those levels there was cause for concern and i stuck to my guns. It was taken to a dealer who claimed it was the seal around the underbed door. As the highest reading was in the top corner i wasnt happy with that and a second dealer said the whole rear seal was at fault. He did the job and it cured the problem.

The thing is they say up to 15 is normal. At 18 - to 20 needs to be watched. Surely the monute it goes above normal you would expect intervention to prevent further damage. Only the caravan industry can get away with this.

 

[ProfJohnL]

t..... although i am led to believe that vans with alde wet central heating don't seem to have the same problem with condensation on the windows....

That's an interesting comment as both Alde wet and the Truma dry systems are room sealed and (if installed correctly) do not add any moisture from combustion into the living area. So if there is a difference it will either be the amount of heat they can put into a caravan, or the way the heat is distributed, or a combination of the two. It will also be affected by the way each user sets up the system temperature and distributions, I suspect there will be several reasons other than the type of heater to explain any big differences in the amount of condensation forming on windows etc

 

[Sproket]

Hello Prof

Yes it just came out in conversation with a friend who has a Unicorn 3 and he said that the windows were warm due to the placing of the radiators, but saying that the poor sod has just had it serviced and high moisture content has been found near the toilet at floor level. ..

If we have the nigh blinds down when it's really cold outside but not the one that faces into the awning you can see that that window doesn't get condensation forming on it until the blind is closed...

 

[chrisbee1]

According to the "AWS Tourer Damp Report" from my 'van service last Friday:

'Readings between0-15% not recorded because no cause for concern. Readings between 16-20% require further investigation. Consider asking to recheck the area in 3 months. Readings above 21% will identify areas possibly needing remedial work. Readings above 30% - structural damage may be occurring and deterioration is inevitable'

I would think all AWS workshops would use the same damp report sheet and therefor the same criteria for suggested actions.

Glad to say there are no recorded figures on my 'van (3rd service)

 

[Sproket]

Thank you Gentlmen for your replies, puts my mind to rest, I have a window vacs, but we don't usally get much condensation, on the windows, but I shall purchase a damp meter and keep a check myself.

This is the new model of the one that i use the older type are a bit fiddly when being used right into the corner, although it's an easy enough job to convert / make the top removable

This is when you know you have a problem & it's only getting worse hmy: it wasn't picked up due to it being in a inaccessible area, hence why i have now made it easily accessible

It worked out to be quite a extensive repair to sort it out properly

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Prof

Yes it just came out in conversation with a friend who has a Unicorn 3 and he said that the windows were warm due to the placing of the radiators, but saying that the poor sod has just had it serviced and high moisture content has been found near the toilet at floor level. ..

If we have the nigh blinds down when it's really cold outside but not the one that faces into the awning you can see that that window doesn't get condensation forming on it until the blind is closed...

If the caravan is leaking then yes the amount of condensation may well increase. And the blinds also makes sense, as there will be less air flow and thus heat next to the window if the blind is down. It proves the blinds are stopping some heat loss

Just to add scale to the point, Overnight an adult will exhale up to 100gms or water, children less, and don't forget dogs. hmy: So occupancy plays a major role in condensation.