Hi if service showing high damp readings on floor of van in the middle and no leaks found so mechanic thinks may be caused by a spilage or previous leak repair but not dealt with floor would a dehumidifier help could it be dried out. Presuming water is trapped under vinyl flooring / batons and can’t escape?
Damp Readings
- Thread starter Annie3
- Start date
A dehumidifier would help but bear in m8 d that a caravan is so well ventilated that you will partially be trying to dry planet Earth. But worth a try, although the best approach would be to lift the flooring.
We do not own a Bailey, but that seems unusual for a Bailey? Did you buy second hand?
Yes we bought it a couple of years ago came with 12 months warranty the first service they found the strap over bed was leaking so it went back for repair but mobile mechanic that came just looked for visual damp as he only had a prong meter and walls are plastic l didn’t realise they should test the floor which they did 2nd service and found the high readings middle of van half way down nothing under unit at front of benches back washroom etc all low readings no sign of leaks in corner etc that’s why he thinks either spilage or old leak that was repaired but floor not dried out?
I am very surprised that the mobile technician only had a prong meter as that is unusual for someone in the trade? Also I would think that it is unusual to get damp readings in the middle of the floor especially on a bailey unless there is a drip from the ceiling?
If you have a leak from the water heater or pipework, it will soak the floor.
A dehumidifier would be virtually useless!
The reason being that moisture is clearly trapped between the vinyl flooring and the plywood floor, so it cannot "escape" into the caravan air to be absorbed by the dehumidifier.
Clearly there IS damp present so the ONLY way to dry the floor out it is by removing the vinyl and THEN using a dehumidifier? The vinyl is the very first thing thats put in so the only option is to attack it with a Stanley knife, sorry but that is the only way. See my previous post!
If you leave the floor damp it WILL rot, and repairing it later down the line will be horrendously expensive,, so it's not something to be left.
The reason being that moisture is clearly trapped between the vinyl flooring and the plywood floor, so it cannot "escape" into the caravan air to be absorbed by the dehumidifier.
Clearly there IS damp present so the ONLY way to dry the floor out it is by removing the vinyl and THEN using a dehumidifier? The vinyl is the very first thing thats put in so the only option is to attack it with a Stanley knife, sorry but that is the only way. See my previous post!
If you leave the floor damp it WILL rot, and repairing it later down the line will be horrendously expensive,, so it's not something to be left.
That is correct, but they state the area is in the middle of the caravan and not on either side? I am not familiar with Bailey caravans so open to correction.
It got there somehow, and it matters not how, so it needs removing ASAP
It matters a lot how it got there. What would be the point in removing the damp if the source has not been found?
Was it a small area or large area, also when you say the middle of the caravan are we talking axle area? 🤔That is correct, but they state the area is in the middle of the caravan and not on either side? I am not familiar with Bailey caravans so open to correction.
No it’s more towards the front of the van where the bench seats start up to the sideboard at the front in front of the water tank probably about 30 to 40 inches down the middle showing readings 40/50
Did they scan it , with pins or both?
Sometimes with scanning it can pick up metal, equally with pins it can pick up surface moisture, when both are on send it should be able to narrow damp down to metal, surface/saturated flooring to a damp problem, especially in a localised area
Annie
Look at this video.
View: https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A//youtu.be/vyOvH7kGLts%3Fsi%3D-HGwG9L4t6K3sE33&text=Bailey%20Alu-tech%20Pegasus%20Orion%20Unicorn%20damp%20floors%3F&via=YouTube&related=YouTube,YouTubeTrends,YTCreators
Can you check for damp in the furniture near the damp area? Has your engineer checked the damp levels around the floor edges and corners? Water can travel and “pool” elsewhere no where the actual ingress location.
Can you look underneath and see if there is any damage to the floor from road hazards?
Whatever , you really need to lift the vinyl floor covering to see what’s going on and as Mr Plodd said, covered the floor will never successfully dry.
Please let us know how you get on.
Look at this video.
Can you check for damp in the furniture near the damp area? Has your engineer checked the damp levels around the floor edges and corners? Water can travel and “pool” elsewhere no where the actual ingress location.
Can you look underneath and see if there is any damage to the floor from road hazards?
Whatever , you really need to lift the vinyl floor covering to see what’s going on and as Mr Plodd said, covered the floor will never successfully dry.
Please let us know how you get on.
Pins when he did the initial service but then he said his boss would come out with a different meter unfortunately l couldn’t get there when he came out this week so unsure what they actually used l have messaged but so far he had not responded.
Obviously I don’t know what location you are in, I probably would suggest looking On here for your area to get it rechecked
I have fully fitted carpets, so if I had a leak, which I did once from the inlet pipe, It leaked over all of the front floor.
Luckily it was. Only for a day and the carpet got most of the water and was removed, and another carpet fitted
Think about this Worst, scenario. . Caravan on a seasonal pitch, permanent water plumbed in, water leak over a Tuesday to Friday. Water damage could be bad. , carpets removed and different ones fitted. Caravan sold, dealer sells caravan, They never do a damp check on selling, ( They don't want to know, that's just my opinion though) .
New buyer doesn't find the damp until next service.
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Many on here are suggesting this damp might be due to a previous spillage, which is a suggestion, BUT how would any such spillage get underneath the waterproof and non permeable vinyl floor covering?? It can only have got there via a break in the vinyl.
A while ago I suffered a failure in the valve at the top of a combi boiler that allows air in when the drain valve is opened. Its the white one at the top of the picture. With the clear drain tube dropping down through the floor. There was no drain tube fitted on my caravan to take that water down through the floor (not fitted at the factory, but of course it was impossible to prove that) So water dribbled out of the valve when the water was heated and tge system was pressurised, onto the vinyl and across the floor. Wet carpets are what alerted us when we got up for breakfast. It ALSO got a long way under the vinyl so in order to dry it out I had to remove the vinyl.
When I did so I found an area around the gas drop vent, and the hole where the drain pipe should have been ( both visible as grey things in the picture) was discoloured due to clearly a previous minor leak I had not spotted and had dried out
The water in the discovered leak had made its way, under the vinyl (over a maximum of 24 hours because that's how long we had been away) all the way back to the bedroom threshold.
Even after mopping up the water, that had only been present for a short while on the ply surface, my floor took 10 days, using a dehumidifier, to dry out to around 15%
So this caravan could have suffered a similar incident but the vinyl wasn't lifted to dry the floor out fully. The "edges" of the damp have dried over a long period, but the middle hasn't.
Well thats my theory and it's worth consideration because it's based on personal experience.
I would want to see whats under the vinyl flooring!
A while ago I suffered a failure in the valve at the top of a combi boiler that allows air in when the drain valve is opened. Its the white one at the top of the picture. With the clear drain tube dropping down through the floor. There was no drain tube fitted on my caravan to take that water down through the floor (not fitted at the factory, but of course it was impossible to prove that) So water dribbled out of the valve when the water was heated and tge system was pressurised, onto the vinyl and across the floor. Wet carpets are what alerted us when we got up for breakfast. It ALSO got a long way under the vinyl so in order to dry it out I had to remove the vinyl.
When I did so I found an area around the gas drop vent, and the hole where the drain pipe should have been ( both visible as grey things in the picture) was discoloured due to clearly a previous minor leak I had not spotted and had dried out
The water in the discovered leak had made its way, under the vinyl (over a maximum of 24 hours because that's how long we had been away) all the way back to the bedroom threshold.
Even after mopping up the water, that had only been present for a short while on the ply surface, my floor took 10 days, using a dehumidifier, to dry out to around 15%
So this caravan could have suffered a similar incident but the vinyl wasn't lifted to dry the floor out fully. The "edges" of the damp have dried over a long period, but the middle hasn't.
Well thats my theory and it's worth consideration because it's based on personal experience.
I would want to see whats under the vinyl flooring!
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A number have suggested the vinyl needs to be lifted if the damp readings are to be believed but the OP is reluctant. A friend of mine had to do that and once dried out and the vinyl replaced you couldn’t see where the cuts had been.
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There is damp under the vinyl flooring, and it's trapped there so cannot escape/evaporate/dry out.
So realistically there are the following options open to the OP.
1. Ignore the problem and hope it goes away (we all know that it wont)
2. Leave it until the floor is rotten and costs a fortune to repair. (See above)
3. Trade it in for something else and pay thousands for the privilege.
4. Accept that the vinyl needs to come up to investigate how much damp there actually is, get it dried out and fit some new flooring, either yourself or pay a carpet fitter. (Much cheaper than options 2 or 3)
The OP has asked for advice regarding the issue. That advice has been freely offered by many, along with one personal experience of its possible (probable?) cause and remedy.
It is now up to the OP what, if any, advice they take on board and how they now proceed. Horses, water, leading??
My caravan originally had the "Rhino hide" flooring, which we hated. After my trauma I fitted different vinyl flooring throughout the caravan myself ( not a quick job!) which, we think, looks far nicer than the original (its much thicker quality and softer underfoot) Cost was about £90 including a few rolls of carpet tape.
So realistically there are the following options open to the OP.
1. Ignore the problem and hope it goes away (we all know that it wont)
2. Leave it until the floor is rotten and costs a fortune to repair. (See above)
3. Trade it in for something else and pay thousands for the privilege.
4. Accept that the vinyl needs to come up to investigate how much damp there actually is, get it dried out and fit some new flooring, either yourself or pay a carpet fitter. (Much cheaper than options 2 or 3)
The OP has asked for advice regarding the issue. That advice has been freely offered by many, along with one personal experience of its possible (probable?) cause and remedy.
It is now up to the OP what, if any, advice they take on board and how they now proceed. Horses, water, leading??
My caravan originally had the "Rhino hide" flooring, which we hated. After my trauma I fitted different vinyl flooring throughout the caravan myself ( not a quick job!) which, we think, looks far nicer than the original (its much thicker quality and softer underfoot) Cost was about £90 including a few rolls of carpet tape.
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