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Drying out damp from the inside

B

billy2

Got a damp patch in the rear of my Vanmaster ,any ideas on the best way to dry it out from the inside,problem with wall is a washable vynel that is reluctant to let the damp out .Its only a small erea so dont want to dismantel to much ,thanks Billy

VANMASTER962012001.jpg
 
You mean this patch on the wall ?
What is outside on that wall in that area ?
It looks to be covering quite a large area or is that the photo ?

VANMASTER962012001.jpg
 
Thanks was just looking at how to get pictures on hear ,not as easy as most forums .Outside is the awning rail ,about where the damp is that is where the rear gutter and the window rail meet .As it is now under cover probly better to get the awning rail off ,giving it a chance to dry from both sides .
 
When i get as far as the tree nothing happens ,infact to post on this site i need to disable rich text or nothing gets posted .Not been on hear for a couple of years seems to have changed since last time i was on.On the other forums i use its a copy and paste from photobucket onto your post and picture apears .Looks like Google plays a big part in this forum ,maybe thats why i cant get it to work for me.
 
Hi Billy, dont want to cause you any alarm but think you will need to remove the wall board and see what is lurking behind, if the patch in the photo is as big as it looks it will need further investigation. The damp will have penetrated the insulation and you need to check the actual frame structure timber, this is the fixing also for the awning rail.
Most materials including polystyrene, wall board, joining strips are availible from Magnun Motor Homes, they will even send you a few samples to match existing if you select the nearest from there stock list, think the lady I dealt with was callled Sue, very helpful.
The link Sprocket posted will give you an insight
Hope this helps
 
Probably will come down to that although after 3 days under cover and some windows open is only a quarter of that size now so is drying .That address is usefull for parts if needed will give it a few more days maybe try some gentle heat ,thanks for that Billy
 
Hello Billy,

I'm sorry you have this problem. and I'm sorry to be the bearer of what is likely to be bad news.

I think the point Gagakev was making is that because the wall board is vinyl covered, by the time you see damp, as displayed in the picture, it is usual for a lot of internal wall damage to already have occurred. It is also quite usual that the visible dampness does not necessarily show where the source of the damp is.

You cannot cure damp by simply drying out, you need to find the source and cure it there to prevent it getting any worse. You invariably need to expose the internal wall structure to establish both the real source and the extent of the damp.

Typically you can get wet rot and dry rot arising from this sort of problem, and you must remove all affected timber as any that left may seed another infestation.

Others on the forum have carried out damp repairs, but generally its affected much more than they first imagined, and consequently it is likely to take longer and cost more.

I hope I'm wrong and it is a simple matter for you, but I do have reservations.

Good luck
 
Wasnt realy expecting to afect a cure by just drying out ,going to take the bull by the horns at the weekend and remove the inner wall board to see what horrors lay behind it ,expecting the worse and hopeing for the best.What should i find behind just a framework and insulation and beyond that the outside alloy panel,or more .Will belay removing the awning rail until such a time as i am sure i can affect a proper repair to any structure rot as may need to move it to my local repair shop if beyond me ,where i feel sure i will be greeted with a harty rubbing of the hands.
 
billy said:
Wasnt realy expecting to afect a cure by just drying out ,going to take the bull by the horns at the weekend and remove the inner wall board to see what horrors lay behind it ,expecting the worse and hopeing for the best.What should i find behind just a framework and insulation and beyond that the outside alloy panel,or more .Will belay removing the awning rail until such a time as i am sure i can affect a proper repair to any structure rot as may need to move it to my local repair shop if beyond me ,where i feel sure i will be greeted with a harty rubbing of the hands.
Click to expand...

Hi Billy, when I removed my wallboard it was like you said, framework and insulation and the outer skin, my van was an Abbey but I see you have a Vanmaster and would summise it will be the same however as differant manufactuer cant be sure,
If you are handy at DIY it is fairly straight forward but the worst part of it is the time period it can take, took me nearly 3 weeks evenings and weekends. The outer skin was stapled to the timber frame and they were a nightmare to remove as they have to be removed to fit new timber and to remove them(the staples) the awning rail has to come off. A.gain hope this helps
 
Yes it gives me an idea what to find behind thanks.So the staples holding the outer skin to the frame would be behind the rail it needs to come off as needs cleaning and resealing.I have a freind who is a carpenter he is prepaired to come and have a look ,told him the frame is possibly like a studwork wall frame aloy outside wallboard inside insulation in between .Still hopeing we find it not to bad as no softness, as wall is drying no stain left behind .To remove complete wallboard would mean dismanteling the warderobe and cupboards in the bathroom,was thinking of cutting the wallboard about 2ft from the corner where damp is roof to floor so can be removed ,once job done put it back and cover the cut with the same colour joint tape as used in modern vans where 2 wallboards join
 
No need to remove all the panel, as said just cut the damp area first in a nice straight line scoring first with a stanley knife and then you will find the knife will cut through the board, you can then obtain a "D" strip in the colour match of the panel to join both panels together or indeed if your van already has joint tape you can source some of that.
 
Made a start on removing the interior damp panel,want to take it down to the floor so can check the whole corner top to bottom,but nothing is easy as panel is glued to wooden frame of caravan and realy doesnt want to move .Problem is if the panel doesnt come out cant check behind for any damage,may be a problem to move without damageing it ,what are the chances of matching it to a new one ,if any?
 
billy send the photo to the link i gave you earlier and tell them what type of van you have and they will do there best to match existing and ask them to send you the closest samples they have.
Unfortunatly it will be hard to save existing panel but if its damp anyway why keep it?
 
Will do that Kev will let you know how i get on ,you are right will attack it with a bit more gusto today ,main thing is to check the frame and if it is ok at least once open will be able to dry properly .Should any wood that is wet but sound dry to original strength,would i be better once dry to treat with wood hardener.Thanks for your advice i appreciate it.Bill
 
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