Drying out damp

[MikeG2]

Our 2008 Abbey had damp detected at last year's service - 30% in a small area at the front of the van. Quite what the percentages actually mean is beyond me, but suffice to say it was considered apprpriate for a warranty repair - replacement of the awning rail and seal.

One year on and the same area is reading 20%, which sort of indicates that the ingress has stopped - but the question remains, just how long does it take to dry out to "normal", which is apparently in the region of 10 - 12%.
I would guess that if the damp damage had been severe enough to warrant panel removal, then the area would have had the opportunity to dry out - whereas in our case the area has remained a sealed box and will therefore take longer to settle down.
Having seen at first hand the damage that damp can do to a van's structure, should I be concerned?

 

[Damian]

Ideally the damp should have been dried out when the repair was done which would have meant removing the internal wallboard in that area, but obviously it has not.

The excess moisture has tofind a way out, but is, for all intents and purposes,sealed between the outer skin and the inner wallboard which has a foil laminate finish, which is waterproof.

The only way out now is through the ends of the wallboard under the window rubbers, or at joints and will take some time to drop to what is considered "normal" whichis anything between 8% and 15%.

A drop from 30% to 20% is a good indication that it is dryingbut will take some time to drop further.
In the meantime, check that the walls still feel firm to the touch and that there is no "pimpling" of the wallboard.

 

[TD42]

I had a similer situation when I had damp repairs done on my Pagent . What I did was to use my damp meter to pierce the wall board about twice per square inch in the damp area. as I had shapened the meter points this operation left vertually no visible pin holes. This allows the moisture to escape .I used a fan heater played on the area (under close obsevation ) until the readings were down to zero,I then used a damp sealer wash to seal the wall covering again. this area was fine until I sold the van 2years later