front locker damp

[pennypete]

Hi to everyone on this site. I'm a new member , so hopefully will increase my knowledge with your help..
Me and my girlfriend purchased our first tourer last September , and on the whole its a lovely van. We have used it as much as we can, most recently on some really cold winter days. So very nice and warm inside with the heaters on full blast, but when i checked the front locker i noticed a wet patch on the caravan floor. Totally confused as to where it came from, i looked up inside the locker and could see water dripping from between the ply shelf, and the metal sheet that covers the underside of this shelf. My question is ,has anyone had this problem ,and how did you resolve it?? Is this just condensation caused by a bad design fault. Sorry forgot to mention its a 2004 Elddiss Odyssey 534 . Anyway thanks for reading. Pete

 

[Gagakev]

Hi pete welcome to the forum,
I havent come across this before but sure some else will have, can you give them a bit more info

Was it raining?
Have you blocked the ventilation grills in the locker?
Have you checked the rubber seals around the windows above the locker?
Do you have a damp meter to check for damp under the windows on the walls inside the van?

 

[brian_c]

Welcome to the Forum Pete.
I'm sorry to here about your damp issue. I hope you soon get it resolved.
Best wishes Brian

 

[ProfJohnL]

............. Is this just condensation caused by a bad design fault...............

Hello Pete, Welcome to the forum.

I think you may be jumping the gun blaming the design, before you have established the cause or reason for the wet patch. Whilst this winter has not been severe, we have had plenty of cooler conditions, which will given the right circumstances allow condensation to form. Warm air can carry more moisture than cold air, so if warm moist air (as from the inside of an occupied caravan) is cooled the air will give up some of its moisture and deposit it as condensation.

It may surprise you to know that adults breathe out about 400mL of water per day, and that loads the warm air inside the caravan. And every time you use a naked flame inside the caravan (Cooker and oven) they also introduce roughly as much moisture as the fuel they burn, (e.g a device that burns 100gms of gas per hour will produce roughly 100gms of water vapour per hour).

Your space heater water heater and fridge should all be room sealed which means their products of combustion are flued outside and do not enter the caravan so they will not raise the moisture level inside the caravan.
Using the heater to warm the caravan, obviously makes it feel nice and warm inside, but it also means the air can take up more moisture. This is fine and is why warm air dries things more quickly, but it also means as soon as the air is cooled it can drop more condensation.

The best solution to a condensation problem is to ensure you have good ventilation.

 

[pennypete]

hi thanks Gagakev, ye funny you should mention the window seals, as only today i peeled back the seal a little and its quite wet . aaaahh !!!!

 

[pennypete]

Hi thanks for the reply, i now think after todays investigation, it may be due to a leaky window seal . there's a 50% plus reading under 1 of the 3 front windows . how can i dry out the timbers around this window?. cheers

 

[Gagakev]

Pete, you need to first and foremost find the specific area where it is leaking, once found you can start to rectify
the problem.
You may be lucky and caught it early enough
Before you start to dismantle anything can you tell if the seals are perished/punctured?
Can you lift the seals and look at the main timber frame, are they rotten or just wet?
If just wet it may be just a case of doing the seals and drying out.
With your damp meter is the reading higher, up the wall , is it lower the further you go down.
Let us know how you get on.

 

[pennypete]

Hi Gagakev, the seals look ok , and the timbers just look wet rather than rotten. the readings are higher on the narrow strip of wall board under the front os window. wall board not soft yet...
but should i try and dry the timbers first before resealing. if so how???

 

[Gagakev]

Pete, without actually seeing the van it's difficult on which way you progress.
What are your actual damp reading %'s? Pinched this from here Wizard caravan repairs Take a look as there is a lot of info on there.
Readings between (0-15%): no cause for concern.

Readings between (15-20%): dealer to make a note of these readings and re-check at next service.

Readings between (20-24%): possible early signs of ingress. Look for tangible evidence or ask for a re-check.

Readings between (25-30%): moisture evident, remedial work required; may not need strip-down unless surface damage (staining, pimpling, and softness) is apparent. (There is a risk of wallboard deterioration due to retained moisture in the structure if resealed only.)

Reading (31 % and above): structural damage is occurring, deterioration inevitable. A full strip-down of the affected area is required.

The Damp repair I have undertaken was quite a large one so easier to dry out.

I would surmise as you had a water on the caravan floor it could be a fairly substantial leak, if as you say you have no rotten timbers, find the leak, repair it, switch the heat on in the van and monitor for a few weeks.
If after a few weeks it hasnt improved then I'm afraid it could be more of a repair.
Hope this helps and just to add I am not a professional, just a keen DIYer!!! so look at all the other info availible on the web and good luck.

 

[pennypete]

Just want to thank you very much , you've been a great help. I will probably look into the cost of re sealing all 3 windows . cheers