More Help Please Damp Batten!!

[A12]

Hello again!

So I had a damp patch on my caravan wall. Not very big at all about 20cm x 20cm so I cut it out to investigate (can of worms)

I found a wet batten... the batten which holds the awning rail of course.
Now we know awning rail needed resealing and we are in the process of that, however, this batten is in a real awkward place as you can see from the photo.

Is there any advice on how to deal with this? Can I somehow rescue this???
Any help is appreciated!!

As you can see from the batten next to jt... its very dark compared to the good one. I wouldn't say its rotten...yet... but very wet! So almost.

 

[Mr Plodd]

First job is to stop any further water ingress to stop matters getting any worse.

Then dry the batten out, it might not be rotten and if that is indeed the case there is no need to replace it.

 

[A12]

First job is to stop any further water ingress to stop matters getting any worse.

Then dry the batten out, it might not be rotten and if that is indeed the case there is no need to replace it.

Thanks again Mr Plodd. Always helpful! Yes the rail is off and all clean ready to go back on. My only concern was if the screws would go back in which lead me to investigate and open the lovely can of worms.

I suppose the only way to really know is see if the screws hold?

Thanks again I really appreciate the advice as this can be stressful haha!

 

[JTQ]

Drill alternative holes in the rail, and use quality stainless steel screws.
I would use marine market (AISI 316) .

 

[Mr Plodd]

Drill alternative holes in the rail, and use quality stainless steel screws.
I would use marine market (AISI 316) .

Screws wont ever hold in wet wood.
Excellent advice re using stainless screws.

 

[JTQ]

Screws wont ever hold in wet wood.
Excellent advice re using stainless screws.

I was hoping the advice to dry it out first was adopted, plus then checking its not too rotted, so there is something viable to screw into.

Re using the old, already failed screw locations to me is a non starter.

 

[A12]

Thanks alot guys for your help...
I guess it'll be a case of a fan heater, windows open and a dehumidifier?

I've had a closer look and although it's obviously wet... its not.breaking away or crumbling away at all. It all feels very much insitu and fairly 'hard' still

 

[IanB1485]

Use a multitool (photo)to gently cut it out , on the outside remove herzim strip to release screws . fit new piece of batten (approx 23 x 47mm) and use polyurethane adhesive to glue it into place ( it expands as it sets and sticks like the proverbia) fill in the gaps with polystyrene block.

(Jablite Premium Polystyrene 25mm Insulation board (L)1.2m (W)0.45m, Pack of 8 available from B & Q )​

 

[JTQ]

I would not rush in doing too much till I had fully considered what needed or did not need replacing, or these jobs can grow like "Topsy".

 

[A12]

Thanks guys. The awning rail is already off and the van covered of course for protection.
I think I'll spend a few a days next week trying to dry it out... if not then it'll be time to multi-tool it out but I'm praying I can avoid this 🤣
Unfortunately the top of the batten is inside a top locker which is pretty much impossible to access and also impossible to remove so I'm keen to avoid this if I can. Although I could access the majority of it.

Fingers crossed!! Somethings got to swing in my favour at some point.... right!? 🤣

 

[Mr Plodd]

Don't think this timber will dry out on a couple of days, you need to think in weeks! I had a bit of an internal flood and spotted it quickly (Flood happened in the night, spotted first thing in the morning, so a very short time)

I had to rip all the vinyl flooring up to get rid of the water that had got underneath. The surface of the floor was wet, but certainly not soaked. It took still about 10 days to get the floor dried out.

The surface might feel dry but you need to allow time for any moisture that's worked its way into the wood to "wick" it's way to the surface and evaporate away. A damp meter is useful for that. A cheappie off eBay etc for about a tenner is good enough for what you need it for.

You need to provide plenty of ventilation I order to remove moisture laden air from the caravan. Heating it will allow the air to hold more moisture, but you need to get rid of that moisture. A dehumidifier would help, but are costly to run for any appreciable time.

 

[A12]

Don't think this timber will dry out on a couple of days, you need to think in weeks! I had a bit of an internal flood and spotted it quickly (Flood happened in the night, spotted first thing in the morning, so a very short time)

I had to rip all the vinyl flooring up to get rid of the water that had got underneath. The surface of the floor was wet, but certainly not soaked. It took still about 10 days to get the floor dried out.

The surface might feel dry but you need to allow time for any moisture that's worked its way into the wood to "wick" it's way to the surface and evaporate away. A damp meter is useful for that. A cheappie off eBay etc for about a tenner is good enough for what you need it for.

You need to provide plenty of ventilation I order to remove moisture laden air from the caravan. Heating it will allow the air to hold more moisture, but you need to get rid of that moisture. A dehumidifier would help, but are costly to run for any appreciable time.

Thanks! I'm with you... I've got a little Stanley damp meter that I've been using so hopefully that'll do for now. Also got a fairly good dehumidifier so I'll get on with that for now...
I'm even considering leaving it exposed over the summer while we (hopefully) use it to give it some good weather to dry out more.

I'm remaing optimistic!
Thanks again for your help

 

[Dustydog]

Excellent advice all round .

Once you have fully dried out the timber and are satisfied it is not rotten, say 15% or less moisture on your damp meter treat it with a fungicidal solution which will prevent any further rot arising in the future. Some of these fungicides also contain hardeners which can improve the timbers condition. All available at most DIY stores.

As you are finding out the biggest expense is time waiting for the drying out process.

What sealant will you use? Not your domestic silicon😉😵‍💫.
I’d recommend Soudal RV 61 or Sikaflex 522, both specially made for use on caravan joints.
Keep up the good work👍

 

[GaryB]

Damp caravans are like icebergs, the bit you can see is only just the beginning. A friend had an Elddis which had a few blisters in the outer aluminium skin (corrosion), the inner panels had a few damp patches so he dug in and tackled each stage slowly and methodically and made a great job. He replaced the rotten wood a section at a time to preserve the structural integrity and bought a cheap caravan cover to keep the rain out until it was water tight.

 

[A12]

Thank yo!

Excellent advice all round .

Once you have fully dried out the timber and are satisfied it is not rotten, say 15% or less moisture on your damp meter treat it with a fungicidal solution which will prevent any further rot arising in the future. Some of these fungicides also contain hardeners which can improve the timbers condition. All available at most DIY stores.

As you are finding out the biggest expense is time waiting for the drying out process.

What sealant will you use? Not your domestic silicon😉😵‍💫.
I’d recommend Soudal RV 61 or Sikaflex 522, both specially made for use on caravan joints.
Keep up the good work👍

Thanks! I will definitely invest in some of that. Sounds like it's worth every penny!

In terms of sealant. I've got some tubes of Sikaflex 552 on standby ready to go. I've read its the strongest and best stuff to go for so after all of this work, I want to get it right! Haha no doubt it'll be messy when it's time to apply it but I'll be happy if I get that far! It means I'm on the right track.

Thanks again everyone for your help and guidance

 

[A12]

Damp caravans are like icebergs, the bit you can see is only just the beginning. A friend had an Elddis which had a few blisters in the outer aluminium skin (corrosion), the inner panels had a few damp patches so he dug in and tackled each stage slowly and methodically and made a great job. He replaced the rotten wood a section at a time to preserve the structural integrity and bought a cheap caravan cover to keep the rain out until it was water tight.View attachment 8210View attachment 8211View attachment 8212View attachment 8213

Amazing insight! Thanks for the images. I know 100% what you mean. I started off with another area which turned out to be absolutely fine, a bit of a red herring, and ended up finding this.

I'm determined to rectify it, it's an older van (2003) but it's perfect for us and the inside is lovely (damp aside)
So we battle on!🤣