I have my caravan on my drive, and for the winter done the usual, getting it all ready. I check it regularly, and sometimes turn on the heating in there just to air it. Now, Yesterday I noticed a wet patch on the bathroom floor, right in the middle of it, I have checked the sky light and ceiling for leaks and checked the caravan underneath but nothing, the walls are dry sand the window is ok too!. This is a total mystery to me cant think of what has caused it. Anyone out there know of what might be the cause of this.
Mysterious water???
- Thread starter juliewales
- Start date
Hello Julie,
Your mysterious water could just be condensation.
Your caravan has been left cold for some time, now you have turned on the heating, which has increased the ability of the air to absorb more water vapour, however, some parts of the caravan take longer to warm up, and when the warm moist air comes into contact with the cooler surface, the air cools down and has to release some of its moisture.
Your shower tray has a hard smooth surface, and if enough water is condensed on its surface, it may well create a small 'damp patch', also being low down, it will take longer to warm up as the warm air will tend to fill the caravan from the top down so low lying areas will be the last to warm up properly.
Your mysterious water could just be condensation.
Your caravan has been left cold for some time, now you have turned on the heating, which has increased the ability of the air to absorb more water vapour, however, some parts of the caravan take longer to warm up, and when the warm moist air comes into contact with the cooler surface, the air cools down and has to release some of its moisture.
Your shower tray has a hard smooth surface, and if enough water is condensed on its surface, it may well create a small 'damp patch', also being low down, it will take longer to warm up as the warm air will tend to fill the caravan from the top down so low lying areas will be the last to warm up properly.
Hi Julie, You say you have checked the skylight, have you been up some steps and checked the outside?? I would say when you have a look you'll probably find one or more of the retaining screws has either broken or corroded away, you can sometimes remove the remaining screws that hold the outer dome in place, put a small dab of sealent over the screw holes, use a new screw and fibre washer to replace the dome. please be careful when handling the dome, depending on the age of the van they can become very brittle.
Thanks Metz, I did go on steps to have a look, and did'nt really think of checking the screws, so I will do so now! cheers.
Do you have standing water on the roof ? Just a small amount or just heavy rainfall can be driven under the roofhatch by the wind and we have had some of that recently !
My initial thought was along the same lines as John L. Try winter caravaning and you will find out the true meaning of condensation when you wake up in the morning! Metz has also mentioned the next favorite cause. If fumbling around on the roof isn't for you, is it feasible to use a garden hose to soak the roof? If you can spray water up there and monitor from inside whats going on, it may eliminate the sky light or indeed condemn it.
I RECKON JOHN L IS PROB SPOT ON.MAKES SENSE.THE BATHROOM IS THE COLDEST PART OF THE CARAVAN SMOOTH SURFACES AND SUCH.
SO BECAUSE YOU ARE TURNING ON THE HEAT EVERY NOW AND AGAIN IT IS CREATING CONDENSATION,AND THEIR IS PROB A SLIGHT INDENTATION IN THE SHOWER TRAY THAT IS JUST HOLDING THE CONDENSATION.
DRY IT UP AND DO YOUR NORMAL HEATING AS YOU HAVE BEEN DOING AND SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET THE WET SPOT.DRY OFF AND THEN SKIP ON THE HEATING AND SEE IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN,
MICK
SO BECAUSE YOU ARE TURNING ON THE HEAT EVERY NOW AND AGAIN IT IS CREATING CONDENSATION,AND THEIR IS PROB A SLIGHT INDENTATION IN THE SHOWER TRAY THAT IS JUST HOLDING THE CONDENSATION.
DRY IT UP AND DO YOUR NORMAL HEATING AS YOU HAVE BEEN DOING AND SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET THE WET SPOT.DRY OFF AND THEN SKIP ON THE HEATING AND SEE IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN,
MICK
Well thanx again to you all, checked the roof, sky lights, ceilings, walls, "interior" and nothing,except the sink the wall below was quiet wet,so I have wipe it all down and it's still dry! "fingers crossed" just water! no where near the sides of the walls just a rather large patch in the centre,. This morning opened the windows cause it's quiet nice here today! and hopefully it'll dry it but it's been 3 days now, and it's still wet, how long will it take to dry? and, I checked the outside underneath of the van and it's perfectly dry! it's just the carpet in the bathroom, Im at my witts end now, cant think of anything else to do.
We had a Swift a good few years back that had water appear around the sink area numerous times. We had suggestions about condensation but it turned out to be the wind. At certain times with the wind in the right ditrection the water blew up over the back of the van under the vent and up over the high lip and then down around the sink. The vent was always dry when we found it and it was some time before we witnessed the event whilst away in the van in bad weather. The neat mastic seal on the vant was a neat curve and helped direct the water up between the lip of the vent and the cover.
A fat round bead of mastic laid along the base of the outer lip and the roof cured the problem.
A fat round bead of mastic laid along the base of the outer lip and the roof cured the problem.
Just thinking out loud here Julia. Does your water system have any residual water in it? Is it possible a pipe has sprung a leak and this is what's caused the leak? It may not even be your fresh water, it could be from your waste pipes. Our Bailey had a cracked outlet in the bathroom sink, which allowed water to pool into the cupboard beneath. One of the problems with leaks is that while you may see the result of one, tracing the problem is much more difficult.
Any chance you could borrow a carpet cleaner and mop up the water with that instead of waiting for it to dry?
Any chance you could borrow a carpet cleaner and mop up the water with that instead of waiting for it to dry?
Thanx lol, yeah! I will use a carpet cleaner and try and dry it that way, and I'll check all the pipes aswell again!
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