New Bailey - leak or condensation?

[Glenn_5132962]

We were away in our 4 month old Pageant Bretagne last weekend in all that rain & I noticed a slight bit of water on the shelf of the overhead locker above the kitchen (next to the microwave). Upon investigation, above the wet shelf is a hole in the ceiling boarding about 20mm diameter for wiring to pass through. I presume this is the wiring for the omnivent or ceiling lights. When I put my finger in the hole the end of it came out wet. Is this a leak or could it be condensation due to the roof insulation being missing or thinner in this area to make room for the wiring?

I've put a bowl on the shelf now the vans back in storage & will be checking it regular. It cant condensate when its not in use so if I find any more water it must be a leak. I'm a bit worried :-(

 

[herb]

if its only 4 months old take it back to dealer get them to sort it under warrenty

 

[TD42]

Hi Glen.If you have any sign of water ingress whether it be through condensation or as I suspect water ingress around the omni vent & water feeding along the cables.Get it seen to as soon as possible by your dealer as any delay could result in damage to the headlining + as in my case it can take as much as 4 months before work/spares are available for the repair to be carried out

 

[readcaravans]

it is difficult to establish the problem without further investigation, but in my experience it does sound like condensation, which i have come across before. i would suggest contacting your supplying dealer just to put your mind at rest and let them have a look.

 

[Glenn_5132962]

Well I went & checked the van today (in storage) after the monsoon rains we've been having this week & its bone dry. I reckon it was condensation now as the wet shelf was found in the morning after 5 of us and the dog had been sleeping in there with the heating on. Its booked in to be checked at the dealers next week but i think i'm wasting my time. If its dry & it stays dry in heavy rain or if sprayed with a hose then what can they say? I reckon the way to check for sure is to go away again when its cold but not raining & see if that hole gets wet. If it does then i'll know for sure its condensation. The van was new in the summer & its been used in plenty of wet weather with no sign of a leak but now its getting colder maybe this condensation is just a characteristic of the model?

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Glen,

We caravan right through the winter, irrespective of the weather or temperature, and do not suffer from condensation. In two weeks tome we are off on our annual Christmas New Year tour, due back in January.

I find if caravanners tell me they have condensation it is usually caused by the way they caravan in winter.

If you enter the caravan with a wet dog, as we do sometimes and wet coats, we turn up the heating and put the extractor fan on it's lowest setting but only open it slightly. We do this for about 20 minutes.

We never switch the heating off, it is on 24/7, even if we go out for the day.

When cooking open the extractor fan half way and switch it on a couple of minutes before you start cooking, and leave it on for 5 minutes after cooking. This includes use of the microwave.

Unless it is very windy we always have the kitchen window on the night catch and the washroom window on the night catch, and adjust the heating accordingly, this allows air to circulate.

We do not leave the caravan door open any longer than is needed, as the last thing you want is too much cold damp air entering the caravan.

We have caravaned in -10C at night, and below freezing all day for quite a few consecutive days, without condensation.

As a caravanning friend of mine advised us a few years ago, if you are too warm in winter in the caravan take a sweater off, but do not turn the temperature down too low.

Hamer