Old caravan do-up project - advice needed

[TpX Thinnr]

Hi all,

After the helpful advice received on my initial thread I'm hoping to glean some more wisdom if anyone can help.

I bought a Craftsman Miracle 174/4 from 93/94 in reasonable condition and am on the spruce up.

Having never had a caravan before there are some basic functions that I need help with understanding and not being able to find a manual online I'm at a loss.

Firstly, I need to know how I get water in the van for showers, the toilet and kitchen sink. The below pic is where I think it might go but have no idea what I'm supposed to connect to it or how i fill up the tank of there is one?



Secondly there is some damp in the bathroom ceiling which I think is where rain has leaked in from the ceiling opening. I've ripped out the rotten bits and wondering what the best way of covering it and resealing might be ( I'm not overly fussed about being able to use the shower as have been informed that will likely be the main cause of future damp if it is used.) I was thinking I could just use bathroom seal/silicone around the edge of the opening as the previous owner seems to have done with the other opening above or the kitchen.


Also I need to get a toilet cassette and wondering if there's just a generic type or which one would people recommend?

Lastly, can someone please advise, does the waste water from the kitchen sink and shower usually go into the same place as the toilet waste?

Any advice gratefully received. Cheers.

 

[audiorob]

I think you require a Truma Carver Crystal water pump (about 70.00) and as the inlet would normally have a hinged cover you can also replace this complete with filter for a similar sum or just the cover for about 13.00 and replacement filter (screw in) about 8.50.

You can buy a new loo cassette which you may be able to identify from the thetford sticker shown in your photo - likely to be c2,3,4 and then identify if right or left handed according to the side where the door is when sitting on the loo. Thetford would confirm the model from the serial number on the sticker if you don’t have any handbook.

 

[TpX Thinnr]

Thanks a lot for the help. There are some pumps that look like they match the housing for around 70 as you said

but what do they connect to on the outside please? A hose or a water container or something like that?

 

[Buckman]

I think you require a Truma Carver Crystal water pump (about 70.00) and as the inlet would normally have a hinged cover you can also replace this complete with filter for a similar sum or just the cover for about 13.00 and replacement filter (screw in) about 8.50.

You can buy a new loo cassette which you may be able to identify from the thetford sticker shown in your photo - likely to be c2,3,4 and then identify if right or left handed according to the side where the door is when sitting on the loo. Thetford would confirm the model from the serial number on the sticker if you don’t have any handbook.

We had that fitting on a Lunar caravan and had numerous issues with it so upgraded it to a later Truma connection and no more issues a spares readily available.

 

[otherclive]

The water connector pump will go into an Aquaroll water container generally 28 or 40 litre sized. There are other types but Aquaroll is the most popular one.

 

[audiorob]

You seem also to be missing the outer cover on the carver cascade water heater which is adjacent the inlet. Your taps will likely be microswitch (have a look beneath one tap and see if two wires are connected) in which case opening the tap will open the switch and water will flow. These are 12v and rely on the caravan battery (as will internal lights and the water pump).
Do you have a caravanning friend or neighbour who would be able to run through the systems with you?
Also check the age of tyres if you are intending touring - an oval shaped area with 4 digits xxxx - first two week and second two year of manufacture. Recommended no older than 7 years even if they appear ok.

 

[Mel]

There is a Caravan Manual book by the late great John Wickersham, Caravan guru. It may be of help to you:

The Caravan Manual

The author is an enthusiastic caravanner, a qualified service engineer and expert on DIY. This manual provides essential information on servicing & maintaining all types of caravans.'

www.wob.com

But do keep posting questions on here, and keep us up to date on your project.
Mel

 

[TpX Thinnr]

You seem also to be missing the outer cover on the carver cascade water heater which is adjacent the inlet. Your taps will likely be microswitch (have a look beneath one tap and see if two wires are connected) in which case opening the tap will open the switch and water will flow. These are 12v and rely on the caravan battery (as will internal lights and the water pump).
Do you have a caravanning friend or neighbour who would be able to run through the systems with you?
Also check the age of tyres if you are intending touring - an oval shaped area with 4 digits xxxx - first two week and second two year of manufacture. Recommended no older than 7 years even if they appear ok.

I've got the cover for the heater. Was asking about tyres in a previous thread. Mine are 15 years old and even though they look in great condition I know they need changing. Electrics seem to be fine, will check the taps for wires...

There is a Caravan Manual book by the late great John Wickersham, Caravan guru. It may be of help to you:

The Caravan Manual

The author is an enthusiastic caravanner, a qualified service engineer and expert on DIY. This manual provides essential information on servicing & maintaining all types of caravans.'

www.wob.com

But do keep posting questions on here, and keep us up to date on your project.
Mel

Thanks will check it out, sounds like it will be just what I need!

 

[TpX Thinnr]

Does all waste water including kitchen sink and shower go into the toilet cassette? If not what happens to it?

 

[audiorob]

The damp you have discovered should be your first task before any further outlay. As you will see in other posts damp that you see can be the tip of the iceberg. From your picture it may be that the top of the wall side and rear and the structural roof timbers show signs of damp and the leak therefore may be the awning rail or roof strap. It is usual to strip back to dry timber, seal the leak, then rebuild which even as we see in the photos will be a major task. Don’t use silicone but buy a specific adhesive like Sikafkex.

 

[audiorob]

Does all waste water including kitchen sink and shower go into the toilet cassette? If not what happens to it?

No there will be outlets towards the rear offside or under the rear panel. Usually one for the shower and one for the sinks. You need a wastemaster and short length of hose (often a Y fitting to combine both into one outlet) that needs to be emptied periodically.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The damp you have discovered should be your first task before any further outlay. As you will see in other posts damp that you see can be the tip of the iceberg. From your picture it may be that the top of the wall side and rear and the structural roof timbers show signs of damp and the leak therefore may be the awning rail or roof strap. It is usual to strip back to dry timber, seal the leak, then rebuild which even as we see in the photos will be a major task. Don’t use silicone but buy a specific adhesive like Sikafkex.

Yes, the pictures show staining to all the exposed timber, and unfortunately any wood that has been affected should be removed and replaced with treated timber. It's usually a much bigger job than it first looks.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The Carver Crystal water pump inlet, may still be serviceable if you can find a lid, but beware the filter (the clear plastic device) which unscrews for replacement, can split the housing causing a leak if its been over tightened. The OEM product was last produced in the mid 1990 's so yours will be about 30 years old. Replacement filters are available from several sources, though to be honest if you only caravan in the UK the filter should not be required. Simply remove the cartridge, carefully separate the opaque body from the clear lid and re fit the lid back into the housing in the caravan.

Regarding the pump, the only special thing is the connector that plugs into the housing on the side of the caravan. That makes the water and electrical connections. The actual pump can be any submersible 12v pump (Designed for caravans) and hose that's small enough to go through the hole in the external water carrier (eg Aquaroll or similar product)

However if the housing has been damaged you would be better to look at some of the more modern designs to replace the Crystal.

 

[audiorob]

If you look back to the post ‘2006 Swift Challenger: Damp’ posted by CWood you will find forum recommendations for purchase and use of damp meters. Helpfully Otherclive has posted an example report for you to emulate - a complete and thorough check. Would be worth buying one to do a full damp check on the van then you can gauge the extent of the problem.

 

[TpX Thinnr]

Cheers, I've ordered one of the damp meters and the recommended manual.
Also managed to get an Aquaroll, wastemaster and Y hose all for 25 quid which I'm quite chuffed about!

Connected the gas canister and the oven, heater and fridge all work.

Don't think I'm going to be able to sort the effects of the damp all out (in terms of replacing the timbers) before the holidays start so fingers crossed the weather will be ok although I will seal from the outside.

Also bought some coach paint to spruce up the exterior in a nice brown black and cream!

Thinking of getting a caravan cover to fend off any rain in the meantime...

Still need the crystal pump thing but trying to find an alternative to the £70 original.

Cheapest I can find for a Thetford cassette waste container is £100 so will be getting one of them n'all...

Not cheap this malarkey is it?!😆

Oh yeah, anyone know what this dial and ignition thing controls, surely not the fridge unless caravan freezers run on electricity but the fridge runs on gas?

 

[audiorob]

Can you identify the model from the sticker usually inside in the side wall of the fridge. The control is to operate the fridge / freezer on gas which would be possible without electric connection for example if you were ‘off grid’ on a site where no electric hook up was available.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The device in your picture is a fridge and it looks like an oldish Electrolux model.

Most caravan fridges are designed to use three possible energy sources, LPG, Mains ac electricity and 12V dc . This is possible becasue the fridges use the absorption process which requires external heat to be applied to part of the refrigeration system, and it its designed so that gas mains or 12V can provide the heat.

If you are using a mains hook up, it usual and best to run the fridge on it. But if you camping off grid, then the gas is the best option, The 12Vdc option is used when you are actually towing and the vehicles alternator is producing enough 12V to run the fridge. The fridge should be wired up so you can't use the caravans 12V battery to power it, becasue the fridge would flatten the battery in a matter of hours.

Your picture shows the manual piezo ignitor button that you have to use in conjunction with the rotary gas control knob to ignite the gas system.

 

[TpX Thinnr]

Understood. Thanks again.

 

[Buckman]

Beware of using a damp caravan which may have mould as the mould spores can attack your respiratory system. Good luck with your rebuild.

 

[TpX Thinnr]

Beware of using a damp caravan which may have mould as the mould spores can attack your respiratory system. Good luck with your rebuild.

Apart from the bathroom ceiling around the hatch we discovered only a couple of small areas of damp. We took off the wall lining there and basically chipped out the damp bits and it's now drying out. I'm going to seal the van with sikaflex but wanted to know what if anything in particular would be a suitable filler to rebuild the area that's been chipped out.

Do you know of such a product?

 

[ProfJohnL]

Apart from the bathroom ceiling around the hatch we discovered only a couple of small areas of damp. We took off the wall lining there and basically chipped out the damp bits and it's now drying out. I'm going to seal the van with sikaflex but wanted to know what if anything in particular would be a suitable filler to rebuild the area that's been chipped out.

Do you know of such a product?

Obviously I can't see or check the condition of the wooden structure, but the risk is that if rot has started, the fungus will have produced spoors and they will have spread and affected the wood in the vicinity. They are likely to have affected any of the timber that's damp, and just "chipping" out what you can see to be rotten will likely leave infected wood in place ready to start further damage.

Replace the wood with treated wood. If filling is needed then normal DIY wood fillers should be sufficient.

 

[Anseo]

Apart from the bathroom ceiling around the hatch we discovered only a couple of small areas of damp. We took off the wall lining there and basically chipped out the damp bits and it's now drying out. I'm going to seal the van with sikaflex but wanted to know what if anything in particular would be a suitable filler to rebuild the area that's been chipped out.

Do you know of such a product?

Fillers do not (usually) provide any additional structural integrity to the parent material that has had some of it's surface material removed.
Caravan construction generally utilises the minimum of materials to achieve a given task. I would regard the removal of even small amounts of the fabric as a weakening of the initial design specification.

I would prefer to cut back to a sound substrate and replace the removed material with new timber glued and clamped through the curing time.
Pins or screws can be used where clamping is not readily feasible.

To arrest and prevent further spread of wet\dry rot etc. or fungal infestations there are good products such as SikaGard and Cuprinol 5 Star.
1 Litre would suffice for the small areas you have mentioned, brush it on as far beyond the extremeties of affected wood as far as is practicable, no need to extend the treatment beyond 1 metre of the affected area(s).

 

[TpX Thinnr]

Thanks again for the advice, I don't think I've got the knowhow to really attempt replacing the timbers so I'll have to do with the cuprinol/sikagard option...

I am however buying a caravan cover which I'm hoping will prevent further damp and with god's grace we'll shortly have a heatwave that will dry out the damp that's already there.

Research has suggested the coach paint in using will also be a good protector...

 

[Buckman]

Thanks again for the advice, I don't think I've got the knowhow to really attempt replacing the timbers so I'll have to do with the cuprinol/sikagard option...

I am however buying a caravan cover which I'm hoping will prevent further damp and with god's grace we'll shortly have a heatwave that will dry out the damp that's already there.

Research has suggested the coach paint in using will also be a good protector...

The cover will keep in the damp and may make it worse due to maybe condensation issues?

 

[TpX Thinnr]

The cover will keep in the damp and may make it worse due to maybe condensation issues?

They're apparently designed to be breathable and are of a 4-ply material...