RUST!

[A.VonDale]

My partner has just bought a new static caravan and has it sited on the east coast of yorkshire. I noticed around the site quite a lot of vans with badly corroded legs and frames, I guess this is because of the salty air but my question is, would it be worth my while painting the legs and frame with Hammerite or something similar, to protect the investment. I don't seem to see any body else doing anything.

A Von Dale

 

[Damian]

Personally I would protect the external metal on the van, but I would spray the whole underside with WaxOyl as it gives much better protection against minor knocks and damage by never fully setting and creeping over any damage caused by scraping etc.

Is it worthwhile, I dont know, resale values on statics is not very good, and if you have a clause whereby you have to change vans at certain times, then its a matter of cosmetic looks.

 

[Tony A.]

I would brush on, or spray old engine oil, it is a lot cheaper than WaxOyl. ask your local garage, they will be glad to get rid of it.

Tony A.

 

[Damian]

Following on from the above, whilst I would agree that old oil is good, I doubt very much if your local garage is legally allowed to supply you with old oil under H&S regs in force now relating to oil and its disposal.

 

[RodneyN.Wales]

Just following through on this issue of protecting the underside of the van - Is this something that should also be done to touring vans?

Rod

 

[A.VonDale]

Thanks everybody, I will consider the waxoyl and set about it for this winter.

A Von Dale

 

[rob_jax]

Rod,

Unless you have an Eriba Touring - which is built around a zinc coated tubular steel cage frame and in 20 years may benefit from a coating of Waxoyl - it's much more likely that a conventional caravan would be better off with a spray of dry-rot and woodworm preservative.

The galvanised ALKO A-frame - the bit underneath that looks like bolted together Meccano - needs absolutely no protection. It should look shiny when new then rapidly "age" into a dull matt grey - that's perfectly correct.

The only time you may want to wash underneath is if you've been out with the van when the roads have been salted - salt will rapidly attack a galvanised chassis.

The flooring should be a plywood / hard-foam / plywood composite and be protected with a breathable membrane and sprayed on coating. The breathable coating should let the plywood loose any excess moisture, rather than stay damp and rot - at least that's what's fitted to our Eriba. So don't cover the under-side of the floor with black mastic or something else that is impermeable.

Robert

 

[rob_jax]

Rod,

In continuation - the corner steadies could do with a pre-winter (and pre-summer) coat of "White Lithium Grease" from a spray can - about