damp issue

[gazterrano]

hi there, can someone enlighten me on the issue of damp ,im selling my van after only 3mths as its to small the van is a 1990 model just over 20yr old ,ive advertised it with lots of emails,calls & msgs & everyone seems to ask firstly does it have any damp ! is the floor spongy ,i would have thought 90% of vans at this age would be suffering due to spilt tea, pop over the yrs & shower use, i am told my previous owner never used the shower used the ones on site & thats exactly what wev,e done but is it a case of these people too picky ? or are some vans kept dry within the £650 price tag , as i say im new to this game but i feel most want vans like new with every extra going no damp hard floor for a pittance... is this normal on vans or am i missing something :doh

[ade01]

sonme people are very pickey but you can have danp props in a old van mine hasnt but i use a dehumidfier in mine over the winter if iwas buying the van the first i would check for is damp and a soft floor and soft sides

[clivvy]

well, i'd check for damp straight away. My Van had damp when we bought it, so learned a lesson. Problem with damp is, the van falls apart, and thats no good at whatever price. Lucky for us, our van was solid apart from the two back corners where it had leaked through the handles, and a tiny bit of duff wood at the front where you would expect-easy fix. We spent a lot of time repairing the back framework, so a lot fo people will be wanting to avoid this, and yes, so many people expect new for a pittance (im not one of them because im realistic). Problem at the moment, i think, is there are a shed load of caravans for sale, because folk cant afford them, so pickings are plenty.

oh yeah, our is a 1989 Elddis Wisp, tiny, but actually looks and feels really blooming good. We havent finished repairing it yet, but its solid now. if your floors are springy/spongy (mine are not) get underneath and have a look at the condition, if its bad, it will be obvious.

[gazterrano]

well, i'd check for damp straight away. My Van had damp when we bought it, so learned a lesson. Problem with damp is, the van falls apart, and thats no good at whatever price. Lucky for us, our van was solid apart from the two back corners where it had leaked through the handles, and a tiny bit of duff wood at the front where you would expect-easy fix. We spent a lot of time repairing the back framework, so a lot fo people will be wanting to avoid this, and yes, so many people expect new for a pittance (im not one of them because im realistic). Problem at the moment, i think, is there are a shed load of caravans for sale, because folk cant afford them, so pickings are plenty.

oh yeah, our is a 1989 Elddis Wisp, tiny, but actually looks and feels really blooming good. We havent finished repairing it yet, but its solid now. if your floors are springy/spongy (mine are not) get underneath and have a look at the condition, if its bad, it will be obvious.

ah thanks clivvy i didnt realise they get to the point of falling apart thats bad mine seems dry no obvious stains or bad damp smells but the floor does seem bit springy in places but i put this down to its age , ive checked underneath the chassis is shiny alloy all the way along but at some stage someone has strenghtened the floor by using wood about 3inch thick across the width of the van in 3 places front middle back , yes i agree there are plenty to choose from & the season will be starting soon so bigger choice eh . ah well more wiser now for your info clivvy cheers :thumbs

[illy]

Open your cupboards, and about 2" down the walls from the roof join go along all the edge pressing with your fingers quite hard, if your fingers leave indentation and it feels soft that is damp. Mine is very bad and beyond repair, due to im told by my local caravan repairer to the awning rail not being removed and resealed, It should be done about every 5 years due to the stress of the awning.

illy

[clivvy]

Open your cupboards, and about 2" down the walls from the roof join go along all the edge pressing with your fingers quite hard, if your fingers leave indentation and it feels soft that is damp. Mine is very bad and beyond repair, due to im told by my local caravan repairer to the awning rail not being removed and resealed, It should be done about every 5 years due to the stress of the awning.

illy

agreed, I have done most of mine all round the caravan, VERY messy job and takes ages, hence why a lot of people dont bother on older vans. Good tip about pressing the sides, also, I bought a damp meter, £7, and thats pretty good, but a good firm press on the joins will reveal more than enough :thumb2

as for the floor...hmmmm.....is it possible on yours to lift the carpet? No big deal if you cant, but if it has been strengthened, then MAYBE the floor has been damp and repaired, or, as you suggest, just old. End of the day, its an old caravan. whats important, is brakes!
Personally, I would check round the edges of the van, basically where all the awning rails are etc, because they cover the wooden framework, if there is damp, thats where it gets in-water collects and gets stuck in the alumininium rails and soaks into the wood over years. I have pics of the mess it made of mine somewhere, not nice. New vans a way better, they dont have so much aluminium rails and joint covers etc.

If your van isnt showing signs of damp on those joints/framework, and doesnt smell, and doesnt register on a damp meter, bam! nowt wrong with it. Get yourself a meter, stick it in the floor, see what you get, then you can report this to anyone interested.

oh yeah, with regards "the van falling apart" as an example, when I bought ours, all seemed fine. no springy floor, no smell of damp. Towed it 30 mile home, unhitched it, then it all went down hill, literally, the handbrake didnt work, so Heidi grabbed the handle to stop and steer it, off it came!! So you can imagine as the van is moving and swaying, all that damp wood is working itself loose, and the panels start to strip off eventually

[mikep]

Just spent £350 having new inner wall panel fitted in wash area of my van,and repairs to the sidewall structure. All this was down to water getting in behind the awning rail. Have since removed that section of rail,filled the gap with good quality sealant and re-fitted rail with slightly thicker stainless steel screws to obtain a better grip.Not too difficult but messy. Wish I had checked the awning rails more thoroughly earlier.Or just done the whole lot at 5/6year intervals.Van is only 9 years old now so beware and check that joint between roof and sides.

[jims-terrano]

The floor is delamination. It's usually a plywood top then a rigid foam insulation and some kind of ply or partical board underneath. Eventually the layers seperate. You can pay through the nose and let a repairer fix. Not seen it for a long time but there used to be kits to fix it. One DIY fix I was told about was to cut a v shape slit in the carpet. Lift the v shaped flap and drill a holethrough the first layer in to the foam. Then inject glue into the hole and place a weight ontop to hold the top layer down until the glue sets and then glue the flap back down. I've heard of people lifting a flap of carpet and screwing or bolting through the whole floor.

Jim

[gazterrano]

The floor is delamination. It's usually a plywood top then a rigid foam insulation and some kind of ply or partical board underneath. Eventually the layers seperate. You can pay through the nose and let a repairer fix. Not seen it for a long time but there used to be kits to fix it. One DIY fix I was told about was to cut a v shape slit in the carpet. Lift the v shaped flap and drill a holethrough the first layer in to the foam. Then inject glue into the hole and place a weight ontop to hold the top layer down until the glue sets and then glue the flap back down. I've heard of people lifting a flap of carpet and screwing or bolting through the whole floor.

Jim

interesting information, oh jesus not sure if i dare check the rails now begining to sound like an old datsun i had when i took it for its mot some yrs back :doh some good points tho, well the papers dry in the shower & cant smell any damp so im crossing all the fingers ive got eh:lol thanks guys