Damp in Broadway

Recently had habitation check on van and two areas found to be 30%. Van just coming up to 3-years old and same areas last time were reading 12% along with the rest of the van.

Van been in to dealers who have resealed the side skirt and told us that the sealant had broken down where the skirt joins the side wall. Looking at the other side of the van I think I will be resealing that come the good weather as the sealant seems to be very sparse at manufacture!

The work was just 1 month ago and i have left the underbed locker (where the damp area is) open and have been ventilating the van during good weather days.

Checked the areas this morning with damp meter and there seems to be very little difference in the reading - possibly a slight drop at one point.

Obviously, I need to be sure that the sealant was the issue in the first place and will only know that if and when the areas concerned return to a normal reading of around 10 - 12%.

Can anyone advise how long it is likely to take before there is likely to be a noticeable difference in the readings to prove that the repair has done the trick?

I was thinking of putting some heat into the van, but other users seem to suggest against this as the wall needs to dry out naturally. Any thoughts please?

Just found this reference on the initial damp report:

Readings between (25-30%) moisture evident, remedial work required; may not need stripdown unless surface damage (staining, pimpling, and softness) is apparent. (There is a risk of wallboard deterioration due to retained moisture in the structure if resealed only.)

Given that the dealers have just resealed what they say was the problem area, and that the internal walls are covered in vinyl. How do they expect the walls to ever dry out?

I have pricked several holes in the vinyl covering using the damp meter prongs (fortunately it is in the bed locker and cannot be seen) and I have a gentle fan heater blowing around the area. Can I expect this to dry the wall out?

Peter

Need to get a hab check done on ours as I worry about damp as well, will get Auto-Sleepers to do ours as I suspect they are more aware of the problem areas... 20% or less is acceptable I understand but over this it needs looking into... agree about the sealant along the GRP skirts and I keep looking at ours and thinking I must get a tube of sikaflex and go around the van as like you say it is sparse in places, need something flexible but that will remain white and think sikaflex-221 is probably the best option.

I wouldn't have thought having a source of heat going inside the van will hurt anything especially in this damp weather we are currently experiencing, no doubt others with more knowledge on these things will be able to advise you further.. hope you get on top of it!

CC

We have been unfortunate with our Nuevo 1 (2005), as damp has been coming in un-noticed over at least 2 years, apparently from the rounded "finishing rubber" strip which covers the joins between fibreglass mouldings and the side panels. Repairs, including to part of the floor, are going to cost us the best part of £2,000. The trouble is that the damp was not apparent, as the interior has an upholstered plywood panel which covers the main wallboard, so a probe with a meter would have to go in past this layer to get a good reading.
My advice would be to get a good professional check of the situation, before any remedial work and costs run out of control.
Cheers Tomlynne

Hi TomLynne... Ouchh! getting me worried now ours goes in next week to be checked out, no signs of any problems but need to get it checked over just for piece of mind. The rubber seals seem to mostly be the source of trouble, have been told clearly from a good source never to use a pressure washer as it ruins the seals, just hope the outcome for our Nuevo is OK.... Your situation is clear indicator of just how important a yearly habitation check is to have carried out!

Hope you get everything all sorted CC

Following my previous post, I've been most impressed with the efficient and competent repair service provided by Crossleys at Leyland. All was clearly explained, photos were emailed during the work and the handover went over all the work again, with the van left in a clean and tidy state. Cheers Tomlynne

Nice to hear of good service. I'm worried about mine, now......... It gets checked every year so just sit and hope. Not much that I can do

Would agree, Crossleys at Leyland are good, sorted some crazing out on our 1st van many moons ago. They did a good job the only problem we had was they were very busy at the time and there was little space to park the van !!

Good to hear you got yours sorted tomlynne Wonder how gizmo26 has got on with his Broadway??

Was relieved that Auto-Sleepers checked ours recently and all was OK... it's said that a reading of 18% or less falls within normally accepted limits, apparently it's only when a reading reports over 22% that it is considered the vehicle has a water ingress problem that needs investigation. The main areas for concern seem to be windows, rubber seals and seams on GRP skirts... I have recently re-sealed our skirts all around and used Sikaflex 512 but wonder if I would have been better off using Sikaflex 221 as the 512 seems hard to dispense and now continues to attract dirt like crazy not the easiest stuff to use as a sealant either but managed to do a pretty neat job anyway!

The other area for concern and not discussed as often as damp is delamination, another reason we are having air suspension fitted hopefully to help with flexing and bumps etc (especially those overkill speed bumps on campsites) as end kitchens typically have more weight at the rear than end lounge models, from what I can understand it's usually in the kitchen area just in front of the habitation steps where they are more prone to going, but at least (unlike damp) there should be warning signs like a spongy feeling underfoot or creaking from the floor...

Think the main thing is to be vigilant for any tell tale signs and have a yearly check carried out, much better to catch problems sooner rather than later...

CC

CruizingComet wrote:Good to hear you got yours sorted tomlynne Wonder how gizmo26 has got on with his Broadway??

3-months on from the resealing and there is some noticeable improvement in damp readings, especially where the damp metre has pieced the vinyl. But, if I go 1/4 inch either side of the original holes made by the metre and pierce the vinyl, the readings are still very high until that has been left to dry out for a few days. I have ordered a small and inexpensive electric dehumidifier to place in the closed under bed locker and that will hopefully help to draw any remaining moisture out of the now 'perforated' wall section. Once happy that it is dry, I will coat the area in a PVA mix. Good job it is out of site in a locker!!

Thanks for the update Gizmo... the dehumidifier sounds a good idea, but not so sure about the PVA that you mention doing as that might create a barrier and stop it breathing naturally possibly?

CC