Damp repairs started !! (1 Viewer)

[scootir706]

Well had a wee day off today so thought id start the repairs ive been putting off lol
The wooden batten across the back of the van under the rear valance been bugging me for
a while as it was rotten in both corners,,,,,,,,,, so deep breath and took the plunge.
Ive taken some pics of what ive come across so far and although a fair bit of work involved
its by no means catastrophic.
Back valance removed(easy enough just held on with wood screws and unplug the rear lights)
Removed screws from along rear panel then separated outside skin from the offending wooden batten with an old brickies trowel.

Next i cut into rear wall of the van under the bed and just above the batten at floor level to see if the dampness had affected the rear wall,Luckily enough it has only damaged up about
two inches as you can see where the damp stops and the board is dry.As this part of rear wall is part of a storage locker under the fixed bed i intend to replace the damp sections then cover over with some nice alloy chequer plate angle which will also protect the rear wall from damage when taking things in and out
And out it cameGoing to replace the wood with alloy box section of same dimensions to avoid having same problem ever again.Oh and Aldi doing a nice

box of assorted s/s wood screws atm,,,,,,better than the rotten mild steel ones i took out.
I dunno if this helps anyone thinking of tackling their own damp problems but i got a lot of good advice on here when i asked for it so thought id share my experiance so far,I intend to keep the pics in case i ever sell the van and can show whats been done to it.Time permitting ill post how i get on with the rebuild as it develops.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

Wood is not a good material to be used on a vehicle, On mine the bottom cross member same place as that one is completely open to the water no protection from the outside not even painted. I think most of them are like that in places. I will not ever buy another wooden framed motorhome, but it is difficult to tell what they use as they do not give the information out, plenty of pretty picture of the inside but nothing on the construction materials.

 

[scootir706]

Well it gets worseI thought i would strip out the shower to have a look and make sure all was ok behind there.The pictures are too horrific to upload before the watershed looks like ill have a bit more work to do than i thought but hey ho as they say on mastermind ive started so ill finish. lol Will need to replace quite a bit of timber but at least ive found the problem and will make sure its watertight before i rebuild.Im thinking now that the shower is out i might have a remodel of the bathroom area as we never use the shower anyway.Was thinking of moving the thetford to the rear and creating more space.I have seen some posts where people say you should
not alter the layout from standard and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this,Cheers John

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[rosalan]

I am interested to read that you are replacing wood with wood, so hope that the replacement parts are well treated to prevent further damage. Swift recently claim to have abandoned wood in their construction which comes, I think, from a learning experience.
Alan

 

[scootir706]

Going to replace the main beam across the rear with alloy box section.Ill see how that fits then might see if i can do the same with the other parts that need cut out.If i do decide to use timber i intend to have it soaking in wood preserver for along time before fitting.The main beam across the rear is easily replaced in alloy as im replacing the whole thing but the corner beams are only a partial replacement so easier to join wood to wood.
Im baffled as to why they cant build them from new with alloy or h/duty plastic beams.......or would they last too long lol

 

[GWAYGWAY]

Cost more, taken off the profit last too long and need proper adhesives, while they are at it why not use a decent polyurethane foam not polystyrene packaging material twice the U value for the same weight. Vans are badly thought out and badly made too heavy and definitely TOO dear but us MUGS still keep buying them at inflated prices. Just make them pretty inside and they get bought.

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[scootir706]

its my first foray into the m/h world........dunno if ive just been unlucky but now i have seen firsthand how they r put together i think this problem is just the normal.............its not put me off...........im a mechanic to trade......more used to fixing the bits that make them go and stop but not scared of a bit of woodwork.Im going to experiment with different sealers and fixings.Ive had a few good tips from funsters on here so will share how i get on.Ive been gathering up bits and pieces before i started,,,,,sealer wise i have cv seamseal which i have never used before and also tigerseal which i have used before on cars and trucks and is good stuff.Also have a roll of eternabond repair tape to play with.Ill find a way of keeping the water out one way or another lol

 

[Lenny HB]

Cost more, taken off the profit last too long and need proper adhesives, while they are at it why not use a decent polyurethane foam not polystyrene packaging material twice the U value for the same weight.

Hymer and other German manufacturers manage to do it.

 

[Gorse Hill]

Hymer and other German manufacturers manage to do it.

Not sure about that, I've got a German van and had problems concerning quality of workmanship, personally I think they all have problems of some sort

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[Diesel]

Sorry to hear your issues ....will be following thread and wish you success

 

[Lenny HB]

Not sure about that, I've got a German van and had problems concerning quality of workmanship, personally I think they all have problems of some sort

I was referring to the method of construction which as far as I'm awhereHobby do not use, the last caravan we had was a Hobby much better than British ones we had before but still tradition timber construction.

 

[Gorse Hill]

I was referring to the method of construction which as far as I'm awhereHobby do not use, the last caravan we had was a Hobby much better than British ones we had before but still tradition timber construction.

Actually, I think they still use traditional construction methods or at least they did on mine ( couple of years old) but having read your post again I see what your saying
But buying German doesn't mean you won't have problems with quality in general

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[scootir706]

Well have been doing a bit more stripping out today and think most of the water been coming in through the cycle rack mounts.One set of mounts are under the bed and are easy to see but the other set are behind the shower and hard to get at .The wooden batten that they are bolted through was rotten and wallboard below spongy.After i took the cycle rack off you could see where someone had tried to seal it from the outside.Still debating wether or not to refit the cycle rack one repairs are done.Ive managed to remove the whole batten right across the rear rather than join where the rot stops.....thinking of replacing with aluminium box section if i can get a simliar size.
Ill take some pics tomorow.Looks worse than it actually is but might help give anyone thinking of doing repairs an idea what they are in for

 

[mustaphapint]

An interesting thread. Good luck with your repairs.

 

[Anthea M]

Wow those photos look horrendous . I'm a nervous wreck every times habitation check is done. Well done you for having the skills to do it yourself.

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[johnp10]

Good luck with the repairs, Scootir.

The dreaded is something we all worry about.
(Never mention his name)
We go on about which vans are the wettest, driest, etc., but the truth is any van, any make, any model, any age and made in any country can suffer the dreaded, and they do.
Mine is 2000 reg, British and dry.......plain good luck, nothing more.
Some folk have the dreaded in a two year old German or French van........plain bad luck, nothing more.
It only needs a single screw put in without correct sealant to let the beast in.

Sounds like you have the skills to put it right.
Power to your elbow.

 

[Al-Di]

if you have a towbar mount your cycle rack on to that,

 

[Stealaway]

I think I would be buying these -- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3mm-4g-A2...hash=item25825fc4cc:m:mswMqShZJkyKrdvzodxRrzA

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[scootir706]

Thanks for the link stealaway,,,that was my plan but i was in aldi the other day and they were doing a box with a good selection of different sizes of stainless steel wood screws for if i remember right about £6.99 I just happened to have the old screws from the van with me so a quick check to make sure the large ones were there and into the basket they went

 

[rosalan]

An excellent post Scootir.
In the past I did similar repairs and discovered that Marine stores (Chandlers) carry a selection of glues and other materials that work in wet environments. I treated any timber with preservative, both new and any other that I could get at. After a drying out period I repaired/replaced timber using a two-part marine glue and coated the timber surface with the stuff. After many years the damp problems did not return.
Good luck!
Alan

 

[tonyidle]

Not sure about that, I've got a German van and had problems concerning quality of workmanship, personally I think they all have problems of some sort

I wouldn't say my Hymer (admittedly 10 years old) was built to a much higher standard than any other caravan or MH I've owned. It's not causing me any problem but it still comes with all the poor workmanship I've come to expect. In reponse to an earlier post above - are converters still using polystyrene insulation? I thought everyone had moved over to sandwich construction some time ago.

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[scootir706]

Thanks for the tip Rosalan.......will look into that.....biggest problem I have atm is trying to source new timber the right size off the shelf.I think I might have to either get a sawmill to cut/plane some to the size I think I need or maybe try the repair with aluminium.

 

[Reallyretired]

Well it gets worseI thought i would strip out the shower to have a look and make sure all was ok behind there.The pictures are too horrific to upload before the watershed looks like ill have a bit more work to do than i thought but hey ho as they say on mastermind ive started so ill finish. lol Will need to replace quite a bit of timber but at least ive found the problem and will make sure its watertight before i rebuild.Im thinking now that the shower is out i might have a remodel of the bathroom area as we never use the shower anyway.Was thinking of moving the thetford to the rear and creating more space.I have seen some posts where people say you should
not alter the layout from standard and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this,Cheers John

Up to you of course, but I would never buy a motorhome without a shower. I don't use site showers even when available.

 

[scootir706]

Not really made my mind up yet about the shower......just throwing ideas about while the van is stripped......the bathroom/shower area a bit cramped.........a downside of having fixed bed..........we have no plans to sell the van so might just make it more to our liking

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