Cardboard under the mattress (1 Viewer)

[bigalw35]

i personally think this is a good idea ??.We've got the B680 Hymer, the rear garage is quite large, no leaks or anything like that, just very cold and a little damp, so lifted the mattress and laid cardboard under it, stops all the cold coming up from the garage

 

[Minxy]

You'd be better with something that won't absorb damp and go mouldy, some people put the silver sided bubble wrap type stuff underneath which works well.

 

[Khizzie]

Bubble wrap is brilliant..

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[Madeinengland]

Well I never....we've done exactly the same and it seems to do the trick but may upgrade it one of these days to that foil backed stuff.

 

[bigalw35]

You'd be better with something that won't absorb damp and go mouldy, some people put the silver sided bubble wrap type stuff underneath which works well.

Many thanks Minxy Girl, always a good idea to bounce your tricks, as 9 out of 10 can always be improved

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

In our old van we used 2 yoga/exercise mats . Worked a treat.
Don't need to do it with Pug though.

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[tonka]

As mentioned... Just keep a watch for damp / mould on the underside..
My understanding it's one of the reasons they moved away from flat hard surfaces and now use all these slats..

 

[magicsurfbus]

Insulated karrimats with the silver foil on them (like you use in tents) worked well for us. Good behind radiators in the house too.

 

[Geo]

Bubble wrap is brilliant..

We had a huge roll delivered before Christmas
I said to the boss what shall i do with this
He said pop it in that corner
I was there 4 days

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[mitzimad]

Insulated karrimats with the silver foil on them (like you use in tents) worked well for us. Good behind radiators in the house too.

why do you put them behind radiators ?

 

[Madcaravanner]

why do you put them behind radiators ?

The insulated side reflect heat from the radiator back into the house so silver side points into the house

 

[Madcaravanner]

i personally think this is a good idea ??.We've got the B680 Hymer, the rear garage is quite large, no leaks or anything like that, just very cold and a little damp, so lifted the mattress and laid cardboard under it, stops all the cold coming up from the garage

You'd be better with something that won't absorb damp and go mouldy, some people put the silver sided bubble wrap type stuff underneath which works well.

Cardboard is excellent as an insulator almost as good as reflective foil (material of choice for those on the street) and it is plentiful and cheap so if it does get damp replacing it is easy

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[Minxy]

Cardboard is excellent as an insulator almost as good as reflective foil (material of choice for those on the street) and it is plentiful and cheap so if it does get damp replacing it is easy

The problem is that it will hold damp and could cause problems elsewhere, ie in the mattress, so not ideal.

 

[wigster]

I agree Minxy girl anything that can hold damp in a mh is not good .


I've got an oldish b680 and the garage is heated along with the hab area . Earlier i rescued some beers from garage and they weren't cold had to go in the fridge.

 

[magicsurfbus]

why do you put them behind radiators ?

As @Madcaravanner says, to improve the efficiency of the radiator by reflecting heat away from the wall and into the room where it's needed. Same principle as lagging the loft. Tin foil works too.

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[treetops1]

Don't think you can beat the new type foam carpet underlay , tough difficult to tear by hand . It comes in thickness from about 5mm to 50mm or more .We have the 20mm under the mattresses, comfortable warm and cheep lol.

 

[bigalw35]

I agree Minxy girl anything that can hold damp in a mh is not good .


I've got an oldish b680 and the garage is heated along with the hab area . Earlier i rescued some beers from garage and they weren't cold had to go in the fridge.

Hi wigster, I,ve also got heating vents in the garage, but only any good when the heating is on, what I'm mainly thinking of is during the layup in winter

 

[wizzer59]

Is the garage not heated in a Hymer??

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[JeanLuc]

A B680 Star-line should not have a cold rear bed. The garage is heated by the Truma as is the area below the side window(s) which then allows warm air under the bed slats. Check that the warm air vent in the garage is not closed. I can understand that there might be some chilling in the garage from the air vent in the door, if the prevailing wind is blowing against it, but there should definitely not be any damp.

 

[bigalw35]

A B680 Star-line should not have a cold rear bed. The garage is heated by the Truma as is the area below the side window(s) which then allows warm air under the bed slats. Check that the warm air vent in the garage is not closed. I can understand that there might be some chilling in the garage from the air vent in the door, if the prevailing wind is blowing against it, but there should definitely not be any damp.

Hi wigster, I,ve also got heating vents in the garage, but only any good when the heating is on, what I'm mainly thinking of is during the layup in winter

Although there's no damp present at the moment, we still have quite a few weeks of winter left, and I don't want to leave the heating on as I've drained all the water out, it is on ehu but I don't feel inclined to leave an electric heater on and unattended, better safe than sorry. I'm a retired electrician and I've seen quite a few heaters go faulty and catch fire

 

[JeanLuc]

Sorry, I missed the reference to the winter lay-up. I have a B630 Star-line (shorter version) and have not had any problems over winter. I do not leave any heating on as a rule. If in doubt, perhaps lift the mattresses onto their edges to maximise airflow.

P.s. Best not to leave it on EHU permanently as it does not do the Elektrobloc good. They are ok if left connected for a week or two but I would not leave it plugged in much longer.

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[sewinlynne2]

'Ventilation for the nation' is the only way. Anything else will continue to keep in the dampness and bring mould. No heat, no insulation just, ventilation is all you need.

 

[bigalw35]

Sorry, I missed the reference to the winter lay-up. I have a B630 Star-line (shorter version) and have not had any problems over winter. I do not leave any heating on as a rule. If in doubt, perhaps lift the mattresses onto their edges to maximise airflow.

P.s. Best not to leave it on EHU permanently as it does not do the Elektrobloc good. They are ok if left connected for a week or two but I would not leave it plugged in much longer.

I am a retired electrician, with ALL the qualifications up to and including the 16th edition regs, did not bother to do the 17th edition as I was retiring within a couple of weeks. Anyway i am conversant with electricity, not yet fully acquainted with mh electrics, but albeit the ehu is connected, the fuse board (if you can call it a that ?) is not switched on, I have 120watt solar, and a 20watt solar in the front window for the Sprinter battery.

I have been doing some alterations/modifications internally, so I do keep an eye on the batteries, and turning the fuse board and heater on when I'm inside, no damp as yet, but possibly best to be better safe than sorry ?

 

[JeanLuc]

What year is your Hymer? If it's from around 2000 - 2005 it will have an Elektrobloc (EBL) 99 or 100 I suspect. Most EBLs, and certainly the 99 / 100 series, provide a float charge to the starter battery as well as charging the leisure batteries. This obviously works when the 230v is switched on and also from a solar panel, provided it has been connected via a twin battery regulator. If a Schaudt regulator has been used (they are the manufacturer of the EBL), this will be the case.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'fuse board, but if the 230v is plugged in and the isolator switch (often beneath the wardrobe) is switched on, then the EBL charger/12v supply unit will also be powered, regardless of whether the 12v switch above the door (normal location) is on or off.

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[bigalw35]

What year is your Hymer? If it's from around 2000 - 2005 it will have an Elektrobloc (EBL) 99 or 100 I suspect. Most EBLs, and certainly the 99 / 100 series, provide a float charge to the starter battery as well as charging the leisure batteries. This obviously works when the 230v is switched on and also from a solar panel, provided it has been connected via a twin battery regulator. If a Schaudt regulator has been used (they are the manufacturer of the EBL), this will be the case.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'fuse board, but if the 230v is plugged in and the isolator switch (often beneath the wardrobe) is switched on, then the EBL charger/12v supply unit will also be powered, regardless of whether the 12v switch above the door (normal location) is on or off.

As an electrician, fuse board is common name for what you term as an EBL, I learn something new every day, but yes you are absolutely correct, and our Hymer is a 2001

 

[JeanLuc]

If the main switch on the front of the EBL isolates outputs from the EBL but the batteries will still be charged if the EHU cable is connected and switched on, or a solar panel is present. I tend never to turn off the EBL as the switch on the front panel can be a bit temperamental - they are known to fail due to internal corrosion. I have had to have mine replaced by Schaudt.

 

[bigalw35]

Hi Phillip, I think we may be talking at cross purposes, unfortunately we're just this minute off to Warner's - Hayling Island (not in the mh I might add) when we get back I'll post a piccy of what I'm talking about, but it may just be me ??

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[bigalw35]

here are some pics from the net, they are VERY similar to the units in the Hymer, the larger of the 2 is situated under the front passenger seat (our Hymer is RHD), the smaller of the 2 is situated under the wardrobe floor, next to the ctrl heating unit, the smaller unit has MCB's (miniature circuit breakers) the same as you would in your home. I'll take the proper piccies when we get back.

 

[JeanLuc]

OK I understand. If your EBL is the same model as the one in your picture, it is a different model to mine (EBL99) but it still has an isolation switch on the front panel which shuts off the outputs from the EBL. It is the small switch in the centre left marked 'Batterie Ein / Batterie Aus' (On / Off). Whether this is on or off, the batteries will still be charged.
The smaller white box is the incoming mains isolator - as you say with current breakers.

Do you have the manual for the EBL? If not it can probably be downloaded from the Schaudt website although some of the earlier versions are no longer listed in the downloads section. If you want to do this, let me know and I'll explain how to do it (unless your German is good - I had to work it out by trial and error).

 

[bigalw35]

OK, mein Deutsch ist Gut, ich war zu Besuch in Deutschland für 45 Jahre jetzt, danke

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