Damp advice required (1 Viewer)

[stevec]

I need some advice from anyone who has first hand experience of damp problems and fixing them. I've just had a habitation check done on a prospective purchase and it was found that a vent (blanked off from a previous heater installation) had been leaking. The damp meter identified a small area about 12 inches wide by 4 to 5 inches high at the base of the wall around this vent (circular blanking plate - see picture). The vent was removed and resealed. The examiner said that it would dry out gradually and not to worry about it. This was at a local motorhome dealer. I could feel a small area, maybe 6 inches by 1/2 and inch which was a little soft right at the base of the wall directly under the vent. His explaination seemed plausible given the evidence. The rest of the van was ok. Would this be a deal breaker? Do things dry out as I have been told (given that there is no more water ingress). This is a private purchase and it is a good clean van, the best I have seen so far. It is a 2006 Autocruise Starfire. No doubt people have damp problems and they get fixed. But just how concerned should I be?

 

[old-mo]

The rest of the van was ok. Would this be a deal breaker? Do things dry out as I have been told (given that there is no more water ingress). This is a private purchase and it is a good clean van, the best I have seen so far. It is a 2006 Autocruise Starfire. No doubt people have damp problems and they get fixed. But just how concerned should I be?...............................................................................................

If you are happy with the dealers explanation, and as he say`s nothing much....

Could be a good bargaining tool to get the price down a bit..

And do a reseal in the area when you get it...:Cool:

Looks to be in a place that will not notice.. :thumb:

 

[GJH]

It depends how soft (= how badly damaged) I suppose. We had damp identified in our main locker (rear offside corner) last August which required a (larger) piece cutting out, replacing and resealing. It cost a bit but not excessive considering the value of the van.

We then had a few isolated spots of high readings in parts of the walls identified during the habitation service in January. That turned out to be minor ingress due to sealant starting to crack/shrink. We've had it re-sealed and it should dry OK.

As Mo says, try to get the cost of any repair knocked off if the rest of the van is OK.

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[stevec]

Old-mo, what do you mean by a reseal? The offending vent was resealed today when it was identified. Or is this some other sort of seal that you are referring to.

I'm more than capable of doing repairs. The trick is knowing just what to do or even if repairs are necessary.

 

[old-mo]

Old-mo, what do you mean by a reseal? The offending vent was resealed today when it was identified. Or is this some other sort of seal that you are referring to.

I'm more than capable of doing repairs. The trick is knowing just what to do or even if repairs are necessary.

Sorry... :Sad:.. didn`t realise it was done today...

Some one will be along, as I cannot remember the stuff.... But there is some thing you can inject into damp places and after it has dried and cured it sets rock hard...:thumb:

But if you are happy and can get some sort of warranty on the area and repairs,,,, I would still try to get a bit more off the price.... wont hurt to ask... :thumb:
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Just re-read and see it`s a private sale, so doubt once you have bought there will be any redress..

 

[lunarman]

You have shown the blanking plate on the inside. The important seal is the outside what does that look like and has it been properly sealed.

I would also have left the internal blanking off to allow moisture to escape and aid the drying process.

Lunarman

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[Terry]

Hi the stuff Mo is on about is Wet rot wood hardener (I think)If it's sealed on the out side then take the cover off on the inside -treat and leave until it's dried out :thumb:
from your pic it does not look serious but deffo use it to drive the price down :thumb: most people don't understand damp but almost everyone understands damp kills the value on a van -that's why people try to hide it -9 OUT OF 10 will walk at the slightest damp -tell them you are prepared to take the risk provided the price drops accordingly
terry

 

[haganap]

Would have to se the other side tbh but I would say that's a pretty shit blanking plate so wouldn't be surprised if it had some damp in it...

 

[JockandRita]

Would have to se the other side tbh but I would say that's a pretty shit blanking plate so wouldn't be surprised if it had some damp in it...

That's exactly my thoughts too Paul, when I saw the photo. :Sad:

Regards,

Jock.

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[stevec]

The vent on the outside had been completely sealed off and the vent body to wall seal had hardened and let the water in. That is the bit that has been resealed. I would probably remove it and replace. The inside plate is not the functioning seal. Thats just to cover the hole.

 

[Minxy]

I suppose the first thing that comes to mind is - if you don't trust what the chap who has done the test is telling you then why did you go there? As he doesn't appear to be gaining any benefit from this, in fact quite the opposite as he's not trying to get you to pay him to fix it, then my feeling would be to trust what you have been told and from what you have said I would have come to the same conclusion as the chap too.

So assuming you go ahead and buy it, with a suitable discount, remove and refit the external cover with a suitable sealant (Sikaflex will do one). Also let it dry out properly and use the stuff that Terry has suggested and don't worry about it.

If the rest of the van is good (have you had a mechanical check done?) and the price is good it would seem to be okay to proceed. Without knowing much more about the vehicle/age/condition though it's difficult for us to really advise further.

 

[DP+JAY]

Done a fair bit with damp vans in the past.
As it is in a locker, I would remove an oblong section of the wallboard to check the extent of the damp & let it dry out properly, It will take forever to dry with the plasticised wallboard in place. Then treat the wood & fit a new piece of wallboard.

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[Terry]

Morning, after reading Pauls comment about shit job on blanking plate I had a good look again :thumb: Yep it is a shit BP BUT I can also see it's in a locker (underbed?) It is also under the leccy plug (entering the van) Why anyone would want to put a vent there beats me.
I would still go ahead and follow my earlier advice etc, especially about knocking the price down but do follow your instincts and don't get carried away with your wants it Further investigation on your part is required,do you trust your local dealer who did the test -what has he to gain by telling you it's nothing to worry about ?He probably gave you his opinion after seeing both sides of the van,plus the van has nothing to do with him so what does he gain? How close to you is the van ? is it close enough to go back and take more pics etc,and have a very good poke around that hole?
If it was me I would ask if I could TAKE THE PLATE OFF TO HAVE A GOOD LOOK -that alone will bring the seller down to earth so offer a couple of K less and see there reaction (poss more off)Damp can be very expensive to have done for you, but if you are any good at DIY it can also be a easy fix.Just be cautious and good luck
terry

 

[scotjimland]

I'm curious... why does it have what looks like a submersible pump inlet ( right of EHU socket) feeding a wall mounted shure-flo pump .. ?

Or am I mistaken ..

Also looks like laminated flooring has been laid.. and not fitted very well.. (gap around wheel arch) .. or are they all like that ?

The more I look at this picture and the read the OP text the more I dislike this van

* odd place to fit a heater.. and why would it need one ? This van would come with both water and space heater..
* strange water pump set up.. this submersible pump inlet is not shown in other pictures of this van on Google. .. and it has an on board fresh water tank.. why ?
* badly fitted flooring..
* the wall patch is very poor.. (that's being kind)

and we haven't seen a picture of the outside..

I'd want these questions answered before even starting to bargain..

 

[GJH]

Morning, after reading Pauls comment about shit job on blanking plate I had a good look again :thumb: Yep it is a shit BP BUT I can also see it's in a locker (underbed?)[HI] It is also under the leccy plug (entering the van) Why anyone would want to put a vent there beats me.[/HI]
(snip)

[HI]I'm curious... why does it have what looks like a submersible pump inlet ( right of EHU socket) feeding a wall mounted shure-flo pump .. ?

Or am I mistaken ..[/HI]

Also looks like laminated flooring has been laid.. and not fitted very well.. (gap around wheel arch) .. or are they all like that ?

I think the photo in the OP is on its side. What shows as the RHS is the bottom as there is a yellow manual dump valve there.

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[Terry]

I'm curious... why does it have what looks like a submersible pump inlet ( right of EHU socket) feeding a wall mounted shure-flo pump .. ?

Or am I mistaken ..

Also looks like laminated flooring has been laid.. and not fitted very well.. (gap around wheel arch) .. or are they all like that ?

All like that Jim unless I make them On the pipe side probably taking a feed from under floor tank
terry

 

[scotjimland]

All like that Jim unless I make them On the pipe side probably taking a feed from under floor tank
terry

why does it need a submersible pump inlet ... AND a shureflo

 

[scotjimland]

I think the photo in the OP is[HI] on its side[/HI]. What shows as the RHS is the bottom as there is a yellow manual dump valve there.

Don't think so, looks correct way up to me to me Graham .. that's the wheel arch on the right, under the shureflo..

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[GJH]

Don't think so, looks correct way up to me to me Graham .. that's the wheel arch on the right, under the shureflo..

Strange place to mount a manual dump valve then

 

[scotjimland]

Strange place to mount a manual dump valve then

lots of strange things in that photo..

*dump valve on wall
* dodgy patch
* submersible pump inlet feeding shureflo
* heater (allegedly) fitted under EHU socket..

without a physical inspection it's all conjecture based on one photo (which may be upside down )

 

[Terry]

IMO the pic is on it's side -the pump is on the floor with dump valve and it must be in a cupboard and not under the bed which was my first impression IE turn pic 90 degrees to the rt looking at it --cannot figure out why the heating duct would be going up the wall though---What do we know? we cannot figure out which way up the pic is let alone what bits damp oh:
terry

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[stevec]

Thanks for your inputs. I think some explaining is necessary. Firstly the dealer and owner. The motorhome (local, about 5 miles away) was supplied by this dealer in 2010 to the current owner. Both are in the same village and have a history i.e owner has had previous MHs serviced by the dealer. So the dealer has personal knowledge of the owner ("a nice old gentleman"). The MH had a speedo fault (sensor in gearbox) and was in to have it sorted so I took the opportunity for them to do a habitation check. The owner was reluctant for me to have an independant inspection done (already looked at it twice...why do you want another inspection?) so I thought this would be acceptable to him. I had no experience of this dealership other than a friend of mine having a habitation report done by them when he sold a MH. Speaking yesterday the owner of the dealership seemed reluctant to get involved in any transaction between myself and the owner and implied that I had put him in an awkward position seeing as he knows the owner. I then said that I would be happy for him to do no further work and I would get the habitation check done by an uninterested party. But it seems they had already done the check anyway. I went out with the inspector to view the area pictured and he showed me the area affected. What he explained seemed plausible. He couldn't show me what the moisture content was in various places but it indicated a high reading near the blanking plate. He had an expensive Sovereign non invasive moisture meter. Looking back I'm not sure if he knew how to use it (I may be doing him an injustice but that was my impression). But he convinced me enough that everything would dry out in time and not to worry. We went outside to view the rest of the van and he commented that it was a nice tidy van with good tyres. When I commented that the fronts were 12 years old and full of cracks he said that this was ok. At this point I lost all my confidence in him. If he had this sort of gung ho attitude to tyres what had he to the rest of his work. That was when I started to worry. And that is why I am reluctant to believe what he had to say about the integrity of the rest of the van. Also the owner of the dealership would not provide a written moisture reading chart as I had requested. Lots of little things that added into my mistrust.

As for the vent, there was a deisel heater fitted there when the dealer took it in in 2010. He removed it and blanked off all the holes (in wall and floor). The MH has an underfloor fresh water tank and the pipe goes directly to this. I've no idea what the device is in the bottom right of the picture. The picture is the correct way round!

I need to speak to the owner today to ask about having an inspection done of the area in question (and probably the rest of the structure) but this time by a local independant service engineer. I am sure he will refuse in which I will walk away. It has already caused me enough stress. He will then sell the van to the local dealer with the associated loss. Shame really as it is a nice clean van. But as someone said earlier, you have to see beyond that. It's a lot of money to risk.

Edit...
Terry the wheel arch is on the right. The gas locker wall is on the left. Floor is at the bottom with wall above. Th area physically affected (i.e soft) is a small strip directly below the blanking plate at the bottom of the wall. Probably 6 inches in total and 1/2 inch high. The high damp readings covered an area about 4 diameters (of BP) wide by 3 diameters tall to the left of the BP.

 

[Scout]

so is the dealer trying to put you off, so he can buy cheap

or

does he not want to put his neck on the line and say XX% miosture present will/willnot dry out in x amount of days with blanking plate removed and a dehumidifer on


its a bit of a can of worms there Im afraid.

1: its got to pass an indepentant inspection so a least you know whats what

2: its got to be cheap enough to warrant taking any type risk, thers lots of nice van out there

 

[Terry]

Right a strange place to put the dump valve but hey ho it is what it is --Best to ask the owner how much the dealers offering and offer 500 quid more
If you are sure about the rest of the van and happy with it then the damp still looks a very easy diy job -simply cut the wall board with a stanley knife just below leeccy point and pull it off to give it a good looking at it's only held in place with staples ( they look rusty in the pic)-New boards will be available -a lot of dealers will be able to tell you the name s of the boards,then try such as O'leary's or Magnums for them around £22 for a 3mm 8' x 4' board -- sounds to me like the dealers wanting to buy the van very cheap do a quick days work and make a few k profit for doing next to nothing Once you have fixed the problem cut the old board back to a suitable point and replace with the new bit
terry
edit like Scout says

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[stevec]

Terry,
I was wondering how the ply was attached. I thought it was bonded to the foam inner layer. You're saying it is just stapled on. So, easy to remove and replace. I'm sure if a repair was necessary, this is the place to find out what to do.

Out of interest are there places that I can find a matching (or nearly) wall covering or is the existing salvagable?

Thanks for all you comments. I'm not worried about that area any more. The rest of the van I am happy with. I am trying to ignore any "personality" issues. The dealership has no reason to do an incomplete job (they have been in business for 40 years). It is probably just my paranoia. My friend who looked over the van with me last week says to go for it. He's seen lots of bad van's in his searching.

 

[rangi]

There are TWO kinds of wet rot treatment, interior, and exterior, if you are going to get some can I suggest you get the Exterior treatment (you might have to read the small print on the tin as sometimes it's not to clearly labeled)

 

[haganap]

Thanks for the update Steve.

IMHO if it were my van you were buying I would of told you to jog on by now and waited for someone less paranoid to come along.

The vans not new and any van will have a little or a large fault here or there and it's best to reflect it in the money you pay. I basically see a van, get a hab check done by someone independent and then either say yes or no depending on the report or negotiate from there with what needs doing. Having bought a caravan from an adorable old couple years ago and taking there word for it to only find it rotten to the core a few months later your right to be cautious. However there's being cautious and being paranoid.

Most vans you look at will uncover a spot of damp here and there, some of it might need resealing some might need a full replacement, it doesn't look like this one is rotten from what you say,..

So my advice is jump I with both feet a toolbox and a bit of money held back for any repairs or extras..

Good luck with it.

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[Terry]

Thanks for the update Steve.

IMHO if it were my van you were buying I would of told you to jog on by now and waited for someone less paranoid to come along.

The vans not new and any van will have a little or a large fault here or there and it's best to reflect it in the money you pay. I basically see a van, get a hab check done by someone independent and then either say yes or no depending on the report or negotiate from there with what needs doing. Having bought a caravan from an adorable old couple years ago and taking there word for it to only find it rotten to the core a few months later your right to be cautious. However there's being cautious and being paranoid.

Most vans you look at will uncover a spot of damp here and there, some of it might need resealing some might need a full replacement, it doesn't look like this one is rotten from what you say,..

So my advice is jump I with both feet a toolbox and a bit of money held back for any repairs or extras..

Good luck with it.

:thumb:Well said Haggers
Steve looking at the pics I see lots of staples --they could have simply stapled the boards on down there --people at the factory are not too keen on bending but they should have glued it on as well Nine out of ten will be glued to the timber framework with a few glued to the polystyrene/Styrofoam-that comes off very easy- It's a fairly new van so exact matching boards will be ready available -try to join onto the boards out of sight or you can buy a cover strip that simply staples/screws onto the boards joint then the top cover clips on giving you a nice finish -look around the van and you will see the stuff every 4 ft ish
terry
If you live anywhere near me I can give you a length of it In fact I could have done the job for you quicker than type all this

 

[scotjimland]

Thanks for the update Steve.

[HI]IMHO if it were my van you were buying I would of told you to jog on by now and waited for someone less paranoid to come along.[/HI]

The vans not new and any van will have a little or a large fault here or there and it's best to reflect it in the money you pay. I basically see a van, get a hab check done by someone independent and then either say yes or no depending on the report or negotiate from there with what needs doing. Having bought a caravan from an adorable old couple years ago and taking there word for it to only find it rotten to the core a few months later your right to be cautious. However there's being cautious and being paranoid.

[HI]Most vans you look at will uncover a spot of damp here and there, some of it might need resealing [/HI]some might need a full replacement, it doesn't look like this one is rotten from what you say,..

So my advice is jump I with both feet a toolbox and a bit of money held back for any repairs or extras..

Good luck with it.

Sorry, I disagree .. it's a buyers market .. there is no rush.. and I don't think he is paranoid.. it's a lot of dosh, so has every right to be careful and get it right..

There are plenty of good dry vans out there.. no one need for anyone to buy a damp one .. unless they want a project...

When damp is found.. I tell generally people to walk .. what may look like a small patch can turn into a nightmare.. been there and had to strip out and rebuild the whole end of a caravan.. all that was visible was a damp patch at the window..

 

[TheBig1]

sorry to seem like i am going against the train of advice, but i say walk away and dont look back

its been altered band badly enough to cause damp. the owner is being slippery about having the van independently examined and the dealers is not telling you the full story.

the dealer wont want to get involved because they have a history with this van and know its been amateurishly modified

anyone can make van look superficially good to sell it. however the details like 12 year old tyres show its been neglected.

save your money for something more genuine:thumb:

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