Damp Test on PVC

[69473]

Contacted my supplying dealer to arrange damp test on my Hymer PVC as it's due next month.
Was told damp testing on PVC Hymer's was not required, is this correct?

 

[Gaston aires]

They certainly have a reputation for not needing them as much as other types of van. You can buy a damp test meter off ebay or Amazon for about a tenner. I have one and it works well.
Phil

 

[Mikeco]

You can get damp in a pvc just like any other motorhome due to all the cut outs for roof lights and windows or even condensation if the insulation is not good enough.

 

[Mountain man]

Just had our hab check done visual inspection for damp only.

 

[69473]

My main concern is do Hymer camping car vehicles i e PVC even have a damp warranty?
Yes PVC are less likely to leak , my van has a roof tent so leaking is a possibility.
Just wondering what other Hymer PVC owners have done when their van approached its first birthday.
I don't want to be in a position in a couple of years with a leak only to be told, sorry its not under warranty because i didn't meet warranty terms.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Dorwyn]

I guess most leaks around windows and cutouts would be seen with a visual inspection. Unless you had an onboard water tank leak, as I had (bottom connector broke off, resulting in onboard flood), or an under shower tray leak, which my pal had. But all my hab checks had a line through the damp section, indicating not necessary. (Davan). They don't charge you any less for not doing it!

 

[Dorwyn]

Any long term leak not spotted would or could result in rust, I suppose, against the danger of damp in a plastic van's framework rotting the basic structure.

 

[mitzimad]

Any long term leak not spotted would or could result in rust, I suppose, against the danger of damp in a plastic van's framework rotting the basic structure.

most panel vans are galvanised nor so rust not such a problem

 

[Off da Grid]

You can get damp in a pvc just like any other motorhome due to all the cut outs for roof lights and windows or even condensation if the insulation is not good enough.

Agree as above.

I run a low voltage dehumidifier off of the AES plug via a relay from our Votronic 350 duo solar controller in the winter.
This keeps the van totally dry.

We had those stupid roof bars on our Fiat Ducato pvc. that did absolutely nothing.
I found one of the fixings was loose, this allowed water to seep in, luckily I found it before too much damage was done.

 

[Carolyn and Kev]

Funnily enough....we had a IH Savannah TIO on a 2000 plate . Fiat Ducato and well built must say. Traded it in to a company on the London road Near Bristol. They sold us a coachbuilt that had got more damp than a sponge could hold! This actually showed its ugly head 2 months into owning it. They would not accept liability and so we used our solicitor to sort it out for us. Long and short of it was ......The company had said that our PVC by IH motorhomes was not actually fit for its purpose and should have been condemned when we traded it in?Tit for tat came to mind! They had said ...and I quote....PVC's are a nightmare for damp! Funny that ........personally we could not see where the damp would /could have come from? After all..........Its a Tin vehicle with glued in windows? However...because we had started a lawsuit against them for the damp in the Autocruise we had purchased from them..they returned the favor with a damp issue in ours?

We won by the way!

My rant is over ....sorry.

However.....The moral of the story was ........dont buy from $£$@&%^Y on the London road Bristol!

I digress.......We were told by a reputable company governed by our solicitor that all motorhomes can actually have damp? But .........PVC's really don't have an issue!

If your windows are glued in...where else can water get in?

Regards Carolyn

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Contacted my supplying dealer to arrange damp test on my Hymer PVC as it's due next month.
Was told damp testing on PVC Hymer's was not required, is this correct?

Yep I believe that is correct but if in doubt contact Hymer via their website and ask the question.

I don't see why modern CB Hymers need a damp check as damp meters won't work on aluminium walls, they just do a visual. When I get mine done it's normally on one of our trips so the van is rsmmed and you can't get at most of the walls.

 

[Mikeco]

The main threat comes from the troughs in the ribbed roof, they have to be filled in with something to form a flat surface for the roof lights to sit on. They also hold the water against whatever has been used and thats where the leaks start from.

 

[mikebeaches]

You can read about my tale of woe with our pvc below.

It is 5 years old, however, rather than the OP's 12 months.

Thought van conversions weren't supposed to leak...

So our Rapido V68 pvc - which we've had from new - celebrated its 5th birthday last month. During last winter we thought we'd got a condensation issue, with damp at the foot of one of the beds. Although somewhat puzzled, we didn't think too much about it other than improving ventilation by...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[royandsharont]

No experience of this but Adria provide a 10 year water ingress warranty on their PVC’s so it must be a possibility & I’m sure their warrant says you need a NCC approved habitation service & check annually.

My former Bessacarr C class was so dry one year the technician got a second meter as he thought the 1st was faulty with such low readings.

Another year the same technician found with the meter a faulty window seal which indicated damp around the window. Could not tell visually so just a visual inspection cannot be all that reassuring, all have windows after all. Repaired under the warranty

 

[Dorwyn]

most panel vans are galvanised nor so rust not such a problem

In theory!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Dorwyn]

The main threat comes from the troughs in the ribbed roof, they have to be filled in with something to form a flat surface for the roof lights to sit on. They also hold the water against whatever has been used and thats where the leaks start from.

I have previously considered filling in the troughs crossed by installed units, all I could think of was lon strips of poly prop or similar to fill them in, stuck down with adhesive. Firstly I don't think I'm up to the job, anything I try to stick down doesn't, and if the adhesive is not completely even there would be further chances of water creeping in and not being dried by exposure to air. So I gave up the idea. Have you done it?

 

[Mikeco]

I have previously considered filling in the troughs crossed by installed units, all I could think of was lon strips of poly prop or similar to fill them in, stuck down with adhesive. Firstly I don't think I'm up to the job, anything I try to stick down doesn't, and if the adhesive is not completely even there would be further chances of water creeping in and not being dried by exposure to air. So I gave up the idea. Have you done it?

I used some strips of plastic with plenty of Sika mastic, I still had a leak which I noticed after 5 years from first installing the roof light and I had to replace a good area of the ceiling plywood. Now I have even more Sika in place, does not look very tidy but only I can see it and it does not leak.

 

[nicholsong]

Do damp meters work on tin cans?

I have always thought that they do not work on aluminium sandwich, but then damp is not n issue for those of us with that.

Geoff

 

[Jamesh]

I'd suggest pvc soffit offcuts to fill the troughs where the roof light beds into the roof.

Cheers James