Damp (1 Viewer)

[MarSha]

Hi all help needed, I brought my 1st MH last year from Dolphin MH i was given a years warranty, after 8 months of having my MH the roof was leaking and now have damp patches on my ceiling Dolphin have under taken some work to rectify the rain coming in and have also taken one piece of the ceiling down and replaced that part, they have told me that the other three sections of the ceiling can't be replace as it would reduce the structure of my MH? Do the ceiling panels form part of the structure or is it the fram that is under it.

Been on the phone for hours to try and have all the ceiling boards replaced but they keep saying it will effect the structure? Help thanks new to all this.

Many thanks Chezer & Chezer

 

[TheBig1]

there are a couple of different types of roof construction. If yours has a timber frame under the ply ceiling, then it is possible to re-skin the ceiling without compromising structural integrity,. it just needs to be fully bonded to all the battens as you rebuild. Anybody with experience of damp repairs knows how to do this properly. slightly more involved doing this repair than a standard reskin so more expensive in labour and materials

 

[Daz n Tina]

there are a couple of different types of roof construction. If yours has a timber frame under the ply ceiling, then it is possible to re-skin the ceiling without compromising structural integrity,. it just needs to be fully bonded to all the battens as you rebuild. Anybody with experience of damp repairs knows how to do this properly. slightly more involved doing this repair than a standard reskin so more expensive in labour and materials

Hi I think he is talking about the boards inside the motorhome.

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[TheBig1]

Hi I think he is talking about the boards inside the motorhome.

That is what I was talking about, reskinning the ceiling with vinyl faced plywood

 

[hilldweller]

Been on the phone for hours to try and have all the ceiling boards replaced but they keep saying it will effect the structure?
Many thanks Chezer & Chezer

And wet wood rotting away won't affect the structure. Do they actually need replacing ? Do they feel soft.

I would be on ebay buying a damp meter so you can say with authority "these panels are wet".

They may dry out now but your guarantee is also drying out.

 

[MarSha]

Thanks for your reply I did forget to mention that I was also told the they had carried out a damp meter test which showed a reading of 20% is this reading high and that the ceiling boards have a blue ish stain?

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[TheBig1]

if the boards are stained, they have been wet and need replacing. leaving them devalues the motorhome when you go to sell it or trade in against another. 20% is not hugely high as a damp reading, but bad enough if left unfixed could become catastrophically worse if left any length of time

 

[MarSha]

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[Mi58ck]

If it's got warranty it's the dealers problem,if it can't be fixed they need to come up with another van or come up with the cash .End of

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[laurieash]

If I came to look at that I would run away.
Take it back refund and also run away.

 

[Gorse Hill]

Definitely water Ingress which needs addressing asap, it's not going to get better and deal with it before the warranty runs out, maybe that's what there hoping for
Maybe get a second opinion, up to 15% is ok 20% and above needs further investigation

 

[jonandshell]

Looking at the photos, I would dismiss their damp readings as evidence that all is OK.
Just because the wood has now dried to 20% doesn't mean the leak has gone away or that the wood hasn't been soaked and is now rotted.
You are being strung along with the dealer insisting that 20% is fine. Normally, 20% isn't too scary, but with the visible evidence of a bad leak, it is obvious that once it rains the reading will be much higher.
We had a dealer try and fob us off in a similar vein once. I had to literally hose the van down before presenting it for warranty inspection to ensure the damp reading was high despite the obviously mouldy and delaminated inner panels! Idiots!

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[jonandshell]

I sometimes wonder if use of a damp meter is the industry standard way of blinding a customer with science to either gain work or shirk responsibility.
If it drips, it's leaking! B#^/$$/ks to what the meter says Oh Please!!

 

[Rugeley Tim]

I brought my second motorhome from Dolphin motorhomes and had numerous issues resolving electrical faults, bloody useless in my opinion and wouldn't go near them again with a barge pole I am afraid. Tell them you want your money back, the pictures paint and thousand words!!

 

[The Wino]

Do they have more than one branch? if so take it to the other one and ask for a valuation as a trade in and show them the stains!!!

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[Saltings]

This is reminds me of the answer I have just received after I queried why an intrusive meter had been used (they left 76 obvious holes) in a 2014 Chausson. This is what they said:

" am sorry to hear of your disappointment with XYZ Motorhomes, I will of course endeavour to change your mind about us and come up with an amicable solution for you.

Firstly I think it important to address your concerns with the type of damp meter we use. You are correct in what you are saying there are two types of damp meter, both of which we have on site here at Elite. Although they are both called damp meters they have two slightly different functions. The type without two prongs is generally used to test moisture in the floors of motorhomes and walls of houses, they will pick up moisture at the surface of the material but they are not as accurate as the two pronged meter in question.(*) The two pronged meter we have used for your vehicle is far more accurate and will without fail pick up any moisture inside the wallboard of your motorhome and also gives us the ability to test in the smaller and less accessible parts of a motorhome (of which there are many).

This is not possible with the other kind of meter. We have never had a complaint like this ever. Surely It is a worth while compromise to have a few barely visible holes to ensure there is no moisture present in your motorhome.


As I’m sure you are aware if damp is missed on service or just neglected it can cost thousands to put right, but if caught early is relatively cheap to cure." (End of quote)

* That bit I can't understand. He says the pins are more accurate. I was of the understanding that it only measures the dampness between the pins (i.e. where the current flows) whereas the non-intrusive type covers a much wider area.

 

[Hils and Glenns]

This is reminds me of the answer I have just received after I queried why an intrusive meter had been used (they left 76 obvious holes) in a 2014 Chausson. This is what they said:

They sound like nutcases to me. We've had a few habitation checks and all without holes.

 

[Saltings]

Hi H & G
here comes the painful part - it cost £180 for the hab check plus labour + VAT making a tidy sum of over £500!

The point really is what am I able to do about such crooks? They are just a rip off and I know the answers they give are untrue.

If others have a more scientific reasoning behind the use of the two different types of meters I would appreciate being able to throw it back at them.

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[peterc10]

If it's got warranty it's the dealers problem,if it can't be fixed they need to come up with another van or come up with the cash .End of

That depends upon the terms of the warranty.

 

[Hils and Glenns]

If others have a more scientific reasoning behind the use of the two different types of meters I would appreciate being able to throw it back at them.

Sorry Saltings I'm not an expert, but it sounds like a very expensive hab check. It might be worth starting a new thread with a title like Hab damage and rip off, as it might come to the attention of someone who can advise. I take it they didn't actually find any damp?

 

[cornish boy]

[View attachment 157017

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[Saltings]

Sorry Saltings I'm not an expert, but it sounds like a very expensive hab check. It might be worth starting a new thread with a title like Hab damage and rip off, as it might come to the attention of someone who can advise. I take it they didn't actually find any damp?

Thanks for the tip, will start a new thread to get an answer.
The only thing they added was that there was a"little damp" (no %'s given - just 20 holes left by the corner of the garage door!). previous hab checks never left any holes which only rubs salt in the wound.
So I am in the process of using the Small Claims Court once we know the cost of putting the Chausson back to its original pristine condition.

 

[wigster]

Only my opinion but it bugs me seeing these or any folks getting basically fleeced by dealers because buying from a dealer is some sort of a guarantee that the van is fit for purpose and you will have back up if it all goes thruppeney bits up. I know there are good dealers around and i understand why @Jim has put a review system in place a good start if people will review i reckon.

 

[Saltings]

Only my opinion but it bugs me seeing these or any folks getting basically fleeced by dealers because buying from a dealer is some sort of a guarantee that the van is fit for purpose and you will have back up if it all goes thruppeney bits up. I know there are good dealers around and i understand why @Jim has put a review system in place a good start if people will review i reckon.

Cheers, will look at@Jim reviews. I am all for naming and shaming these rip off merchants. The only thing they seem to understand is losing money, so the less customers they have the better.
Motorhomes are experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity in the UK - catching up with our Continental neighbours - and 80% of the dealers are fleecing us off.

maybe we could have a totally separate section on this Forum dedicated to that list?

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[SpeedyDux]

I bought a Profi Scale pocket moisture meter from Lidl, with 2 sharp pins, which cost £9.99. Although it was only a fraction of the cost of a professional moisture meter (£180 upwards), the youtube reviews of this kind of amateur moisture meter suggest that the relative accuracy when used to measure the moisture content of timber is within 10% of the readings you get from a professional damp meter. That seems good enough for checking suspected damp penetration in a MH; and if necessary, verifying whether the dealer is telling porkies.

Otherwise, the Mk 1 sniff test is a cheap alternative. If the MH stinks of air freshener, beware! It is a trick of the trade to disguise a damp smell.

 

[Saltings]

Thanks Speedy

What about the holes the two pins leave?

 

[The general]

Dolphin , I inquired about servicing they didn't even bother replying to my mails , branch in same town as me and I know they got a servicing bay , couldn't be bothered to pursue it now use Adam Morey in Southampton .

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[Saltings]

They should be added to our "Name and Shame" list

 

[SpeedyDux]

Thanks Speedy

What about the holes the two pins leave?

If you want to be discreet, for example you could try lifting carefully the rubber edging around frameless habitation windows. That's one of the potential areas of damp penetration. Otherwise you will get visible holes.

 

[Saltings]

Cheers

Just (June) had a hab serv at a local Chausson (or used to be so we have learnt!) dealer and apart from ripping us off used an intrusive damp meter leaving very visible holes - 76 in total! Not only have they damaged the walls but also made them so damp can actually penetrate the walls now.

These are an idea of how it was left.

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