Maybe A Daft Question About Damp

[Yorick]

I see many threads about damp in Mohos and they're all worrying. But do caravans suffer the same fate ?

Maybe they are made differently? Do Mohos flex more than caravans ? Different structures ?

Could lessons be learned? Am I talking bollox ?

As of yesterday I'm 60, so can start to be grumpy now

 

[Minxy]

To answer your most sensible question ... yes ... you ARE talking bollox!

Oh, happy birthday by the way! ?

 

[Minxy]

Caravans are IMV even worse for damp than MHs, some owners drag their caravans all over the place without regard for how they bounce around on the road, potholes, swaying etc. A MH owner tends to take a bit more 'care' of their vehicle when driving.

 

[Minxy]

A work colleague of mine had a caravan van for many years, owning it from new, they found damp in one side and spent a fortune getting it sorted, then the next year the other side needed doing, at that point they decided it wasn't worth it so her hubby got a good second-hand van and used the caravan bits to do a home camper conversion.

 

[Yorick]

A work colleague of mine had a caravan van for many years, owning it from new, they found damp in one side and spent a fortune getting it sorted, then the next year the other side needed doing, at that point they decided it wasn't worth it so her hubby got a good second-hand van and used the caravan bits to do a home camper conversion.

I thought of doing that before I built my custom one.

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[Reallyretired]

I have had extensive damp in a caravan in my younger days. They are probably more prone to damp than motorhomes, being a very light construction often with wooden framing.

 

[Ivory55]

I would say that they both have problems in equal amount. If they was all perfect then there would not be so many forums moaning about them. Haha

 

[Lenny HB]

Caravan are terrible for damp, most of the ones in the UK are British built that should answer your question. I had a Lunar it had more water in the walls than my garden pond.

 

[Steve N Tracy]

Both can suffer from damp, generally the longer they are the more they flex so the seams are more likely to get a leak, we had 6 caravans all less then 6 metres over 20 years non of them ever leaked,, our friends had 4 all twin axles around 8 metres they all suffered from damp, maybe they were just unlucky, but as regardless of length the floor, walls and roof are the same thickness.
Currently on our 3rd 6m motorhome, no leaks yet ?

 

[tonyidle]

Caravans are IMV even worse for damp than MHs, some owners drag their caravans all over the place without regard for how they bounce around on the road, potholes, swaying etc. A MH owner tends to take a bit more 'care' of their vehicle when driving.

At least 4 wheels and a much more rigid chassis no doubt helps too.

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[Minxy]

I thought of doing that before I built my custom one.

That's what gave me the idea to do my own ambulance conversion although I didn't use an old caravan, just made the furniture myself and got loads of stuff from classified ads in our local newspaper as well as going to the wonderful York motorhome show where O'Learys use to have lots of stuff at cheap prices.

If I did one again I'd certainly consider using the gubbings from a caravan as it would give me a lot of the kit without having to pay silly prices for it.

 

[bobandjanie]

You do not get damp in Lanzarote, I don't think they are any worse than motorhomes, if someone a cr#p builder it's always cr#p he produces.
We had a Bailey Senator 2009 series 6 no damp and friends still have it great caravan, the series 5 was a terrible build and was know for damp. Bob

 

[Jaws]

Oddly, we was only having this conversation a wee while ago
My experience of caravans is very limited. to quite old vans
One was an 80's thing while the other an early 90's
Both had had a hard life yet both were as sound as a pound with zero damp in them
I suspect caravans suffer the same as motorhomes.. newer they are the duffer they get at keeping out water !

 

[pagey]

my friend has bailey caravan its now 2 years the roof leaks quite bad bailey in there wisdom have covered a join across the roof with a piece of plastic stuck on with sealer which is too small so after some terse phone calls they have offered to repair it

 

[Northernraider]

I had 8 different caravans which influenced the type of motor home I bought

Eldiss wisp. 2001.....damp

Bailey senator 2004....damp

Eriba x 3 1973 , 1984, 1992 ....No damp

Burstner 2005 ......No damp

Swift charisma 2005 .....damp

Swift kingsmere 2010 ( 2 years old when I bought it ) .....damp

Never bought a British motorhome as a result.

Mum and dad had over 15 motorhomes , 5 of them had damp issues

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[SpeedyDux]

A while ago, I did see a video clip showing the interior rear view from the cab of a coachbuilt on what must have been a bumpy road. The amount of flexing and twisting movement of the hab section was very noticeable.

A heavily loaded bike rack probably causes flexing of the back panel even if the manufacturer provides reinforced fixing points.

Why some marques are better at resisting damp than others is a bit of a mystery to me.

Buyers should expect damp problems to be a thing of the past.

 

[Potty]

Friends had pools of water in both their caravan and a new MH. Discovered they used a pressure washer to clean it!

 

[Minxy]

Friends had pools of water in both their caravan and a new MH. Discovered they used a pressure washer to clean it!

 

[Northernraider]

A while ago, I did see a video clip showing the interior rear view from the cab of a coachbuilt on what must have been a bumpy road. The amount of flexing and twisting movement of the hab section was very noticeable.

A heavily loaded bike rack probably causes flexing of the back panel even if the manufacturer provides reinforced fixing points.

Why some marques are better at resisting damp than others is a bit of a mystery to me.

Buyers should expect damp problems to be a thing of the past.

Wooden frames are the biggest issue and some of the joins where roof meets walls rear panel meets side panels etc

And some of the bathrooms I find questionable especially the ones without a separate shower , that wallpaper stuff and wood units in bathrooms is a big no for me

 

[SpeedyDux]

Wooden frames are the biggest issue and some of the joins where roof meets walls rear panel meets side panels etc

And some of the bathrooms I find questionable especially the ones without a separate shower , that wallpaper stuff and wood units in bathrooms is a big no for me

All those joints means good workmanship is vital so you have a potential point of failure in the design.

I also had my doubts about the wallboard in washrooms which resembles flimsy hardboard. Some even had a tile effect to give the impression that it is similar to the shower at home. Mastic sealant becomes a first and last line of defence. Instead, all manufacturers should use one piece modular shower enclosures without joints. How hard can it be.

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[Northernraider]

All those joints means good workmanship is vital so you have a potential point of failure in the design.

I also had my doubts about the wallboard in washrooms which resembles flimsy hardboard. Some even had a tile effect to give the impression that it is similar to the shower at home. Mastic sealant becomes a first and last line of defence. Instead, all manufacturers should use one piece modular shower enclosures without joints. How hard can it be.

Exactly and of course the UK gets a much harsher winter and more rain mixed with high winds than many of the other European countries so you would think the British manufacturers would have come up with better designs

 

[pagey]

I had 8 different caravans which influenced the type of motor home I bought

Eldiss wisp. 2001.....damp

Bailey senator 2004....damp

Eriba x 3 1973 , 1984, 1992 ....No damp

Burstner 2005 ......No damp

Swift charisma 2005 .....damp

Swift kingsmere 2010 ( 2 years old when I bought it ) .....damp

Never bought a British motorhome as a result.

Mum and dad had over 15 motorhomes , 5 of them had damp issues

tam is your middle name lucky