Resolving rattles

Jewellbags

Jewellbags

Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Posts
2,084
Likes collected
5,657
Location
Hampshire
Funster No
65,995
MH
Chausson 640 welcome
Exp
Since October 2019
I’ve nothing to compare to as this is the first MH we’ve owned but they are quite rattley aren't they (unless I got a duff one) - other than the obvious ( like wrapping cutlery / plates etc in tea towels what are the top tips to silence them a little ? ( Moho not mrs ;-))
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Luckily, ours doesn’t rattle generally, but to stop anything we keep in the cupboards from rattling, we use non slip matting on shelves and make sure hard objects ( like glass,cups, etc) don’t touch each other.
Saucepans are separated from each other by the matting too.
This usually works well until you hit a large bump or pothole where no matter what you do, things will move about and make a noise.
 
Upvote 0
Bubble wrap does the trick???

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Make sure to pack all cupboards as tightly as possible, kitchen towel is very useful. I also make sure to cover the cutlery with tea towel and weigh down with anything soft so when bouncing over potholes the cutlery doesn’t jump up and down. Also put rubber sink protector under washing up bowl to stop another small rattle. All comes with practice over time and every trip is different as what is carried varies every time you set off as groceries etc alter as you gradually eat your way through the supplies!it took us a while to appreciate that we are travelling in a big box and not in a lovely quiet car!
 
Upvote 0
I've the smaller (530 Welcome Premium) version of yours and on delivery it wasn't too much nosier than my previous A Class, however, I did find the following helped resolve irritating noises. (Fiat Ducato base).

Remis blinds on doors. Pack top edges where they sit on the top of the doors door with EDPM tape to stop any 'chattering'.

Shelf above front seats. Pack the joint at each end where it meets the side panels with a length of thin round bungee (5mm) pushed fully into the joint. Also on the top edge of the shelf, again pack out with thin round bungee pushed into the top edge of the brown plastic cover. Go around all the fixing screws and tighten (I found quite a number not to be fully tight).

Gap between seat belt pillar trim and front pillar for vertical bed runners. Pack full length of joint with EDPM foam.

Fuse cover step to front cab. Remove and apply EDPM tape to rear edges and refit with longer screws.

Step up to cab, Take off both sides (same time as sorting the fuse cover) and refit with longer screws.

Electric bed. Take of wall cover trims on each side and put a length of EDPM tape on the lower edge of trim and refit (stops 'chattering when on the move).

Water Tank/Pump. Put pipe insulation on pipes running from pump across water tank top. I also removed the pump and refitted with 10mm rubber pad under mounting bracket.

High Level Cupboards. Stick EDPM pads on lower corners.

Rear Mirrored Wardrobe Doors. Stick EDPM pads on each corner.

The above combined with the usual packing stuff so it doesn't rattle (do a search on MHF for lots of good advice) means we travel in relative silence.

Hope this helps.
 
Upvote 0
Just got our first new motorhome and was also surprised how noisy it is. Even after wrapping and damping anything we have added and oven shelf there are still some quite loud rattles that must be coming from the woodwork itself. All looks well put together but maybe it will ease up when it's worn in...
 
Upvote 0
T
Kraken said:
I've the smaller (530 Welcome Premium) version of yours and on delivery it wasn't too much nosier than my previous A Class, however, I did find the following helped resolve irritating noises. (Fiat Ducato base).

Remis blinds on doors. Pack top edges where they sit on the top of the doors door with EDPM tape to stop any 'chattering'.

Shelf above front seats. Pack the joint at each end where it meets the side panels with a length of thin round bungee (5mm) pushed fully into the joint. Also on the top edge of the shelf, again pack out with thin round bungee pushed into the top edge of the brown plastic cover. Go around all the fixing screws and tighten (I found quite a number not to be fully tight).

Gap between seat belt pillar trim and front pillar for vertical bed runners. Pack full length of joint with EDPM foam.

Fuse cover step to front cab. Remove and apply EDPM tape to rear edges and refit with longer screws.

Step up to cab, Take off both sides (same time as sorting the fuse cover) and refit with longer screws.

Electric bed. Take of wall cover trims on each side and put a length of EDPM tape on the lower edge of trim and refit (stops 'chattering when on the move).

Water Tank/Pump. Put pipe insulation on pipes running from pump across water tank top. I also removed the pump and refitted with 10mm rubber pad under mounting bracket.

High Level Cupboards. Stick EDPM pads on lower corners.

Rear Mirrored Wardrobe Doors. Stick EDPM pads on each corner.

The above combined with the usual packing stuff so it doesn't rattle (do a search on MHF for lots of good advice) means we travel in relative silence.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
thats excellent advise thanks for taking the time . I’ll make a start on it this weekend
 
Upvote 0
Either you or Mrs Jewelbags sit in the back of the van, sometimes the rattles are coming from somewhere very different to where you think. We had an irritating squeak which I finally worked out as being the tv bracket. As others have said for the goods and chattels, just pack in as tight as you can. We use china crockery and have only ever broken anything when we dropped it. need to take care when opening the locker door sometimes though ;)

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Take grill pan and oven shelves out of cooker, and plate out of the m/wave if you have one. Avoid pot holes.
 
Upvote 0
Also we remove the shower head from the hanger and lay it on the floor wrapped in a towel. The pipe tends to swing about otherwise.
 
Upvote 0
Jewellbags said:
T

thats excellent advise thanks for taking the time . I’ll make a start on it this weekend
Click to expand...
Did u also remove the rings on the ceiling that hold the bed net on ? We often get a loud “click” which I suspect is those rings
 
Upvote 0
Its simple.

1. Check round for the obvious rattles and cure as suggested above.
2. No matter how many you find there will always be more.
3. Either ignore them, or turn the radio up.

After a few months of use, you get quite used to the rattles, squeaks and occasional clatters as you drive along.
 
Upvote 0
No, bed net rings don't seem to make any noise in mine.

If its a loud clicking, a few of things to look at are possibly:

1. Is the bed fully latched when it raised?

2. Do you have the 3 hob gas burner? If so, firstly check that the pan stand grommets have been installed in the hob top (missing on mine at handover) and secondly the underside of the glass cover has a metal plate at the back that rattles on the move. When travelling, I slip a tea towel between the metal plate and glass cover and lie the rest over the top of the pan stand which stops any rattles.

3. Oven Shelves. Put a length of silicone heat protector on the sides and this stops them rattling.

4. Shower hose. Secure with a velcro tie to stop it swinging about.

5. If your shower screen doors are the same as mine, you may find that they are rattling against the frames. Swing the doors open and place a EDPM pad at the top, middle and bottom. When you then close the doors this takes away any rattling. They also don't get wet when using the shower.

If I think of anything else, will update my post.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Kraken said:
No, bed net rings don't seem to make any noise in mine.

If its a loud clicking, a few of things to look at are possibly:

1. Is the bed fully latched when it raised?

2. Do you have the 3 hob gas burner? If so, firstly check that the pan stand grommets have been installed in the hob top (missing on mine at handover) and secondly the underside of the glass cover has a metal plate at the back that rattles on the move. When travelling, I slip a tea towel between the metal plate and glass cover and lie the rest over the top of the pan stand which stops any rattles.

3. Oven Shelves. Put a length of silicone heat protector on the sides and this stops them rattling.

4. Shower hose. Secure with a velcro tie to stop it swinging about.

5. If your shower screen doors are the same as mine, you may find that they are rattling against the frames. Swing the doors open and place a EDPM pad at the top, middle and bottom. When you then close the doors this takes away any rattling. They also don't get wet when using the shower.

If I think of anything else, will update my post.
Click to expand...
Does the bed latch ? I just raise mine and leave it - haven’t noticed any latch
 
Upvote 0
Maybe my phrasing, when the bed is fully raised there should be no gap between the electric connector blocks. If the led spots go on when the bed is fully raised then it's ok.
 
Upvote 0
swiftsteve said:
Take grill pan and oven shelves out of cooker, and plate out of the m/wave if you have one. Avoid pot holes.
Click to expand...

Our grill pan is in a laptop sleeve from the pound shop -- an idea nicked from BobtheBass a few years ago. Sadly, now that tablets have taken over from laptops, cheap sleeves that are big enough are harder to find.
 
Upvote 0
swiftsteve said:
Also we remove the shower head from the hanger and lay it on the floor wrapped in a towel. The pipe tends to swing about otherwise.
Click to expand...
We put foam pipe lagging around shower hose.
 
Upvote 0
Socks! Large pack of cheap socks from Asda & use them as covers For glasses, cups, bottles, salt & pepper etc.
silenced a lot of our rattles.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Still not sure why the components used on motorhomes just rattle from new. The roof blinds, shower doors, remis blinds surely the initial design should cater to 'travel' rather than having to be modded after!
Obviously what you pack needs to be wedged with tea towels etc but the actual doors and windows shouldn't!!
 
Upvote 0
I now have a fetish with grip mats, velcro & blutack since buying our van...lol. I dare anything to start rattling in Squeak, it becomes a challenge....lol.
 
Upvote 0
The worst rattle in ours was the fire, I put padding between the fins that finally stopped it. Bliss
 
Upvote 0
Clear Silicone sealant is your friend put a small spot behind any panelling that squeaks, being flexible it still gives enough to allow the a bit of movement.


We had a squeak that only seemed to pipe up when it was very warm, I finally pinned it down to the wood panelling that the shower cubicle was made from when I happened to lean on it.
Solution was to loosen all the screws enough to wedge some match sticks in the gap and fill with a small bead of silicon, this also sealed the joint to perfection.
We also found the remis blinds on the cab windows had slightly come away where they were stuck on with the double sided tap at the open side of the door, again a generous blob of silicon solved that one
Also get some silicone spray good for any squeak and can be used on the toilet flap, electric step which will only open half way sometimes, door and window locks.
Those stick on rubber feet are useful to pack out draws and cupboards that you can’t adjust to quite shut tight enough
We have a hook next to the cutlery draw for the t towel to hang on which if shut in the side of the drawer below stops the cutlery draw opening.
Those white foam type sleeves that tv’s etc. come in are great for the oven shelves and baking trays.
Small pieces wedged into the window blinds can help as well.
However I’m still trying to find a solution to the noise the springs make in the roller blinds.
You do get used to the noises your van makes after a while it’s when one of them stops you then go looking.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
I did most of what others have posted, which is primarily to dampen things in cupboards and drawers. The van itself doesn't rattle (2005 Burstner). Only things I've not been able to address completely are wind noise from (retracted!) awning at motorway speeds, and remaining rattles from garage contents when it is full of guff.

Despite having a 3.0l engine it can be a tad noisy at speed, so I also upgraded the quality of the radio speakers with combined tweeter/speaker units to vastly improve the clarity... that really helped in listening to speech on the radio without having to turn it up excessively.
 
Upvote 0
Oops forgot... I also fitted rubber grommets between the front window shade housings and the van to dampen occasional rattle from them.
 
Upvote 0
Spent an hour today rattle proofing the RV . All cupboards now have some foam window insulation tape added to stop them knocking . Also pushed and prodded much of the MH panels and added foam where necessary . Where cupboards have “false” bottoms also lifted them and added foam to the pegs that support the board.

not finished yet , and haven’t tested it but still more to do .
 
Upvote 0

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top