Which of you have never had a 'Habitation Check'? (1 Viewer)

[Jev88]

No hab checks but if new gas appliance fitted or gas ever disconnected from an appliance I get a certified engineer to plumb back in as they do a proper leak test.

 

[Hammie]

What an interesting thread. I am surprised at so many not having hab checks. Now it has me thinking!

Me too

 

[EuroTrotters]

Do you do foreigners? (ie work on other peoples for money)

I wish I had the time.

I was just looking for a house around/near you too!

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[Bluethunder]

So come on who has habitation checks?

Is it just 'Newbies', new owners who are told that without it the warranty is invalidated?

Do more experienced owners ignore the concept?

Do owners of better quality MHs have the checks

If you take a MH back to a dealer is the gas system checked by a gas engineer specifically qualified on butane/propane systems and does one get a certificate accordingly?

I bought my first/only MH 12 years ago and have never had a habitation check. I had one small window seal leak 3 years ago but it might not have shown on day of check, like MOT.

Your thoughts please, together with:-

What Motorhome(s) you have owned?

Whether you have had habitation checks and why?

What they have found?

Would you always have a habitation check on any MH in the future?

Geoff

Elddis Autoquest 155,2011,I have never had a habitation check, got a damp meter,gas leak detection spray,silicone spray for hinges ect,why pay someone between£150 -£200 only to be told you need a new light bulb, absolute rip off.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Me too

I guess it depends on your own capabilities.

Why would an airline technician / engineer pay someone to do a hab check (as an example)

 

[Bluethunder]

Yes, had one done recently by Habcheck - I liked their independent view and the engineer was excellent and very professional. I'm not an expert on anything mechanical so I like the peace of mind that an annual check brings.

As long as your happy with the price and service good on you

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[Hammie]

We did have one this year 11 mpnths on from purchase of our second hand MOHO.

First time, last time, big mistake and complete waste of money.

We took it back to the dealer we bought it from, had a vehicle and hab service/check so many things missed/ignored.

Water pipe off in the toilet compartment on return, flooded the bathroom floor when turned on.

Earth on hab battery in inadequate and rusted, needed replacing.

Gas oven not working on return.

Electrical fault with solar panel controller causing electrical trip.

Massive damp readings up to 60% in places where it had been 0% 11 months previously on the sale (of course it was) The vehicle had also been stored indoors for 9 months over lockdown!

All 4 x tyres were over 9 years old and no recommendation to change them.

The list goes on.............

Won’t be returning again for either a service or next vehicle upgrade!

This demonstrates why we need a review section for work done etc. My last Hab check tried to rip me off for £200 for unnecessary work

 

[Terry Gill]

Yearly certification gas checks by qualified gas engineer are a must for your own and families safety. Stick to damp yearly checks whilst under warranty. As for the rest it is up to you.

 

[Rodders1234]

Interesting thread and I seem to be the exception. Our first MH is a second hand 2015 MH which we have had for 2 years. Very low milage and usage but when we bought it for peace mind we have a hab check every year. Just retired so we will be using then MH much more and we want to feel it safe. I am not handy with electrics or gas which is my main concern.
Might just be my mindset as I get my car serviced every year to try and eliminate problems before they happen when you least want them to.

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[eddie]

Alway bought new, never had a habitation check, as I view it as a con

I also love cars and boats, and have never been asked to give a car dealer or a broker money, after I’d bought the car/boat to make sure it was built properly.

 

[Tonks]

Quite a few replies in this thread seem to focus almost entirely on damp issues and a habitation check is about a lot more than checking for water ingress.
I get one done every couple of years on my van. It's a basic van without lots of complicated extras so I figure it doesn't really need it done every year. The test check sheet I got back last time was 2 A4 pages long, plus the gas sheet...
Part of the gas hose was at it's 'expiry date' so was replaced, as was the regulator. All the gas fittings were checked, including that the drop out vents were unobstructed (and that they existed in the right places!). All the electrics were checked, and EVERYTHING running on either gas or electricity was checked and made sure to be working. Not just an 'on/off' test, but checks to make sure that the pressures were correct, diesel heater was working efficiently, water heater working on both 240 and 12v too for example. Everything else non-gas or electric was also checked to be working. I had a tap which was replaced, and afterwards realised that my water pressure had been way under par before! They checked everything on the base vehicle AND the habitation area. My van has a pop top, so they checked the operation of that, and the condition and operation of the hinges and struts etc. They even checked that the bolts and plates securing the bed were all present and correct. They fixed a problem (twice!) which I was so used to working round that I forgot to even mention to them. They also fixed a number of small wear and tear issues of the kind any van which is actually used aquires over time. The only thing I wasn't that enamoured with was the plethora of new safety warning stickers which appeared, some of which of the more stating-the-bleeding-obvious ones have now (ahem) 'come adrift'.
Yes, there are things which I could have checked myself, but some things you don't even notice aren't working properly because they fail slowly, and you adapt. I'm not especially mechanically-minded, and my van is now 12 years old. I like to know that it may be older but everything on board works efficiently and safely.
And that's why I get habitation services done. Just not every year...

 

[alanalmoff]

I'm lucky I have the equipment to test the electrical system and the gas, I also do a damp check I write out a gas and electrical report and fill in a damp form. My gas qualifications expire in a year and my electrical qualification has already run out. I do the checks to make sure it's safe to use and the damp check in case I have to claim on the insurance

Same here, Ex Corgi

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[bschaldon]

Had our MH 11 years and had one hab service done 4 years ago. I did have a problem with a gas leak last year, due in main to a very out of date pigtail pipe, which I replaced. In the process I bought my own leak detector, and am inclined to get a pressure guage after watching an engineer doing a pressure test on the rest of the van. As an electrical engineer that side of things doesn’t bother me. I’ve also got a damp meter bought for problems in the house, which proves useful. But £200 every year to tell me everything is still working! No thanks.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Had our MH 11 years and had one hab service done 4 years ago. I did have a problem with a gas leak last year, due in main to a very out of date pigtail pipe, which I replaced. In the process I bought my own leak detector, and am inclined to get a pressure guage after watching an engineer doing a pressure test on the rest of the van. As an electrical engineer that side of things doesn’t bother me. I’ve also got a damp meter bought for problems in the house, which proves useful. But £200 every year to tell me everything is still working! No thanks.

 

[Thursdays Child]

Had Marquis do a check so as to maintain the warranty, but that was only £99. Next year a mobile mech came round and did a better check for only £100. Quoted prices now for a hab check are quite ludicrous. My warranty has expired so I use a combination of sight, smell. touch and hearing with a dose of common sense ( all of which still work ). Ten years on and moho is doing fine - and so is my wallet.

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[ceejayt]

Yearly certification gas checks by qualified gas engineer are a must for your own and families safety. Stick to damp yearly checks whilst under warranty. As for the rest it is up to you.

That is what I think. I really like to know the gas has been properly pressure tested each year. Just checking hoses etc would not be enough for me.
we bounce around in these vehicles all year it is inevitable something will work loose and if it is a gas pipe then that is a real problem. As for the rest of the check pay for it, do it yourself whatever works for you and your pocket.

Hill Street Blues “stay safe out there”

 

[Conrad J]

Can take a chance if you like and obviously many of you are lucky. Our first check on new van found damp, fixed free, which if left until more visible would have got more extensive and we’d have been well out of warranty conditions of annual check.
Could those who don’t have gas checks please fly a red flag, so I know not to camp near them?

 

[Lenny HB]

Thank you all for your replies and for those yet to respond.

I am surprised at the overwhelming response for no hab checks, at least outside warranty periods.

I wonder whether that is because some of those that have them have not responded?

Geoff

With the tread title I wouldn't expect anyone to reply who has had a hab check but some have.

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[A S R]

I have a Hab check every year without fail. Why wouldn’t you? You don’t mess around with gas appliances! If there’s a leak it will be found or if a burner isn’t working correctly the fumes won’t kill you without your knowledge. And then theres the damp test. It’ll highlight a potential problem and could save you thousands in the long run. That’s just a couple of reasons. Seems a no brainier to me.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

My Hymer was not going to get one after I found that they were charging for an inspection where it would be sprayed with timber preservative spray on the glass fibre underfloor for £xxx. I have an inspection sheet that I refer to for the rest of it. Warranty wasn't worth the paper it was not written on and now most of the dealers are gone, it will never see one of those at all.

 

[weebill]

Now on my third new van and always had full service done every year on every van.
When trading in my ten year old A class two years ago I was told that the full service history added a few thousand pounds on to the value .

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[rolosroller]

Nope

 

[corconx]

So come on who has habitation checks?

Is it just 'Newbies', new owners who are told that without it the warranty is invalidated?

Do more experienced owners ignore the concept?

Do owners of better quality MHs have the checks

If you take a MH back to a dealer is the gas system checked by a gas engineer specifically qualified on butane/propane systems and does one get a certificate accordingly?

I bought my first/only MH 12 years ago and have never had a habitation check. I had one small window seal leak 3 years ago but it might not have shown on day of check, like MOT.

Your thoughts please, together with:-

What Motorhome(s) you have owned?

Whether you have had habitation checks and why?

What they have found?

Would you always have a habitation check on any MH in the future?

Geoff

Hi Geoff , I’ll try to answer your questions,



Firstly we have owned 6/31 years, 2 Hymers, 1 Esterell, 1 RV, 1 Rapido, and latest is a Dethleffs.



Second question yes we have always had habitation checks because three were within warranty and to enable the warranty to be used when needed a habitation check every year



Thirdly with our Rapido, just after the first years warranty had expired we had a water leak with a faulty freshwater tank, but they honoured the warrantee and in fact careered one from the production line in France to us in UK to enable us to get out of tunnel booking and go on holiday. Absolutely fantastic service. And then in year four (it had a five year warranty) they noticed there was a problem with the seal on the roof and suggested that when we returned it next year it should be done then. In fact we sold it to a member on here who didn’t believe in them but we did tell him



Lastly, we continued to have the habitation checks until such time as they run out. So this year will be our last.



Carol

 

[sparkyvanman]

My Hymer A class is due it’s 2nd damp check , not sure about bothering with it . Dealer says I need it to keep the warranty, if I have it done every year for the next 10 years as recommended it will have cost over £2k . Is it really worth it?

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[Ashy]

I am an engineer, I don’t need to pay someone to tell me the light in my fridge isn’t working.

I check everything works each trip and fix it if it doesn’t.

Only have a paid for check before selling as piece of mind for the new owner

 

[Ninjabob]

Following on could we have recommendations for good quality damp and gas testers. I'd rather spend my next hab money on tools to do it myself? I hate being ripped off.

 

[Ashy]

When I bought my current MH it had had a new hab service and gas check, I found numerous faults, price adjusted accordingly, not worth the paper they are written on.

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[Gaza1515]

What's a hab check?

 

[TonyEmm]

So come on who has habitation checks?

Geoff

Never paid for one, I think I’m savvy enough to know when something isn’t working, why pay someone else to tell me?
The most dangerous thing (IMHO) is gas. All gas pipes are date coded and easy to check for cracks, just bend them double! If you have a leak elsewhere, you’ll smell it, it’s the nature of LPG!

Damp might be an issue to some but in my experience (and I have some as I did caravan servicing for 25+ years) a one off damp check doesn’t mean a lot. Results are subject to ambient conditions, condensation and so on plus, if a damp tester wants to rip you off, he’ll put his finger across both probes.... it’ll read 40% ish! I wouldn’t trust any damp check done by a dealer who wants to BUY your vehicle!

 

[Rjcamper]

Nope

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