Well, at 5pm yesturday, i started to pull the caravan to bits, just After Poppy and I had sorted through it all, cleaned it all out, and got all my junk out... She wasn't too happy actually, as it had taken us all day.
What was bothering me the most, is that the walls, from about 3` high were soft and soggy on the side where our fridge fastens to the wall, and one of the bench seats, so as you can imagine, the fridge AND bench seat were coming away from the wall... Oh yeah, and we're off down south on a 7 hour drive in 11 weeks :(
So i thought to myself i MUST have a look and see if i can get this done.
Oh no, i nearly cried, as i was taking bits off and it's getting worse and worse :( The shape around the wheel arch WAS a solid piece of wood, which just dropped to pieces!
Can i do this?
What do i do now?
Give me a spanner or some wire, and i'm fine, give me some wood, and i'm not that good!
You may well find where its coming in from when you strip out all the rest of that wall board.
Keep at it, the further you go into the repair, the more possitive it gets. You'l start to get enthusiasm for actualy completeing the job. I looked at it this way, its only pieces of wood!
Looks like the rail half way down the van (where the 2 sheets of alu overlap) has never had any sealent on it from the factory :( Must have been leaking through the rivets, as the damp is directly below where the rail is on the inside, and about an inch above it!
Stripped the rest of the length out today, and taken about 2" of the insulation out so i could see the rivets on the inside. Turns out they are not that good! So, put a nice strip of timber in there, re-riveted and also put some small screws through the rail to pull the wood up to the Wall :) Oh, and sealed it too with some of that bedding sealent!
Once you've stripped the wall boards I suggest you wait for the rain (or generate your own!) to see if you can definately be sure where the water is coming in, otherwise as 'sheffgrow259' rightly says, it would be pointless doing any internal repair.
It all might look daunting when you begin, but believe me, speaking from experience, it isn't rocket science and can easily be tackled by someone with a modicam of DIY experience. The Fixed-it gang are here to help you all the way!
I see you are in Derbyshire - I am in Notts, so if you are ever near here, call in to see my own end result (Details on Wizard's site). It may give you some encouragement to see what can be achieved in the flesh, so to speak.
When you finish that little job nip over to Bury and have a go at mine ,its not as bad as yours but im scared to death to start it ,it shouldt take you a minute .
Hi matey , sounds like your doing a grand job keep it up , you know where i am if you need advice . Make sure you dry the area out thoroughly , and check the lower trim rail the same as you have with the middle rail trim , also have a look at the plastic wheel arch and make sure it's sealed . When reboarding it may be a good idea to mark out and refit the bench seat fittings before fitting back to the wall , as these are normally riveted in place and will require a washer behind the rivet .
Bob, Much easier than i thought to be honest, it's just common sense - I would volunteer to help anyone, any time.
Wiz: Already rebuilt the wheel arch surround and sealed it up too, it was wet through, but no wonder, as it was never sealed from the factory, like the middle rail. The bottom rail is a right PAIN to inspect, as is stapled on underneath the van so I've dried it out, sealed it, and put some foam down... The bench seats will be no probs, as i've put some lengths of wood in the wall to strengthen things up, and joined some down-posts to fasten the seats to afterwards...
Just ordered some 2-part adhesive to affix the wallboards too ;)
Don't worry, i'll be onto you for some advice when i get to the hard parts!
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: DAMP. Am i doing the right thing?
, you know where i am if you need advice 
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