Ive bought an old 1971 CI bluebird Eurocamper. Usual story I understand... sold with" no damp or rot issues"
There has been a loose grab handle at some point which has caused some rot in the front left hand corner above a bed locker. Seems dry now but the visable frame baton underneath is rotten and appears to have turned into sludge (although it feels dry).
I have noted the Wizard damp repair forum. The thing is I'm no good at DIY and everything I touch turns into a disaster!! I note very high costs to have this done professionally ( some have mentioned quotes over a £1000)
Does anybody know of anyone who would like to take on a project in the Lancashire area? I am willing to pay a reasonable amount to have this repaired but I really do not want to ruin it myself!
Hi megandmog 01,I would gladly help if i lived near your location. First thing to do is buy a damp meter, (if not got one already to check the extent of damp in van.) if you intend to keep the van, and are not returning it as not fit for purpose, or item not as discribed in advert.How long have you had van. Did you buy from dealer, private buy, or off ebay, have you tried to contact seller to return van.
Depending on how bad a state van is in ,will depend on the quotes, do you know any other caravaners or DIYers,joiner mates, in your area, that could have a good look at van,to give you idea of work involved, you may be better at DIY than you think, especialy with all the info on Wizard's forum, and all the help you can get on here.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
The van was purchased from a lady about 2 weeks ago and i am pretty sure she was unaware of the damp problem. I certainly want to keep the van.
I purchased a damp meter the other day and it gave me low readings under the bed locker at the front and under the dinette. Most of the hardboard panels are solid to touch except the area above the bed locker, front corner.
I did however test for damp on a very wet, damp miserable day. the cusions in the van all felt a little damp.
I am going to have a go at resealing the awning rail with mastic but that is a far as I am willing to take my DIY skills.
I have considered using a de-humidifier in the van after the reseal, but to be honest, the visable framework has turned to mush.
A quote from a local caravan coachworks quoted 39.00 per hour plus vat and said that it could take days to fix, however this was based on a picture I sent them.
i'm wondering id there are any joiners in the Blackburn area that may like to have a look if it is a skill that any reasonable joiner could do...
Hiya, we are doing a damp repair to our van. My husband didnt have much diy skills niether and we couldn't afford to have it repaired at our caravan shop like you - too much! My husband has done a brilliant job replacing the polystyrene, ply and wallpaper. Its quite easy if you keep updating on here and people give advice on what to do and what to buy at each stage of the repair. He has nearly finished now and all in all we have spent under £100. Good luck!
Hi megandmog 01,Cusions will feel slightly damp,ambient temperture on wet day,as long as wall dry its ok. First if you can take off awaning rail seal and replace it, you can tackle the takeing out of the bed frameing, and the fitting in front of locker panel if a cupboard there, to check how much damage, temporary seal the grab handle of van to prevent any more leaks,take off from the corner of the front panel, from floor to under the window,peel it back to see extent of damp,do the same with the wall panel, a chisel will be very helpful for easing out panel from the frame,and will help to find any screws/pins in the panel. once you have done that and have damage assessment, Go to the repair section in this forum,and all the help you need will be there for you. hope this helps
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
Hi megandmog 01, PS pitty your not near my location, do you not have friends or family that are joiners or handymen that can help, eg.(future son in law (boyfiend) eager to get into you good books), if not you could always put out a call for help on here,there may be some one who has the time and needs something to do, good luck.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
Hi megandmog 01 sounds like your in the same boat as me our Elddis minstral XL 1992 has some damp on the front lefthand & left corner. told cost to put right around £1,000 Im not sure what % of damp is acceptable been told 10 to 15% is the norm but I would have thought 0% should be what we look for or it needs repairs think we was told around we had 35% or so.since been told it just needs re-sealing & it will dry out this I'm not sure about? I'm now thinking of doing it myself but I Strongly beleive it will need opening up for it to dry out & we have no where to store it for this so can any one tell me can it be done without putting it inside to dry out & how can I do this? by the way we live in Clitheroe! it must be all this Lancashire rain we get.
Hi Chamy 11 , welcome to UKcampsite , 10% to 15% is quite normal and nothing to worry about , all wood has moisture content . 35% is quite wet , imo it needs the wet wall board removing , fully drying out the area and any rotten spars replaced ( if spars look wet / dark they may dry out ) , use a fan heater to help with drying the area and don't leave unattended or place too close . I would have thought it's pretty unlikely that it will dry out by just doing a reseal . You need to cover the caravan while doing repairs , what ever you use it has to stop water getting through to the area you are repairing . Have a look at The Fixed it Club members websites Here to see just what can be repaired and how they did it . And do ask more questions if you need too , there's plenty of members who will advise you .
Hi Wizard9956 thanks for your info & you can be assured I will ask lots of questions as & when I need to! But The Fix it club Looks just the place for some sound advise. think I will get a caravan cover & just hope I can do all the work under this & from inside the van I just need to get some Fine days! thanks again.
Hi chamy 11, your situation sounds like mine I bought an Avondale cheviot 1989 with supposedly no damp lmao got home found spongy patch. Since then replaced wall board, front window frame and corner spar. If the spars are ok just use a dehumidifier to dry it out. I've had one on constant for a week now and so far have removed about 20L of water And unlike heaters these can be left on 24/7.if you don't want to pull your van to bits though put lots of pin pricks on and around the damp patch and let the dehumidifier do the rest.
Hi Craig26 going to have to strip my van down as its quit damp in the top window corners very damp more wet! the ply, not sure about the spares yet as ive only had a little poke around. need to no where do I get all the materials to put the van right, as i want to get it all before I start. like ply what sealer is the best to use, where do I get the wall finish interia from.
amongst other places. Sikaflex is very good sealant/adhesive as long as you don't want to get the join apart again. Wizard recommends Tiger Seal as it is very good and cheaper.
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Topic: Damp Repair
And unlike heaters these can be left on 24/7.if you don't want to pull your van to bits though put lots of pin pricks on and around the damp patch and let the dehumidifier do the rest.
