Hi, I found you via wizard! Our first ever caravan - a 1994 Compass Reflection 430/4 has been in for a service and we have been told she has damp around the edges, where the walls meet the floor. Probably water coming in from the join or seam the technician thinks although he wasn't very committal or detailed. We will go take a look on Friday but I am trying to work out if we could repair it ourselves. He thinks it has rotted through in one corner. Has anyone ever tried or managed to repair an issue like that? I have done a lot of googling and not found much. Readings of 50% or more so it is pretty serious. Thanks in advance!
Welcome to UKCS. I don’t have direct experience of your damp problem, but use the search facility because many many others have tackled it themselves. Plenty of threads that should be helpful.
Hi, if you have basic woodworking skills, then it is likely that you can fix yourselves. 50% isn't as bad as it sounds, but will get worse if you ignore it. May be a fixing screw (s) in the lower rail or on a corner that is the issue, or a seal on a locker, if nearby. Wall is typically an external skin of aluminum fixed to a wooden frame which has insulation between the timbers and then your internal decorative wallboard stapled/bonded to the frame and insulation.
You can cut a line with a multi tool or Stanley knife then prise off the rotten wallboard. Same applies to any rotten flooring (though this is normally two pieces of plywood sandwiching the insulation and wooden frame). Hopefully, very little of the insulation will come with it if you carefully prise it away. You need to check for any rotten frame timbers and cut out if necessary. Then allow everything to dry out and/or use a dehumidifier.
New frame pieces need to be fixed and glued in place then the new wallboard or plywood floor bonded onto timbers and insulation.
Biggest issue is likely getting a small enough piece of matching decorative wallboard.
To stop the water getting in, may need to remove all rail screws and the rail, then thoroughly clean off all the old sealant. Fix back on with plenty of good quality sealant (not silicone), covering all screw holes and ensuring the rail is sealed well. If removing corner screws clean off old sealant and insert new sealant before putting screws back in.
Hopefully this gives you some idea of what you're up against. Not that difficult, but can be quite time consuming, if benches, pipes, wires etc. are in the way.
Thanks so much for your replies. at Fiona W - I had read a few posts on damp repairs but hadn't been able to find much/anything about damp around the edges specifically, and I was worried that might be different as that is where the walls join the floor (and so perhaps there might be structural implications).
at viffer97 Thank you so much, this is really helpful. We have got started following exactly this. We have exposed most of it now, and thankfully even around the bottom edges the walls seem fine. We haven't got as far as prising away the rotten plywood on the floor yet - that's for tomorrow - so we'll see how we get on.
We have hit a couple of snags. One is that at the front one of the very wet pieces of plywood has two huges bolts coming out of it - an L shaped bolt that attaches the floor to the wall. The plywood seems to be damp underneath it but I am nervous about removing it as it seems important! Should we just cut around it do you think? I would share a picture but I'm not sure how to on here. Another snag is that the box that houses the main electrics has some damp in it. It's a little soft but it is not totally coming apart so we are thinking of stripping the vinyl off around the elctrics and then just using a dehumidifier to dry it out, rather than replacing that section which would be really difficult I think.
Is there a reason to relay vinyl in the cupboards/under seats? We did wonder whether it might give the wood more chance to dry without it.
Hi, it would good to see a picture of the bolt, as it isn't clear how this fixed. I would try to remove this, allowing you to replace the flooring more easily. You may need to take pictures and measurements before removing the bolt and any flooring.
If any wood is soft, it should be removed and replaced with new. Structural timbers should ideally be tanalised, but the flooring can be ordinary ply.
Thank you so much for the advice about removing and replacing. We worked out the bolts, they are just holding the gas locker / bulkhead to the floor, so we are removing. Tough work though!! I couldn't work out how to post a picture on here but I think I have got it now.
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Topic: damp around edges
via mobile 24/5/2023 at 5:19pm
