hi everyone
im new here so be kind,we are going to buy a second hand caravan we have around £2000-£2300 to spent, after reading some of the posts re damp am a bit worried about going to view without a damp meter we are going to look at one this afternoon an Elddis pamporos xl how can we check for damp without a meter? also is this a good van ?
we are campers and have just sold our trailer tent to part fund getting a caravan very scared as we love camping and hope we are doing the right thing.
A damp meter costs about 8 quid. A caravan can cost thousands.
Dampness is probably the biggest single fault in caravans and buying a secondhand van without checking it for dampness is, to put it mildly, foolhardy.
Just look through the forums here about the number of people that have suffered from damp problems. Some in vans less than 3 months old!!!!
I most respectfully suggest that you do not part with your money, no matter how much you like the vans you see, until you but a dampmeter and learn how to use it. It may save you a great deal of money and future problems.
maybe we will pop into b& q on the way for a damp meter,a bit worried the chap selling the van will think its a bit of a cheek but it is a lot of money to us and we cant afford to lose it by the way he is asking £2000 for it is this a good price?
if you knock it (like knocking a door) using the knuckle of your index finger and it rings solid then chances are it is okay, if it is muffled or feels soft then she is wet. get a damp meter tho and if you start playing music she is a bad un and walk away
mind once looking at a sprite alpine and the back wall was soft like wet tissues and the bloke said that isnt damp, yeah right, he was wanting £1500 for the van and all it had was a fridge, no heater or hot water or casette loo. offered him £500 he told me 2 words (2nd being off) lol
just looked on line B&Q are out of stock homebase dont seem to do them so will have to take a look without one everyone has given some good tips,the chap selling the van is a very keen caravaner he says this van is his 5th so hoping he has had a damp check done already he is selling due to having a static now hes getting on a bit lol
try b&q in stores or your local hardware shop. certainly do a damp test before buying, i know i went over the fleetwood with a fine tooth comb with my meter before buying, dealer actually brought out his super sensitive one for me to use as he was so confident it was sound..... it was
Our first caravan when we changed over from motorhomes, was riddled with damp.
The sellers, an older couple who had not use it for several years due to ill health, seemed genuinely honest people and perhaps they did not know that the van was damp, but in the end, I had to remove all the furniture, walls and half the ceiling, right back to the metal on one side and renew it all.
For an £8 dampmeter I could have saved my self a couple of thousand pounds and 6 months work. I will not make that mistake again.
Yes there are good vans out there, but if it is dry and comfortable, why are they selling it?????
hi again
thanks everyone, we went into b&q on the off chance that the website was wrong and it was so we bought one and took it with us, anyway the chap was really nice and let hubs use his new toy (my boys thought it was funny to do their armpits ) there was no damp detected,but the inside of it really needs a good clean although for the age it wasnt to bad, we are going to look at a few more over the weekend but cant seem to find any local will let you know how we get on.
found a few on e-bay quite close so waiting for emails to see if we can view,
thank you all again
Damp can also be there without any smells though, When we traded in our coachman last year all one side was showing 75-80% readings and there wasnt any smell of damp and no stains or even any soggy bits so a damp meter is a must.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: confused
we are going to look at one this afternoon an Elddis pamporos xl how can we check for damp without a meter? also is this a good van ?
homebase dont seem to do them so will have to take a look without one everyone has given some good tips,the chap selling the van is a very keen caravaner he says this van is his 5th so hoping he has had a damp check done already he is selling due to having a static now hes getting on a bit lol
so we bought one and took it with us, anyway the chap was really nice and let hubs use his new toy (my boys thought it was funny to do their armpits
) there was no damp detected,but the inside of it really needs a good clean although for the age it wasnt to bad, we are going to look at a few more over the weekend but cant seem to find any local 
will let you know how we get on.
