Our van was the same. Damp on 3 sides. We too couldn't afford to take it somewhere to be repaired, so I decided to tackle it myself.
I reframed, insulated and plyed the inside. Re- wired and re- plumbed it. Now we have a nice 30 yr old van. It'll never be worth more than a few hundred quid. But to us it's priceless and has been a huge learning curve. Please don't give up. Think of it as a blank canvas that you can transform into your own dream.
------------- September 27th. I'm going away. Don't care where. Just going!!!!
I have to say our first van purchase last year was similar - bought a complete duffer! My own fault bought the van unseen off ebay after several phone calls and emails with the seller who assured me it was old but basically sound. I risked towing the van home 100 miles with no brakes then after inspecting closer and using a mobile engineer discovered how rotten it really was. We were gutted - the engineer didn't even have the heart to charge us for his insepction (a really nice guy and genuine caravaner!). We cut our losses and got rid - got £300 as spares on ebay after finding a breakers would only give me £150. Cost me £900 so I lost £600 plus a lot of time and effort. Incidentially I did contact the previous owners who simply replied with "sold as seen".
Anyway bought another old van this year - careful check and in better shape. Yes there is a bit of damp but have sealed it out and repaired what is required and now have a van which I hope will last us for several years.
Richandnat - so don't dispair. This unfortunately happens. If you can't fix it then try and move on and look for your next van - one will be out there just waiting for a new owner and some TLC!
The worst thing about all this, is how utterly dishonest some people are. I feel so sorry for Richard and Nat. Whether it can be fixed or not, whether they can recoup some expense, it's just AWFUL that the seller was so dishonest. Sadly, I read and hear too many of these stories. You can't trust anyone.
Whoever sold this van to Richard and Nat must have no conscience.
So you bought the caravan & it looks & smells ok, yes? Its in a good mechanical state & tows ok yes? Its a 15yr old caravan so it ain't going to be perfect, yes? If you had not of had the 'benefit' of all the helpful advice on this forum & also from 'professionals' you would be happily using your caravan, yes?
Welcome to the world of 'crappy' caravan ownership. Do what I do on my 80s caravan. Get a cartridge of polyurethane sealant such as Sikaflex 512 & on a dry day squirt it into every external gap, joint & seam on the caravan(don't have to look pretty, just gunge it on)& then just use it.
our van was full of damp when we brought it, we were naive and believed what the seller said, but we could not afford to scrap it, so we decided to have a go ourselves, with some great advise off some great people on here, we stripped it right back and had to replace the whole roof frame and the front, it can be done and its not too expensive,just time consuming, but we know we have a solid little van now, and have enjoyed 2 holidays in her this year....go for it....
Quote: Originally posted by vonnie 123 on 17/9/2013
our van was full of damp when we brought it, we were naive and believed what the seller said, but we could not afford to scrap it, so we decided to have a go ourselves, with some great advise off some great people on here, we stripped it right back and had to replace the whole roof frame and the front, it can be done and its not too expensive,just time consuming, but we know we have a solid little van now, and have enjoyed 2 holidays in her this year....go for it....
Hi my wife and I have just bought our 1st caravan and like you we were ripped off, we bought a 1995 Elddiss GTX hurricane because we liked the layout etc, when we got it home I noticed that the toilet seemed a bit loose so had a look and discovered that the whole side wall was completely rotten, checked the shower side and found it was almost as bad, when I looked underneath I found that all the way round the edge was completely rotten from 1 wheel arch right round to the other, also delamintation of the floor just inside the washroom, after going through the usual stages of wanting to murder the seller (who had conveniently gone on holiday to Egypt) then feeling sick with despair that we had wasted £1200 I had a look on this site and decided that we would have a trip to the Gower to try it out then when we get back use the advice given by several other people on here and rebuild the complete backend. So if you are reasonably good at DIY I would suggest you do the same after all what have you got to lose.
Good Luck what ever you decide to do and will keep you informed how we get on, will take photos etc at each stage which hopefully help other people.
Regards
Derrick
Don't just scrap it,I bought an old caravan a few years ago for £200 which I knew had damp in walls and floor,I took it home,completely stripped it out ceilings walls etc,went to b&q bought loads of sealant,wood treatment ,batten,and hardboard .after about 6/8 weeks it was finished and we went away for a week in it to a music festival,which was the only reason I bought it,and it was fine,I then sold it and yes I did tell the new owners,
So it can be done,I am not a professional caravan repairer,I own an alloy wheel refurb company.
So go for it what have you got to lose apart from a couple of hundred pounds and time and time is free,but on the other hand it might work and you have your caravan back.
Good luck
We bought our 94 Challenger "Betsy" in April this year and then found the damp!!.
So depressed... :-(
However, I realised that as the sides externally (should be sheet aluminium so they won't rot) weren't damaged, then the leaks must be around the awning rail at the top of the van walls, the aluminium strips that cover the seems from left to right at about halfway down the wall and a quarter of the way up from the floor. Or from the window frames.
So after purchasing one very large bottle of "Captain Tolleys Creeping Crack Cure" (Yes thats its real name!) I proceeded to seal everything I could see (dispensing small amounts along the whole rail, waiting for it to seep in and dry). All awning rails and sealing strips, the tops of the windows... everything. I then repeated the action 2 or 3 times more
Now ... touch wood the damp is no worse and it is gradually drying out with the aid of regular use and a couple of chemical dehumidifiers (cheap from Towsure) and is very definately usable. In fact we love her to bits and are going to France next year!!!
The rest of her is very sound (apart from a bit of delamination in Kitchen area, which I am about to tackle). Chassis is good, had all gas appliances serviced etc. Done loads of repairs and cleaning and now we wish we'd done it years ago.
So chin up you might still be able to save the situation...
We have a damp patch on our 95 europa, the wallboard has been soft for 5yrs and never got worse! One day I'll get around to fixing it! The moral of this story being it may not be as bad as you think.
This crops up again and again on these forums, people buying a damp van, sellers sell them knowing they are like this and how many times do people demand a refund....not many.... so they keep on selling them.
It may sound unsympathetic but why oh why don't folks
A......take someone with them who knows about caravans yes it may cost you but you save in the long run
or
B.... take a damp tester......if the seller won't let you use it it's a sure sign it's damp.
or
C...ask for an up to date damp check.
I hope you can salvage something from this if only experience.
Quote: Originally posted by Janx on 04/10/2013
This crops up again and again on these forums, people buying a damp van, sellers sell them knowing they are like this and how many times do people demand a refund....not many.... so they keep on selling them.
It may sound unsympathetic but why oh why don't folks
A......take someone with them who knows about caravans yes it may cost you but you save in the long run
or
B.... take a damp tester......if the seller won't let you use it it's a sure sign it's damp.
or
C...ask for an up to date damp check.
I hope you can salvage something from this if only experience.
I think that's because not everyone has benefitted from the advice and knowledge of being a member of UKCS before buying. Many first time buyers believe its like buying a car. Many people only discover this site when they are in trouble. So yes we hear about this all the time but to those who suffer its a shock and a new and unfortunate experience.
I would agree. Most people who are first time caravaners wouldn't know what to look for and only find their way onto this site once they have bought a van. If they have bought a lemon, it's a nasty expensive shock to find out how much damp repairs cost if they can't do a DIY job.
In some ways it is like buying a car privately. Once you sign a receipt saying "Sold as Seen" you accept it as it stands. The seller must have known the extent of the problems as he didn't specifically say in the advert that the van was damp free and as we all know, damp is not easy to spot without the proper equipment. Seems like he was boxing clever.
It's a sad fact of life that not everyone is honest and will try to sell a duff van onto someone else to make a few quid.
When we sold our first van that we had for about 3 years (1994 model) we knew it had a history of damp problems (professionally repaired) and made that clear in the advert. I would not have felt comfortable selling it onto someone else otherwise but that's just me.
To the OP - don't be too down about it - try to salvage what you can from the situation and take some comfort from the thought that you are certainly not the first person this has happened to (sadly). I know it's a horrible feeling to think you have been taken for a ride.
Hi all.
Thank you all for your messages, we did take advice re the extent of the damage and it was not salvageable as the aluminium was corroding on both sides front to back! The internal would have had to be completely rebuilt as the frame had gone, we have cut our losses and have sold this to someone building a house and need something to live in for 6 months. the van looks nices and all works well, however needs to be kept dry, which was fine for them as would live in a barn.
So ok we lost a bit of money and we have put towards a new one hurrah - it arrives Monday. Yes we went over it with damp meter turned it inside out.
Very relived and look forward to lots of holidays
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Topic: Help my new 2nd hand caravan has damp
