Controlling damp and water ingress in your motorhome

Published in Caravan Guard News, Motorhoming Top Tips on   - 16 Comments

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  1. David Rogers says:

    Hi l don’t think using a dehumidifier is very successful. What happens in my experience is that it drows damp air from outside.

  2. Graham Loyley says:

    Is there any statistics that have been accumulated from people claiming on insurance of the percentage of motorhomes and caravans stored at home where we generally hook them up to the electrics opposed to those put in storage with the issues of damp. I would be shocked if there was a lower percentage of those that go into storage as opposed to being stordd at home

  3. Kathleen Trimingham says:

    Can a professional damp meter detect water ingress when the weather is fine at the time of testing? I noticed some staining above the shelf near large roof window, it didn’t seem damp so I put it down to condensation. We had our 2014 Knaus damp tested in June 2019 and there were no issues. 6 weeks later I saw watering pouring in down the interior window blind frame and we have a major issue. Knaus have just rejected the claim sent in by Lowdhams even though my warranty booklet says water ingress is for 5/6 years. Seems a damp test is only worth doing when it is raining? We are looking at a massive repair bill of around £6K

  4. Alan Wilson says:

    We talked to many Motor-homers and listened their advise, the one thing that I realy picked up on was when I asked someone why they were now on there third motorhome. “the first was an old banger just to try out, the second was great but they didn’t have it annually checked and in a few years they had a problem with damp” so the moral of their story was get it checked it can save you in the long run.

  5. Stephen Bounden says:

    Has anyone got an article or information about how to seal joints with mastic?

    What to use and where to buy it?

    Any tips for DIY repair and maintenance of joits

  6. Ralph Brunjes says:

    Hi, this is not about damp , but about my fire .it is a Bowen air system and hot water. When I put it away the camper that is it worked fine . But now nothing ,I have power to it but I can’t get it to light or anything. I have changed the battery at the bottom of the fire for the ignition but that makes no difference.
    Any help and advice much appreciated.

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      It’s probably worth going to your dealership or contacting a mobile engineer to come and take a look.

  7. Ken Dudbridge says:

    Although our van is only 3 years old, during the winter months, and when it not used during the rest of the year, I leave a mains operated dehumidifier in the van, and every so often leave it on for a day, its remarkable how much water collects in the drip tray, a quick empty and the unit is ready to operate again.

  8. S. INwood says:

    I wish we had this advise to hand before, We were first time Motorhomers and unaware that this is a common problem in Motorhomes, we were aware that water ingress is common in caravans.
    There were no tell tale signs of any problems with our Vehicle, until, after 2years we decided to upgrade to a new Motorhome and took ours to a dealer. He tested for damp and we were horrified what he found, the underside of the vehicle was wooden and rotting round the edges, We had been very careful and had a cover on the Motorhome when not in use and parked next to our house, but even this didn’t help. We are looking at a bill of around £5000 for the repairs,

  9. ALAN J WILLIAMS says:

    I bought a new Autotrail Apache 700 SE in 2004 it has now only done 27000 miles, but has a full service history including two cambelt changes. It is in immaculate condition, being parked on the drive outside of the house it has a permanent hook-up which allows me to keep a trickle charger on. Last week it had a full habitation service and even with this TLC they found the cooker burner was slightly blocked and the flame burning yellow,(Which is now repaired) they carried out damp tests in 110 different places and left me with a plan of the 100% ok result. I now feel comfortable to start the new season confident I have done everything possible to avoid any problems. I would recommend this service to all motorhome and caravan users.

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      Thanks Alan. Great advice and pleased to hear your motorhome has a clean bill of health for the season ahead.

  10. A Burton says:

    Very good advice.

  11. graham penna says:

    it would be helpful if you could describe how and where to use a damp meter to check for ingress

    • Liz @ Caravan Guard says:

      Hi Graham, you use the meter at different points around the caravan, along the walls and inside the lockers.


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