by Ed Davies

Following on from our previous feature on water ingress, we now turn our focus to the less serious yet ever-present, slightly vexing conundrum of surface damp

Surface damp like Christmas and taxes, I am afraid, is a fact of life. If you own a caravan, the chances are, you have had or are going to get damp patches. The good news, however, is that it is normally nothing to worry about.

The problems it causes are not structural and prevention is easy. So relax, sit back and allow us to, yes, de-mystify any bad advice you may have received.

Surface damp

The real cause of damp is the fluctuation of temperatures throughout a day or course of a year.

As most of us know, at higher temperatures water molecules will turn to gas and at lower temperatures they will return to liquid form.

So, during the day when temperatures are higher water will evaporate but when temperatures drop at night it condenses becoming liquid again on the interior of the van.

This is why many people will testify that on waking from their first night’s sleep in a caravan they can feel damp in the table or soft furnishing. This is simply condensation.

If you open the door, window or switch on your heating this will go in a matter of minutes.

But why does black mould grow?

Mould spores are everywhere in the air and will grow on just about anything if they have water and light. So when a caravan is not used regularly and is poorly ventilated it is fertile ground for mould to grow.

Imagine a situation where you return from your summer holiday on a lovely sunny day and you close the caravan door.

The caravan is full of lovely warm air containing large amounts of gaseous water. You leave the caravan for months and as winter comes the temperature drops and the gas slowly becomes liquid.

As the air is not replenished and the water remains stagnant, mould has the perfect place to thrive and grow.

Prevention

As the crux of the matter is ventilation, the easiest, most effective and most enjoyable way is to use your caravan as often as you can all year round – believe me, as a man who has stayed at a ski resort in a caravan and motorhome, it is a brilliant winter break.

If that is something you are unable to do then you need to supply the interior with fresh outside air at least once a month.

However, that does not mean simply opening your caravan’s window for 10 minutes. The likelihood is that you will need to ventilate it for a far greater length of time.

You might consider sleeping in it overnight. A lovely, relaxing, romantic night on your own driveway.

If this is not possible or desirable, it is recommended you open up all the windows and doors in your camper, make a cup tea and wait for around an hour before you seal it up again.

The only other thing you can do to help is to open all cupboard doors when you leave your caravan for a period as this prevents high moister microclimates developing.

Beware Poor Advice

Often have I heard that cleaning your caravan regularly is a sure fire way to eradicate the growth of mould. Wrong.

As we have said it is not dirt but water that mould thrives on. If you leave a piece of bread on your kitchen side it will go mouldy but once the water has gone the mould will die.

Likewise take a glass of water and leave it for week on the side with nothing in it and it will start growing mould.

Ironically cleaning your camper will deter the mould, but would, in fact, be no more effective than teetering about in it alone for an hour or two, playing a game of cards or reading a magazine – the choice, as ever, is yours.

With cleaning dealt with, another oft mentioned remedy is removing all the soft furnishings to stop mould developing.

Although soft furnishings do hold more water and are therefore more likely to go mouldy removing them will only prevent them themselves from becoming mouldy.

Dealing With Mould

Here is where, for once, cleaning might actually come in handy. If you do get patches of mould they will need to be removed with mould removal spray, which can be bought from any Homebase store.

It is worth doing it properly, checking under beds, the backs of cupboards and lockers.

However, once all mould is removed, there is truly no use in simply locking up the caravan for another three months until it is used again as the mould will just come back.

So, if you love your caravan or your motorhome, you cannot simply leave it alone and untouched for months.

Like an elderly relative, you will need to visit it, have a cup of tea with it, play a game of cards or even, if you want, have a chat with it.

If you manage to do that, it will remain a happy, lovely, mould free camper for as long as you want.

by Ed Davies

Damp is the presence of unwanted moisture in the structure of a building, which is either the result of intrusion from outside or condensation from within

A simple enough definition yet damp could easily be the death knell for a caravan or cost its owner a great deal to remedy.

Worth mentioning at this point is the difference between mould and water ingress, with the former an annoyance on your caravan’s interior surfaces and the latter a serious structural problem, which is much harder to solve.

This article focuses primarily on water ingress, which can seriously affect the structure of the vehicle.

What Is Water Ingress?

Caravans in this country are very often stored outside for long periods of time unused, left to the mercy of the glorious British weather.

That coupled with the fact that being towed causes vibrations, which open up gaps in the frame and body panels allowing water to enter, it is no shock many caravans over the years have been scourged with structural damp (water ingress).

If water gets into the timber that is more or less that for your wood and it must be removed.

A Brief History

For years, damp was one of the biggest reasons for scrapping your caravan, however, over the last ten years the situation has been changing.

Before the turn of the century most caravans were constructed with a wooden frame and side panels, screwed together and painted.

The UK industry, as a whole, became aware of how damp affected caravans and most of the manufacturers have changed the way they have designed their vehicles.

Therefore, in short, if you do not want a caravan with damp, get yourself a new one.

On top of this, many UK manufacturers offer warranty on new caravans including water ingress or mould.

Prevention

If shelling out thousands on a new model is not something you can do there are several ways to keep on top of the situation.

Of utmost importance to preventing damp spreading is early detection.

Servicing: It is important to get your caravan serviced regularly which is, of course, an expense but is well worth the money and should not be avoided.
Head to a reputable service centre, ideally one that has been recommended to you, but if that is not possible go to one registered by the NCC approved workshop scheme.
They should do a damp test and you can always ask beforehand if they do or not.
Make sure they do it properly, using a damp probe right to the back of the cupboards near the corners, top and bottom of the caravan.
As I imagine you can work out, the more you get your caravan serviced the better chance you have of detecting damp and the garage will be able to advise you how bad it is and how best to deal with it.

Check Yourself: You can always buy a damp tester and go around your caravan on your own.
The thing about wood is that it expands or swells when wet so you should keep an eye on any strange bulges on exterior panels near the corners, top and bottom.
Do the same with caravan interiors that have lots of doors, drawers and panels as if they are not closing properly or look out of line it may be due to wet wood.

Clean Your Caravan: You should clean your caravan regularly and once it is clean you should leave the doors open and let it air for 10 minutes.
Afterwards, shut the door and go for a walk. When you get back take a big sniff and if you smell damp you should take it and get it checked.

Dealing With Damp

If it has reached this stage then you will need professional help.

Water ingress will need to be treated with some structural work and a workshop and dealer are the only people that are able to do this.

Remedies such as dehumidifiers are not recommended as it is difficult to keep them running for the required time and can also dry the wood too much and cause it to crack and break.

What Manufacturers Are Doing

Bailey of Bristol brought in the Alu-Tech body shell construction, which they billed as the “most significant development in leisure vehicle production technology for over thirty years.”

Manufacturers Elddis also introduced SoLiD replacing their previous structure with a bonding construction using adhesives.

Hull’s Swift brought in their own intelligent construction with their SMART design.
Coachman have recently put in place a new construction, with the ABC model.

Water ingress is terrible but while there is still a problem it is a lot less common in UK caravans and the manufacturers are aware of it.

They train dealers and workshops about how to identify and solve damp problems when they arise and the situation is getting better and better every year.

Anyway folks, do not despair. The future is getting brighter and increasingly damp free.

by Ed Davies

Buying a caravan can be the start to a wonderful life of touring freely, with your family and friends, however, it is imperative you buy the correct vehicle that suits your needs

There is an impressive array of manufacturers and ranges to choose from giving you options for families, couples and even luxury use.

Top manufacturers such as Swift, Bailey of Bristol, Elddis and Coachman offer comprehensive ranges for those seeking to make their way into the caravan world.

But before getting started you need to make sure of certain things before you purchase, such as knowing the shapes and sizes you want, whether you are buying new or used, privately or from a trader.

First steps

First things first, you should be comparing within the market and making sure you are going to get value for money and places like Marquis Leisure, one of the UK’s largest dealer networks, are a good way to help you look around.

Google the company that you are purchasing from in order to look for reviews about their reputation.

You should also always research the model that you are going to buy, checking that the van is CRiS registered, which will tell you about the vehicle’s previous history.

Caravan Inspection

Once you have decided on a caravan that you want you must inspect that it is serviceable and up to scratch.

Make an interior inspection of the van checking for dampness. This is something you do not want in your caravan and could cause a myriad issues were you to actually purchase it.

You can find dampness throughout the caravan so you should check everywhere, with smell a major giveaway. There may also be bumps on panels, springy floors, stains, discolouration or foot mats around the door.

After you have checked the inside of your camper you should then go outside and have a scan over the exterior of the vehicle.

Check for any external damages including dents, scratches or broken surfaces. On top of that, check the underside and assess for rotting floors and soft patches that can determine dampness.

It is important to check the condition of the chassis, the hitch and the suspension as repairs or replacement can be expensive.

Check for corrosion on the chassis and look out for signs of new paint or underseal that might be hiding something underneath.

Check the hitch mechanism moves freely and the rubber gaiter is not split. Check the jockey wheel winds up and down easily and rotates freely.

Caravan Protection

Although, not essential, marking your caravan can dramatically improve the chances of you retrieving it if it were to be stolen.

You may wish to photograph your vehicle so you can show it to the police. This might be particularly useful if it has any distinct features and could help the police identify it.

Marking the roof of your caravan with your house’s postcode is also strongly recommended by the police as this can be seen by police helicopters and noted by people on the ground.