38% damp acceptable?

saxonrosie

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If you bought a motorhome from a trader who had recent habitation check papers which had been done the week before and then you find it has 38% damp plus about half a dozen other minor things wrong which you are prepared to fix yourself, i.e. Drawer runners broken , window blinds sticking etc, you ring him to see what he will do about the damp, nothing he says it's normal for a 2007 van to have that amount of damp. Would you think this was acceptable? My van is 2005 and no damp at all. Option he gave was fix it yourself or bring it back, so back it went , now awaiting to see if deposit is back in the bank on Monday if not trader will be named and shamed. Will be interested to know what you think .
 
Definitely unacceptable,that level of damp means structural damage has probably occurred and immediate remedial work is required.Damp repairs are very labour intensive and with the cost of labour the bill could run into thousands.Get rid and get your deposit back is my advice.
 
saxonrosie said:
If you bought a motorhome from a trader who had recent habitation check papers which had been done the week before and then you find it has 38% damp plus about half a dozen other minor things wrong which you are prepared to fix yourself, i.e. Drawer runners broken , window blinds sticking etc, you ring him to see what he will do about the damp, nothing he says it's normal for a 2007 van to have that amount of damp. Would you think this was acceptable? My van is 2005 and no damp at all. Option he gave was fix it yourself or bring it back, so back it went , now awaiting to see if deposit is back in the bank on Monday if not trader will be named and shamed. Will be interested to know what you think .
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Thats a lot of damp for this time of year,

what would it be like in mid winter,

good job it went back.

:juggle::juggle::juggle:
 
ok don't name the trader at moment just give us rough details soany one who comes here don't buy that van ie make and year so at least those who looking will have a idea to double check them out
 
Much too high. My 'van is in for repair to cure such a problem and the bill is just over £2,500!
 
wakk44 said:
Definitely unacceptable,that level of damp means structural damage has probably occurred and immediate remedial work is required.Damp repairs are very labour intensive and with the cost of labour the bill could run into thousands.Get rid and get your deposit back is my advice.
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Yep, absolutely. Get your deposit back, name and shame if appropriate..

Pat
 
38% damp is what you'd expect to find in an incontinent baby's nappy; certainly not in a motorhome you're about to purchase.

Walk away from it - quickly.....
 
Here is a Forum post on another Website relating to moisture levels -

These measurements are ONLY for use with the 'Protimeter' tester - not one of the cheap and cheerful, and very misleading, other makes.


Readings between 0-15% no cause for concern

Readings between 15-20% engineer to make note of readings and recheck at next service.

Readings between 20-24% possible early sign of water ingress, look for tangible evidence or ask for Recheck.

Readings between 25-30% moisture evident, remedial work necessary, may not require stripdown unless surface damage (staining, pimpling and softness) is apparent. There is a risk of wallboard deterioration due to retained moisture in the structure if re sealed only.

Reading of 31% and above structural damage is occurring, deterioration inevitable, full stripdown of affected area is required


Whilst it seems very simple to get a reading and think you have a problem, it is not and other considerations have to be borne in mind when taking readings, such as ambient temperature, humidity etc.
 
I've got my own meter and only use it as a comparative indicator. Every so often I'll test a load of the lining areas, particularly around windows, sunroof etc, - though water will track a lot. I then pick other areas that are inboard - such as the furniture frames etc and use those to do rough comparisons. I generally get a spread of maybe 4%. As I say, just a rough guide rather than outright figures.

First big trip in the van after I converted it I had to rip out the freshwater tank in a small village in Austria due to a leak. The floor beneath it was visibly wet and was reading about 35%. Fortunately I'd made everything relatively easy to remove, used WBP ply (and also installed a damp membrane). A few days airing in the warm Austrian sun, some reassembly and all was good.

So, the point of my rambling story is that your readings appear very concerning as they are similar to what I had for saturated timber beneath a leaking tank
 
Keithchesterfield said:
Here is a Forum post on another Website relating to moisture levels -

These measurements are ONLY for use with the 'Protimeter' tester - not one of the cheap and cheerful, and very misleading, other makes.


Readings between 0-15% no cause for concern

Readings between 15-20% engineer to make note of readings and recheck at next service.

Readings between 20-24% possible early sign of water ingress, look for tangible evidence or ask for Recheck.

Readings between 25-30% moisture evident, remedial work necessary, may not require stripdown unless surface damage (staining, pimpling and softness) is apparent. There is a risk of wallboard deterioration due to retained moisture in the structure if re sealed only.

Reading of 31% and above structural damage is occurring, deterioration inevitable, full stripdown of affected area is required


Whilst it seems very simple to get a reading and think you have a problem, it is not and other considerations have to be borne in mind when taking readings, such as ambient temperature, humidity etc.
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Quite right but in this case wallboard soft .
 
I bought my van last July 2016 after a independant damp test revealed 30% in one area, this was shown to the dealer who said they would fix it. I bought a damp meter and continued to test it, it's now down to 20% and out of warranty. I'm hoping that it will continue to decrease, if not I'm in the doodoo too!
We do spend the winter in Spain but have had lots of resin since being in the UK since April.and is continuing to drop so it's fixed I presume!
Good luck on getting your money back if could cost a lot in the future otherwise. Hark at me, advising when I DID buy one with damp!
 
Damp motor home

Hi
did you pay for the motorhome cash,check, bankers draft etc ?
And when did you take delivery ?
 
***** said:
What was the outcome?
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Outcome is , Van was returned, deposit was back in the bank next day so all good on that front , but van is on E-Bay at £1500 more than original price. Question is does that mean it's fixed or is that the amount they will offer to knock off when you find the damp. Buyer beware.
 
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