Pep talk needed please.

[LindsayH]

Sorry to hear you have a few problem but you will find tons of help on these pages. Someone will always know how to fix it. Roof light leaking could be down to how much sun we have had and its either dried the sealant out or everything got very hot and expanded and different rates. Removing the roof light and resealing is not a major problem.

You could probably do with a few basic tools if you don't already have them and a multimeter for checking electrics. If you get one someone will show you how it works and how to test fuses. You could also do with a roll of gaffer tape. Don't buy a cheap one you want it to stick. This can be used for all sorts of purposes.

You have to remember that the average CARAVAN is used for 2 weeks a year and a couple of weekends away. Most of the parts for MH's have come from the same source and were never designed to be used daily. Everything is just that little bit weaker than it should be and as the bits get older the plastic gets very brittle and bingo. You can find lots of bits on EBay at realistic prices and there are also a number of breakers that have parts.

Hope you get it all sorted

..

Thank you for your kind words.
That's a really good point about the daily use. Everything does seem pretty cheap and plasticky, I'm amazed any of it lasts as long as it does really.
I have tools in the van and duct tape. I even have a multimeter, purely because when I used to read advice threads on here before I bought the van, they always mentioned them! Haven't got a clue how it works though :raofl: I also have sikaflex and WD40 for the same reason!

 

[LindsayH]

Full timing there are downsides as you are finding out ....Worry not it all comes right in the end,,,,,, how ?no idea but it does.

Sometimes for me it was winter, what am I doing and why ? you brave it learn quickly, Every day is a learning curve, I am based in West Yorks and happy to help if and where I can if you get stuck. And if its something out my depth I know a man that can.

Try and see it all as part of the adventure, put it down on paper one day you can write a book.

If you can get to meets lots of people here to help you,Let it all test your resolve by all means but don't give in

Channa

Thanks Channa, you always find something kind and reassuring to say. I appreciate it x

 

[trevskoda]

Thank you, it's good to know I'm not alone. I suspected as much when I typed 'fridge' into the search box :-D
I agree about the DIY skills. I'm fairly good at carpentry, flat pack, decorating and I can just about do tiling and lay a lino floor. Not very useful skills in a van! I can't see myself ever being very good at plumbing or electrics and I'm certainly no good on the roof as I'm awful with heights. Does anyone with good electrical skills need their lambs ear-tagging, their goats hooves trimming, their horses clipping or their dogs nails doing?? :lol-053::lol-053:
I need to try harder, at least with the electric side of things but I'm just awful at it, it goes in one ear and out the other.

You just need some one who can site down and explain electrics on a simple need to know basis,no need to bambozzel you with to much,its not that hard,always think of wire as water pipes flowing water,if there is a crack week bit then it leaks,over time you will pick up on things,good luck with van.

 

[The laird]

W sticker

Will get the sticker mailed to you tomorrow

 

[Canalsman]

Sorry about your travails ...

None of these things are particularly serious. Annoying, yes, especially the leak.

Your power issues may well be down to knackered batteries. Do you know how old they are?

All are likely to be fixed without too much difficulty or expense.

The trick is finding somebody reliable to help you. You have DIY skills so rather than get it fixed for you, be involved and learn.

There are lots of very helpful people who are members and collectively there's a wealth of expertise. As has been suggested get yourself along to a meet and start from there.

I full-time in my 'van and am in North Wales at the moment and heading for Cumbria in a while. If you end up in this area I will be happy to see if I can advise.

 

[brianl]

All things going wrong.

Having experienced a tat of a camper van. Fixed it all up and then the engine mount and chassis collapsed (not economical to repair). Then bought an isle of white ex- ambulance to convert that also went in the bin. So having given up, found a talbot express 1991 2ltr petrol. The stupid bank gave me a loan. Also a sizeable overdraught. But everything works, put 120w solar panel on the roof permanantly (brilliant piece of kit) keeps everything charged up and has two usb. Outlets. Chin up lyndsey. Live on the wirral if you are ever around here have a free private car park and always happy to help.
Brian (retired)

 

[LindsayH]

Sorry about your travails ...

None of these things are particularly serious. Annoying, yes, especially the leak.

Your power issues may well be down to knackered batteries. Do you know how old they are?

All are likely to be fixed without too much difficulty or expense.

The trick is finding somebody reliable to help you. You have DIY skills so rather than get it fixed for you, be involved and learn.

There are lots of very helpful people who are members and collectively there's a wealth of expertise. As has been suggested get yourself along to a meet and start from there.

I full-time in my 'van and am in North Wales at the moment and heading for Cumbria in a while. If you end up in this area I will be happy to see if I can advise.

Thanks for the offer! I think I'm going to head towards Herefordshire next and see how I go/how long the diesel lasts. Does anyone know a good van fixer person round that area or on the way? Every time so far I've thought 'that won't cost too much' it's been several hundred pounds. And some of those fixes have caused other problems or not stayed fixed. Now it just feels like everything on the van is broken and I just don't know where to start. Turning the van round last night fixed the leak so I guess that was cheap at least :lol-049:
Last time the fridge broke it was because the chap who put in a new water pump upset the wiring to the back of the switch. I paid someone to fix that though, so shouldn't be the same thing?? I'm fairly sure the batteries are knackered, the power problem has got slowly worse over the last month or so. I'd already decided that this month I need to put the small amount of monthly income I get towards paying for new batteries. My worry is, if there is something wrong in the 'system' then I'll kill the new ones too.
Thank you for the advice about getting involved in repairs. I am really taking that on board, sounds very sensible to me. When the fridge wiring was fixed, I didn't even look to see which bit he fixed so now don't know which bit to check... Idiot....

 

[LindsayH]

Having experienced a tat of a camper van. Fixed it all up and then the engine mount and chassis collapsed (not economical to repair). Then bought an isle of white ex- ambulance to convert that also went in the bin. So having given up, found a talbot express 1991 2ltr petrol. The stupid bank gave me a loan. Also a sizeable overdraught. But everything works, put 120w solar panel on the roof permanantly (brilliant piece of kit) keeps everything charged up and has two usb. Outlets. Chin up lyndsey. Live on the wirral if you are ever around here have a free private car park and always happy to help.
Brian (retired)

Thanks Brian, that's really kind x

 

[carol]

Hi Lindsay, hope today finds you feeling more cheerful and positive. I can't offer anything practical but suggest you get yourself to a meet as soon as you can. You'll be offered so much support and help there. Good luck. :wave:

 

[LindsayH]

Hi Lindsay, hope today finds you feeling more cheerful and positive. I can't offer anything practical but suggest you get yourself to a meet as soon as you can. You'll be offered so much support and help there. Good luck. :wave:

Thanks Carol! The kind words of you and everyone else who has replied have cheered me up a bit today. I do need to get to a meet. It's a shame the current one is quite so far away, I can't spare the tank of fuel needed for the distance. If I'm still around, I'm going to try and get to the Hereford one. I'm so impressed that people manage to plan things so far in advance, I don't even know where I'll be tomorrow yet :lol-053:

 

[winks]

Good thinking Lindsay, the Hereford meet is well attended and you will definitely get swamped with offers of help from the rest of the reprobates present.

This forum is something special when it comes to assistance. Two members, couple of years ago, even made the trip to Greece to assist in the recovery of a van and successfully nursed it home. Carol has had help after an accident in France and the instances of the WC ''Pony Express'' getting things moved around the country, and in the case of some refillable Gas bottle I sold, across the Irish Sea.

Get it watertight and try to make your way to Hereford and you will receive help with your problems. Oh and a crash course in liver destruction.

Cheers

H

 

[Channa]

You just need some one who can site down and explain electrics on a simple need to know basis,no need to bambozzel you with to much,its not that hard,always think of wire as water pipes flowing water,if there is a crack week bit then it leaks,over time you will pick up on things,good luck with van.

The analogy of water was how I was taught. Multimeters take up little space and can be very useful in identifying problems.

There are some good videos on you tube showing how to use them and what they can be used for,

In fact when you have finished watching, you will wonder how you have got this far in life without one and spend the next fortnight prodding things to see how they work,:bow:

Channa

 

[Jo001]

Lindsay, when people have lost a dog and someone says "are you going to get another one" I usually want to slap them hard and say it wasn't a **** washing machine that packed in. But in your circumstances, since your plans were made with your dog as such an integral part, do you think maybe it would help? Only you will know if you are ready, some people feel sooner; others later but having another being to focus on might help. Sorry if I just became "that person".

 

[buffalowind]

Don't let it get you down

I'm really struggling. I've been full time for getting on for 2 months now. Quit job/career after 15 years so I could travel with my dog who died 2 weeks before I left the flat. I've spent my entire savings that I was hoping to travel for a year on fixing things on the van. Everything I touch breaks and everything I try and fix fails. I'm staying at Mum's for 2 days, just popped out to the van and the fridge isn't working (again) and the roof light is leaking. Quite a lot. This is on top of existing power issues that mean I've been managing without lights or any unnecessary power use for the last 2 weeks. Apart from checking a fuse, I have no idea what to do or much money to throw at it. I'm sorry for moaning, but I'm just so fed up. I have no one I can talk to in the real world about it, they all think I'm an idiot for buying the van in the first place. Maybe they are right.....
Can someone please just say something nice to me?

Just remember: You are doing something that most people would give their right arm to do!!
Drive to spain. It won't matter if the skylight leaks, ther is no rain at this time of year and the sun makes you fell a whole lot better
Good luck!!!1
Steve

 

[LindsayH]

Good thinking Lindsay, the Hereford meet is well attended and you will definitely get swamped with offers of help from the rest of the reprobates present.

This forum is something special when it comes to assistance. Two members, couple of years ago, even made the trip to Greece to assist in the recovery of a van and successfully nursed it home. Carol has had help after an accident in France and the instances of the WC ''Pony Express'' getting things moved around the country, and in the case of some refillable Gas bottle I sold, across the Irish Sea.

Get it watertight and try to make your way to Hereford and you will receive help with your problems. Oh and a crash course in liver destruction.

Cheers

H

Thanks Winks
It's amazing how kind people can be. It does rather restore your faith in human nature a bit doesnt it?
Hahaha, the last thing I need is any encouragement on that score :cheers:

 

[LindsayH]

Lindsay, when people have lost a dog and someone says "are you going to get another one" I usually want to slap them hard and say it wasn't a **** washing machine that packed in. But in your circumstances, since your plans were made with your dog as such an integral part, do you think maybe it would help? Only you will know if you are ready, some people feel sooner; others later but having another being to focus on might help. Sorry if I just became "that person".

This is so sensitively written, you obviously completely get it. Believe it or not, even when she was dying I had a client ask if I would get another dog! I do agree that everyone feels different and what is right for one person would be very wrong for another. She was the only dog I've ever had (after 10 or 12 fosters). Right from day 1 we were totally inseparable and were only apart for a few days in 13 years. At the moment I'm firmly in the 'never again' camp but maybe one day.
Thank you xxx

 

[LindsayH]

The analogy of water was how I was taught. Multimeters take up little space and can be very useful in identifying problems.

There are some good videos on you tube showing how to use them and what they can be used for,

In fact when you have finished watching, you will wonder how you have got this far in life without one and spend the next fortnight prodding things to see how they work,:bow:

Channa

That sounds like exactly what will happen with me. Obsessively checking every electrical item I can 5 times a day :lol-053:
Sounds actually quite fun...

 

[LindsayH]

It's really frustrating when one thing after another goes wrong: you are playing whack-a-rat with the problems and it feels you will never win. But if you fix things properly, there really will come a time when you realise that nothing went wrong for ages!
Fix the leak ASAP. Find out where the leak actually is (may not be where you thought) and sort it - NOT with silicone sealant: that never works in the long run.
After that, try to prioritise the other issues and if you can, sort each one out properly rather than patching and bodging - unless you like fixing things over and over again!
By the time you have everything working right, you will have developed expertise in so many areas that future issues won't really be problems.

Thanks Hairydog, this sounds like good advice. Although I have no idea how to find a leak or how to fix it. I think the whole of the skylight probably needs resealing. Sikaflex? I wonder if I could do it standing on a chair inside? Some of it probably at least. I'm going to drive somewhere, sit and chill for a bit and get my priorities worked out (fridge?).
The whack a rat analogy sums up how I'm feeling more exactly than anything else I've thought of!
I'm really looking forward to the first time I realise nothing has broken for a month. When it does, I'll come back on here and share the joy :dance:

 

[Channa]

Make a list and categorise into van living space water gas electric and work your way through prioritising ,it might help making sense of it all

Re your leak, Sikaflex is fine a quick look at your van a corrugated roof , Now if I were a betting man and knowing mastics can dry and crack and thus let water in that's the first place to start and the easiest place is on the roof to look for obvious cracking where water can ingress , remove the old crap and give a really good clean and replace with a new bead of sikaflex and hopefully problem sorted

HD is right water can be the spawn of the devil the leak point not necessarily the same point where it is appearing in the van ( to make life interesting) but if you are lucky it will be obvious,,,just take your time and hope for a nice day. Check everything else up there ,,,Status aerials often leak, flues to heaters etc whilst your at it.

As a last resort if all the above fails in professional bodyshops they often use a smoke bomb inside the van and where it escapes identifies the problem identifies rogue door and window rubbers

Channa

 

[Robmac]

I can't add a lot to what has been already said really.

Get yourself to a meet where people can look at the problems with the van 'hands on', you will get loads of good advice and appreciate just what a great community this is. I've just left the Druridge meet after a flying one night visit and it's always like meeting up with family.