hymer Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Had my hymer damp check carried out today on my 55 plate Exsis at Brownhills. Total cost £130 inc. vat. 1.18 hours labour plus 1 damp check treatment at £36 . Anybody know what this is , it must be good at £36. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Ask Brownhills, they should know, after all they put it on the bill! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred grant Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 and was it pronounced damp my biddy, or is that included as part of the service? frothyfred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hymer Posted November 18, 2008 Author Share Posted November 18, 2008 It seems to be part of the check as i was quoted £130 when I booked in .I just wonderd if anyone else has had it done. There must be other Hymer owners out there having to use Brownhills for their damp check as you have to have the proper Hymer sticker in the warranty book . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Sounds to me like £36 for the damp check and £94 admin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Not being interested in vehicle damp checks one wonders on what materials do they check. Most interior materials are hygroscopic, all wood panelling, seating, carpets, cushions and most importantly dust, and it’s everywhere. Not glass or solid plastics etc: 3 days with a heater on all the time goes some way to producing a "dry" vehicle but I'll bet they don't check when you first pull in for the vehicle will be reasonably dry, leave it 5 hrs with the door open and moisture will be absorbed like magic into surfaces. The people who do these checks know where all the dry and damp places are !! No use above the cooker or beside the Fridge Unit. Try over a bed it will be saturated from body evaporation. I believe a pointed probe is used that goes in say 1mm, that’s about the same depth (1mm) as 5hrs of open doors in your vehicle that will allow moisture absorption into the woodwork. It will therefore almost always be "damp". Even in the summer some panels will show as damp. The human body exudes 600gms of liquid per day in the form of skin evaporation, equal to 16.8 Watts of energy. Add to that normal breathing plus interior cooking or water heating and you have a damp vehicle all the time! What’s the cure? In a nutshell, None, or move to Central Africa. Hymer suggest treatment at £36.00, how about an industrial airblown heater for 1/2 hour? That should warm it up a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Most peoples idea of a damp check is to ascertain that seal's around van panels and windows, doors etc...are watertight? and not allowing moisture to penetrate into walls eventually causing structural damage? If your van is out of warranty still important to check to prevent damage escalating. The Belgian EuraMobil dealer I use charges £30 *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 John Wickersham covers damp-testing in the "Leaks and damp problems" section of his book "The Motorcaravan Manual" (which I'm sure all right-thinking forum members have). Regarding damp-test meters, he says "skill and experience are needed to ensure they are used correctly." As libby points out, motorhomes tend heavily towards being damp inside rather than dry. Being able to identify the difference between 'natural' and 'unnatural' dampness is where the skill and experience of the person doing the testing comes in. It's not (or it shouldn't be!) just a matter of glancing at external seams or poking a damp-meter's prongs into interior surfaces indiscriminately. The damp-test needs to be carried out by someone who knows what they are up to and (if you DIY damp test) the meter readings obtained need to treated with caution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 there is a bit of a difference between penetrating damp then environmental moisture/damp caused by cooking, showering, weather whatever.......Look at the number of Swift owners with recent vans who ended up with rotten floors due to a poor habitation door seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred grant Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 where can fred find sum penetrating damp then my luvver? f Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 The modern meters don't use probes any more, they just point it at the area and read off the results. Something to do with quantum physics and the predictability/unpredicability of the universe and the make up of sub atomic particles. But I have found a better way, leave an opened packet of Crawfords Cream Crackers in the supect area, after one hour eat one. The strength of the crunch is directly proportionate to the amount of damp. G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 hallii - 2008-11-19 7:45 PM But I have found a better way, leave an opened packet of Crawfords Cream Crackers in the supect area, after one hour eat one. The strength of the crunch is directly proportionate to the amount of damp. G In an emergency a digestive biscuit will achieve the same results...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 JudgeMental - 2008-11-19 8:12 PM hallii - 2008-11-19 7:45 PM But I have found a better way, leave an opened packet of Crawfords Cream Crackers in the supect area, after one hour eat one. The strength of the crunch is directly proportionate to the amount of damp. G In an emergency a digestive biscuit will achieve the same results...... This is a doubly useful test because if, when you get back, the biscuits have gone, you know you've got mice - or dementia! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocsid Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I was told that Hymer require the test to done with a special meter that uses acoustics to sense the change in resonance and echo caused by the presence of damp. If true it ought to be very effective, non invasive and immune to surface condensation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Brownhills strike again! What is a damp check treatment? I had my van checked in June for £50.00 including the stamp. As M/H owners we are interested in the moisture content within the structure not on the surface. A moisture check should certainly be accomplished in an hour with the readings entered onto a recording sheet which may show the outline of the van in elevation drawings. Readings entered at appropriate points so that you have a record. There are two types of moisture meter. One with pins which are pushed into the surface. The pins only read to a depth of about 2 mm and the reading is influenced by surface moisture ie condensation. Your dealer should idealy use a non-invasive moisture meter to assess and monitor the relative moisture level within the structure to a depth of approx.25mm. The advantages of this type are Non-invasive measuring - no pin marks left Detects moisture directly in materials Detects moisture behind/below wall / floor coverings (tile, wood & vinyl) Not adversely affected by surface moisture such as condensation The later version costs approx twice the pin type. The structural wood work will take considerably longer than five hours to absorb more moisture from the atmosphere to affect a reading. Most surfaces are treated with lacquer and panels are coated with plastic foil which resists the absorbsion of moisture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicaman Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Can you give an address for your Belgian Dealers please. Since the collapse of Brownhills they would probably be my nearest authorised dealer from Kent!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Brian Kirby - 2008-11-19 9:37 PMJudgeMental - 2008-11-19 8:12 PM hallii - 2008-11-19 7:45 PM But I have found a better way, leave an opened packet of Crawfords Cream Crackers in the supect area, after one hour eat one. The strength of the crunch is directly proportionate to the amount of damp. G In an emergency a digestive biscuit will achieve the same results...... This is a doubly useful test because if, when you get back, the biscuits have gone, you know you've got mice - or dementia!Mmm.....problem with this therum is you need a certain modicum of will power to not pick up said biscuit/cracker and eat it yourself........I have no will power whatsoever! Luckily my van is damp free :-D In the words of my dear dear friend Oscar Wilde "I can resist anything except temptation" *-) Leicaman, Lambrecht Motorhomes: http://lambrechtmotorhomes.be/They have recently moved and undergoing major construction work...so bookings may be currently a bit difficult. they are 20 mins from Brugge so we always have a night or two out there when we go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hymer Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 To comply with the Hymer warranty you have to have the Hymer sticker not just a dealer stamp . Hymer agents have to buy these at £30 each . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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