Waterlogged wall, Swift Sundance

[bedsit driver]

We have a 3rd hand 2004 Swift Sundance with an added awning. I assume the awning light was also fitted later, just in front of the caravan door with bulb access from an inside locker. After 18 months of ownership I have found the locker filling with water after rain as the light fitting was loose. The 2 screws which clamp the inner bulb fitting to the outer clear plastic cover were loose because one was too big so could not be tightened at all! Replacement with a shorter screw and cleaning of the seal fixed the leak.

The problem we are left with is how to dry out the inside of the wall. The sandwich construction of ply and other material soaked up the rain for 18 months (or longer) until the entire wall was saturated. Only then did it leak into the locker showing that it was leaking at all. There are no signs of mould yet but how on earth can it be dried out? I have a dehumidifier which reduces the humidity of the motorhome considerably but cannot touch the water in the wall.

The vehicle is left in our drive when not in use so we can get to it easily but cannot garage it.

[libby]

If the vehicle were mine I would aim to place a small fan heater pointing towards the wall that's damp, there is of course a safety factor here regarding fire so one would need to be very responsible regarding where and how close it was positioned to any wall, constantly checking and not leaving on at night etc.

 

The free moisture floating around would need an escape route so a roof light would have to be opened slightly.

 

I would suggest to be in no hurry for to overheat the wall may distort the wall material resulting in an ugly looking surface.

 

This will take many hours, even days or weeks to dry completely. failing this method a normal room heater should do the same but will also take weeks to dry out completely.

 

The wall material would be Hygroscopic I'm sure, like blotting paper, so when the wall feels dry to touch it will flood again next day and continue until sufficiently dry all through (taking a long time).

 

Bill

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

You need professional advice, have you tried Swift? This would not be the first Swift with this feature. You may still have a water ingress guarantee...worth a try. Check that the floor has not ben damaged as well *-)

[dwaviation]

I had a much smaller damp issue. I made a few pinpricks into the wall from the inside so that the moisture can actually get out and used a fan heater for a few days - Finished off by taking the whole thing to Greece for a month, that soon sorted it out :-D :-D :-D

[Mike88]

Try posting on the motohomefacts.com website forum. Swift are members and respond to Swift queries almost instantaneuosly. You will need to register and get 10 free posts I think.

[bob b]

Without knowing where the waterlogging is exactly, is it possible to cut a part of the inner wall away inside a locker for example. Then attach a grill over the hole to disguise it. This would help to ventilate the cavity permanently.

Another grill at the top would be even better.

Incidently, you would be better drying the cavity out naturally, rather than 'forcing' it.

 

[Ranger]

You may have to dismantle lockers, wall boards, etc to expose as much of

the damp as possible, before you try all the advice so far passed on. Sooner or later I expect our 'Dave' will come on scene and give you some advice. Dave is among our most skilled craftsmen in this field. Try and get a damp meter that gives you a water percentage reading by sensing the damp rather than the type that makes two holes to get to the damp reading. When you are blowing warm dry air at the damp don't forget to vent the dampened air out of the 'van. Good luck! you are not the first to have damp and won't be the last.

[davenewellhome]

Thanks David but you build me up too much :D . My experience with damp in a motorhome was rather extreme as was the remedial action taken.................................................................................................................................

I had to reskin the entire coachbuilt body and reframe a quarter of it!! 8-) 8-) Not a job for the faint hearted.

 

I would guess (and sincerely hope) from the OP description that it is nowhere near as severe as mine was. I would try sitting a dehumidifier in the van with the relevant cupboard doors open, even better if you can do this inside a building as that will reduce the air borne moisture content and give the dehumidifier a fighting chance of drying it out. Expect it to take several days or even weeks to get the damp content down to sensible levels. Obviously this process would be speeded up if the internal wall covering could be removed but I'd say if its not damaged then don't mess with it 'cos it will always look a mess afterwards.

 

On the subject of damp meters, yes you can get the non invasive type but they are damned expensive, also it is difficult to use them to test in confined areas such as close to cupboard walls etc.

 

D.

[Mel B]

These are the replies received when this was originally posted on the 'Hints and Tips' part, just in case anyone else is interested and/or has a similar problem.

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=14123&posts=7#M147336

[Guest peter]

Use a DESICANT dehumidifier as these are streets ahead in performance to a compressor one. They will work just as good right down to 1 degree C, whereas a compressor one would have frozen up. The one I have was about £130 and I am amazed at the amount of water it will pull out of the air. I used it in my bathroom after it had been plastered a fortnight ago and was able to paint it in 3 days as it was bone dry.It will pull 7Ltrs a day and if really damp remove about 2Ltrs in a couple of hours. B&Q sell a similar rebadged one for about £100. I bought it for my boat when I use it in the winter, so we don't leave it dripping in condensation. We leave it on all night and the windows are clear in the morning even after a hard frost. Best £130 i've spent in a long time.