Soggy Van

Cruising Granny · Guru

Soggy Van

Cupie · Guru

Boo Hoo .... really feel sorry for you .. beautiful weather in Brissy.

A friend of mine from up your way always complained about the mould forming in his shoes that were stored in the wardrobe during the wet season. Better check yours out. no no not the Japanese riding boots .. real shoes .. remember them.

Don't tell me that you aren't using Bostic Seal & Flex as the Caboolture Caravan repair man suggested.

Firefly · Guru

Hope it eases soon for you Chris, does not sound at all pleasant mate.

Wonker · Veteran Member

Hi Chris,

Sorry to hear about your van problems. In regards to mould, according to a van maker/repairer (Roy) White Vinegar seems to be the best to use, see comments by Blue Heeler (Roy) on this thread;

http://www.caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7939&p=105886&hilit=Mould+in+Caravans#p105886

bill12 · Guru

Come to sunny Queensland! Never mind- the dry season is coming, soon. Its stopped raining here, and there are hordes of people around for easter.Perhaps, next year spend the wet season a bit further south............. Bill

Martin · Veteran Member

Cruising Granny wrote:

I spite of spending many hours squirting a lot of Sikaflex into the outer parts of my caravan

Far from the ideal product to seal caravan leaks :(
what number or type of Sikaflex did you attack the caravan?

-- Edited by Martin on Monday 5th of April 2010 02:50:37 PM

Cruising Granny · Guru

I initially used the marine quality stuff. It's supposed to stay flexible and move before drying out and cracking. That was 3 years ago. Maybe I was expecting too much.
Bostick Seal & Flex will be my next sealant of choice. Big job to take the windows out, remove all the former sticky stuff and replace it.
I've been using vinegar for years for mould and mildew.
This FNQ is tough. Oil of cloves will be my next demoulder of choice.
The boots in the van are ok, but I have a pair of Colarado leather thongs in the annexe with a beautiful coat of white fur. The cow they come from must have been a beautiful beast.
AND THE BL--DY RAIN ISN'T FINISHED YET!!!!!

Martin · Veteran Member

Lived in Cairns and the tropics for years and never had issues with mould.

For windows best product is Butyl Mastic 12mm wide tape. Doubt you would buy it in FNQ. Roadstar use Butyl Mastic tape and good caravan repairers. Easiest product to use, does not leak and last 20 years. Dont overtighten when putting in and nip up screws after 3 months. Average reseal windows and doors 8 to 10 hrs.

colsa · Senior Member

Oh no i had forgotten what our wet seasons are like, been gone over 3 years and slowly heading home [ mackay] it's not much fun i feel for you, we will get home around september we think so we'll have to get used to the humidity, then the wet season next year, any way one good thing with this life if it gets too much we just go somewhere else.

Cruising Granny · Guru

I'd do that if I wasn't waiting for another surgical procedure.
I used vinegar during my 11 years in the Kimberleys and Broome, and managed it very well.
Cairns has something else in the air, and with all this rain pelting down constantly, it's just being forced into little crevices which would normally be resisiting.
Now everything is wet is just keeps seeping.
I think it's going to be an insurance job to repair swollen MDF and damage ply and veneer. The MDF is about triple its thickness along the front window sill and at the back of the wardrobe facing the front of the van.
I'm still not sure if it's a metal or wooden frame, but neighbours tend to think it's metal, ally or steel, which would be my only saving grace.
If it's wood, I'm buggered, and so it the van. That wood doesn't resist water very well once it's absolutely saturated.
I'll attack the mould as soon as things dry out a bit, otherwise I'm just wasting my time and oil of cloves.
Thanks for all your suggestions folks. I may end up trying all of them yet.

Martin · Veteran Member

Roma build in timber frame only

DeBe · Guru

Very sorry to hear this Chris, its most frustrating had simmilar prob with driving rain & van leaking, very hard to fix with no letup in the rain dept. Daryl

Ole Grizzly · Senior Member

Bugga..
That is a soggy situation for you Chris..
Must be well and truly too late to throw a tarp over your hacienda.
Unfortunately will be some time before the damp spots dry in them cracks & crevasses. Good luck me ole mate, you deserve it.

Cruising Granny · Guru

Thanks everyone for the support and suggestions.
I cleaned down the furry walls inside yesterday, and the ceiling and around the roof vents.
I keep the aircon going 24/7 to avoid this, but I had to turn it off for a week just before Christmas and a gain over New Year, and then a couple of weeks ago.
So I think the condensation snuck in with the humidity, and grew a great crop of mould.
If Roma only builds timber framed vans I don't like the future prospects of this van.
We had a fine, warm and DRY day yesterday, and most of the inside dried out, to my surprise and delight.
I'll persist with sealant. As you've all made great suggestions, I'll check them all out, before I decide.
One of the van park neighbours suggested some tape, but I don't want the van to look like a broken toy which has been stuck together.
As long as it stays dry, and everything dries out, I'll be ok, and can get outside to do the job.
At the moment there is thick grass covering about 6 inches of black, slimy mud, so I can't get out there safely to do the job.
Tropic holiday anyone? I still love the tropics, but I think Broome get my vote as favourite places.