Can anybody help with this problem

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keith lock

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59,734
MH
Hymer B587
Exp
30 years
I have a Hymer B578 which is 5 years old and have a fungi growing above the oven unit (photo attached) and spreading out to the cupboards either side. Hymer in Germany have not replied to my request for help . Has anybody got any advise . We have taken the vehicle to the agent in France where we live and they have said that they think that we need a new roof as it could be water damage and could cost approx 10,000 Euros.

Many thanks
 

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Never seen anything like that before, strange how it looks so clean. If it is due to water ingress it should be covered under the 6 year water ingress warranty.
 
Good Heavens!
How long did that take to grow?. Any sign of it elsewhere?
Wear a mask,dispose of it,and treat ASAP like ppj said.
I guess you’ve got a leak. Can you see where water is getting in,bear in mind it could be several yards further along the van? Has the van been stationary for a long time,if so,which way has the water run from?
10000 euros seems ridiculous,so hope that’s in a worse case situation.
Good luck.
 
The first thing I would do is to contact your dealer and Hymer and let the know that you 'have been advised' that your health is almost certainly at risk and that you should not enter the vehicle until the growth has been identified, had a health check, and the cause remedied completely. That way they have to respond defensively but with one eye on, and acknowledgement of, the 'at risk' factor:cautious:.
Log the whole thing on here, step by step so that all and sundry can judge any responses and comment on every step. Make them aware of this thread and ask them to acknowledge that they are aware of it.

No company wants potential customers see that shit growing out of a vehicle they have made and in the spotlight of a forum full of knowledgeable people, (who will all comment) should do all the right things in a timely manner.

To be honest it looks very like dry rot??? but in a motorhome???:confused:
 
Minxy Girl said:
I suspect it's dry rot rather than mould ... :eek:

https://www.wisepropertycare.com/services/dry-rot/what-is-dry-rot/signs/

Best bet is to get a local house damp firm to have a look for a diagnosis and take it from there.
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But wouldn’t you have thought that in a van of that age the wood had been treated (no,I don’t mean taken out for a drink) which means that the manufacturer should be involved. Even though the contract to purchase may have been with a dealer.
 
Podney said:
But wouldn’t you have thought that in a van of that age the wood had been treated (no,I don’t mean taken out for a drink) which means that the manufacturer should be involved. Even though the contract to purchase may have been with a dealer.
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The only reason I mentioned getting a house damp expert in was to diagnose it correctly as, if it is, time is very much of the essence and a dealer may not be so quick to identify what it is as I suspect they don't come across it very often.

As for the manufacturer, they will only get involved if the MH has had all it's hab/damp checks, if not then ...
 
steve 6644 said:
To be honest it looks very like dry rot??? but in a motorhome???:confused:
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No reason why it couldn't be, dry rot is caused by water getting in and affecting timber etc, if there's timber in the constructions that would explain what it's been 'feeding' on.

I hope for the OP that I'm wrong though.

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I am sorry, but is this a wind up.
It must have taken weeks if not months for that new life form to have grown.
I noticed a plastic screw cover was missing in the garage after one day.
Sorry again....but really?
 
obanvanman said:
I am sorry, but is this a wind up.
It must have taken weeks if not months for that new life form to have grown.
I noticed a plastic screw cover was missing in the garage after one day.
Sorry again....but really?
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I believe in the Hymer the infected area is behind valance panels that you would not normally have cause to remove and look behind
 
BusyBuilder said:
Looks like dry rot, serious, get woOd treatment firm in QUICK
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I agree dry rot you need to find the leak and seal it then get that rot out of the van eventually the wood will just crumble to dust.

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we once had mushrooms growing on the outside of the van from a seal - nothing inside at all. I think the spores had somehow got into the sealant. Used to just knock them off and apply fungicide and they would be gone until the following year when they would pop out again - weird and annoying
 
obanvanman said:
I am sorry, but is this a wind up.
It must have taken weeks if not months for that new life form to have grown.
I noticed a plastic screw cover was missing in the garage after one day.
Sorry again....but really?
Click to expand...
Actually that's my feeling. Something doesn't quite sit right.
 
Seems very strange why it's only growing down the wall and nothing at all on the ceiling.
I wonder if the wall covering adhesive was contaminated (not anti fungal) and its eminating through the paper.

Think I'd cut back below the growth and strip the paper up to the ceiling then give it an anti fungal wash then leave it this year to see what happens.
The wall covering is buggered anyway so nothing to lose.
 
Mould and rot doesn't necessarily take a long time to get hold - once the 'fluffy' stuff shows, which is how it spreads, it can do so very quickly so may only have been stored for a few months max to get as bad as that, maybe not even that long ... how many people store their MH's on sites over winter and don't visit them for weeks, or months, on end?

I actually hope it IS a wind up but I suspect not.

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Not convinced that it is dry rot, which needs timber to feed on. I thought Hymers of this age had very little timber in their construction. I agree that some expert advice is needed to identify the the type of mould. Dry rot needs less moisture than some other types of mould so if there is a damp problem it might not be the first candidate. I hope it turns out to be something less serious.
 
Pausim said:
Not convinced that it is dry rot, which needs timber to feed on. I thought Hymers of this age had very little timber in their construction. I agree that some expert advice is needed to identify the the type of mould. Dry rot needs less moisture than some other types of mould so if there is a damp problem it might not be the first candidate. I hope it turns out to be something less serious.
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On the spec for a 2015 B578 it mentions PUAL construction (page 16):



Optimal Insulating due to approved PUAL-construction with foamed walls and foamed roof (35 mm roof- and wall thickness) and frame windows
​
It depends on what version of PUAL Hymer used, the first one had wood in it which is what I suspect this MH has:

https://www.hymer.com/en/models/technology-plus/pual.html

The first generation of PUAL side walls consisted of an aluminium outer skin, the foam core and a high-quality plywood interior wall. ​
 
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Fruiting bodies (mushrooms) can form quite quickly in the right conditions. The actual rot will have been occurring for some time.

Dry rot as the name implies can have the source of moisture some distance from the actual rot. The mycelium (whitish cobweb like woolish strands) transmit the moisture to the food source ie the timber being rotted. But it might not just be timber anything cellulose based couldbe under attack.

The concern here is how much damage is concealed
 
keith lock said:
I have a Hymer B578 which is 5 years old and have a fungi growing above the oven unit (photo attached) and spreading out to the cupboards either side. Hymer in Germany have not replied to my request for help . Has anybody got any advise . We have taken the vehicle to the agent in France where we live and they have said that they think that we need a new roof as it could be water damage and could cost approx 10,000 Euros.

Many thanks
Click to expand...

Don't dick about with it, let Hymer decide if they want to sort it out in a spirit of goodwill or blank your problem and let you sort it out yourself, thoroughly documenting each phase in the spotlight of the internet. It's too unusual for them to worry about hysteria and more claims, but if you discover and expand and expose a new potential fault, it will be out there and who knows what...

I would think they would want to investigate how it happened regardless.
 
Handy for a fry up,, even near the cooker,, snap off and drop into pan,,, no more buying of mushrooms!!
 
This is almost certainly a condensation matter, The roofing panel/ side wall are all one piece , but the furniture with the mould on is made of the wonder ply with balsawood cores. If this is the side above the oven( microwave probably) there is a surfeit of condensate coming out of the oven and blown with a fan to places it should not go . It condenses there and soaks the balsa wood which is a brilliant absorber of water. Any spores floating in the air of the van will suddenly appreciate that wonderful environment it has found, causing it to multipy out of hand.
The way I would go about it is to use a bleach or mould killer in the immediate are and whip out the oven going behind as it is bound to be much worse where it is unseen. The whole thing needs treatin to kill the fruiting body and to remove the wood that is affected. once the oven is out of the way it will be easier. The whole thing needs ventilation so the moisture loaded air is free to the bigger atmosphere of the van itself not trapped in a confined space. Oven have fans to cool them and they must be vented to dissipate the hot air and moisture from cooking whatever is in it. Microwaves are very heavy producers of both heat and moisture. It might mean pulling out the whole cabinet if it is worse than thought but not that big a job. I very much doubt it is a water leak from outside but needs severely looking at before it get into the van structure itself. My van has the proper cooker and oven under the sink but is factory fitted and has LOADS of venting. If it was an after-factory fit it might well not have any at all. Clean it off and LOOK inside that cupboard. I have just been over my van to check it in the same areas. , JUST IN CASE!!!!!!!!!!!
 
If that is mould you need a mask on before you touch that, it's nasty

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