moisture measurement

[Marmite]

And beware of the dealer who tells you that your PX has a damp problem when it hasn't .. they deliberately touch the pins when demonstrating this to you .. several reports of this happening on caravan's a few years ago with the pin types.

 

[Northernraider]

I've found the best damp meter to be my nose ....and to avoid anything that's built by a British caravan maker.

It's proved quite well ...not had any damp motorhomes but had a few damp caravans before them

 

[Folkranger]

That makes a high damp reading even more likely.
A cold hose causes condensation for a longer period

No, the hose is emptied. It just stops those residual drips.

You need the female connector on one end anyway for the tap, the right male connector helps the hose stay in the van inlet when filling.

 

[Folkranger]

I've found the best damp meter to be my nose ....and to avoid anything that's built by a British caravan maker.

It's proved quite well ...not had any damp motorhomes but had a few damp caravans before them

Your nose finds rotten wood/mould caused by water ingress, too late.
A good meter gives the early warning that prevents further damage.
My experience with British and Continental Van's suggests that your second point is probably accurate.

 

[Northernraider]

Your nose finds rotten wood/mould caused by water ingress, too late.
A good meter gives the early warning that prevents further damage.
My experience with British and Continental Van's suggests that your second point is probably accurate.

I can smell damp long before it gets to that stage.

But as I now only buy vans with no wood in their construction I don't have that issue. No place for water to be held means no rot or damp. Still the chance a window or skylight etc can leak due to seal failure but the water can't be held in the construction to do any long-term damage.

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[Lyrick]

Can I ask how you define the above? Have you found damp spots in your MH which were later confirmed by a dealer?

Sorry for the delay, didn't see your question.
I found that in the non invasive mode I had damp readings ,not originally confirmed by using the pin mode, that eventually turned out to be a leak.
The non invasive mode obviously finds damp at a greater depth but can be a problem in that it can also pick up metal.
Overall I find it good for early detection of problems.

Patrick

 

[Folkranger]

I can smell damp long before it gets to that stage.

But as I now only buy vans with no wood in their construction I don't have that issue. No place for water to be held means no rot or damp. Still the chance a window or skylight etc can leak due to seal failure but the water can't be held in the construction to do any long-term damage.

Long may your supernose continue. Just watch those skylights and windows. Its not so bad now with non wood construction but the interior wall boards can still be compromised and this could still lead to expensive repairs.

 

[wolfie2]

Hi Realist ...just wondering if you have used your Trotec BM31 yet and if so what you think of it. Thanks.

 

[Realist]

I’ve had a quick 2 mins test but I’m due a longer look this weekend so I’ll post up a few words then.

Hi Realist ...just wondering if you have used your Trotec BM31 yet and if so what you think of it. Thanks.

 

[Sandancers]

Well, I eventually "splashed out" on a moisture meter.

It's an Extech MO57, non invasive. Says it will measure up to 4" thick.

Has two settings to either measure into brickwork or into wood / sheeting.

When it arrived I played about with it in the house on various surfaces, swopping between settings. It showed a background moisture of about 3% on the chimney breast with the gas fire on. I assumed this would be the driest area. Readings went up as expected near windows etc. So I was happy that it changed readings in a sensible manner.

I have had no indications of damp in the MH, but wanted to use the meter for peace of mind.

It self calibrated to 0% consistently on switch on.

I set it to wood and put it against a wooden seat back, which could not have any damp from external sources. I got a reading of about 8%, which could easily be surface moisture.

Going onto external walls I found that the readings were about 12% ish, but a bit more nearer the edges of the windows or doors which I put down to those areas being colder hence a bit more condensation sitting on the surface. Those readings were in line with the readings on the sheet from our last Hab checks done by a MH Chausson dealer.

Strangely the roof readings were much lower at 3% to 5%, might be something too do with the construction.

When the meter went over any of the roof support beams the readings went way higher, which I put down to it finding the different material rather than real damp as you could clearly see the readings change as it went off the edge of the beam.

It was also able to pick out the wiring behind a sheet surface and went wild when it was seeing the bike rack supports thro the wall.

I think the trick with these devices is to use it often on the MH, learn about it's readings and places where it goes wild and look for changes over time.

Pretty sure there would be a market for a MH exclusive type meter if one could be made.

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[RM_Marine]

Was it that good that the report is that long