What you should know about caravan maintenance and repairs
Maintenance and repairs on your caravan is important to save yourself money and headaches and keep you from being stranded on the road.
Caravans are actually flimsy houses that have been designed and built with weight and space-saving in mind.
A caravan is little more than a wooden, aluminium, fibreglass or light steel frame covered with thin wood or aluminium sheets. It is designed to be light to enable it to be towed with the least use of fuel.
The design, structure and material of caravans mean it needs to be treated with care. Caravan walls dent easily, the thin sheet used to cover the frame can stretch and bend and the wood frame is allergic to water or dampness.
Img: Caravan Man, Centurion
Hidden damage is the enemy of a used caravan buyer and purchasing a used caravan needs a trained eye or a well-informed buyer.
How to check for damp or rotten wood in a caravan
The first test for wet or rotten wood in a caravan is a diagnostic test. Remove screws at different points on the caravan and look for signs of rust. Rusting screws is a good indication that the wood where the screw was embedded, is damp or already rotting.
This would warrant closer inspection which involves the removal of the sheets that cover the wooden frame for closer inspection and confirmation of the diagnosis.
How do you fix rotten wood in a caravan?
Rotten wood in a caravan frame requires removal of the rotten wood and installation of fresh wood.
This requires experience in frame repair or a practical and handy repairman. It is best to take the caravan to a reputable repairer.
Can you repair caravan panels?
Yes, caravan panels can be repaired although they do not require much to be irreparably damaged.
The panels of modern caravans are usually aluminium which means that they are easily damaged beyond repair. Aluminium not only dents or bend easily but it can also tear.
Caravan panels cannot be panel-beaten and replacement is almost always required. For this reason, it is wise to keep your caravan insured.
Can a damp caravan be repaired?
A damp caravan can be repaired depending on the extent of the dampness.
If the dampness is discovered early and the wood can be salvaged it will require to be dried. In this case, the panels are removed and the wood is allowed to dry out naturally.
How do you fix a water-damaged caravan?
Water damage on a caravan can be fixed depending on the severity of the damage.
Caravan woodwork that has been damaged by floods is rarely repairable due to the amount of water it was exposed to. The mud that goes with flooding also makes it very difficult to clean the wood structure and to let it dry out effectively.
Caravan maintenance and repairs near me
There are not always experienced caravan repair people near you and it may be necessary to travel to get your caravan to a reputable repairer.
There are also mobile caravan repairers who come to your house to do minor repairs but water and accident repairs can only be done in properly equipped workshops. Mobile services are usually limited to the service of the caravan or replacing of spares.
How to repair caravan bodywork
Caravan body repair work is possible depending on what needs to be done and what material is damaged.
Most caravan repair work means the replacement of damaged panels or woodwork because wooden, aluminium or fibreglass panels are not easily repairable.
Caravan body crack repair
Cracks in the caravan body can be repaired. How the repairs are done depends on which parts are damaged and what material it is made of.
The sheeting of caravan walls are usually aluminium or fibreglass and, in older caravans, plywood. These materials generally do not crack. They get dented, bent, scratched or the wood rots.
Body cracks occur on caravan bumpers including bumper corners due to scratching by tree branches, brick walls or other vehicles. These parts are mostly made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or ABS (see below) and can be repaired effectively.
How to repair aluminium caravan panels
Aluminium can be welded, riveted, brazed and glued with aluminium epoxy. But, the time needed to use any of these methods makes it expensive. It is often faster and more affordable to just replace the damaged panel. Insurance companies will often require replacement rather than repairs, possibly because repair quality and time often depend on the ability of the craftsman.
Caravan Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) repair
ABS is a plastic that is ideal for repairing caravans as it is impact resistant, tough and rigid. It is a versatile plastic that withstands denting, scratching and scraping. It bonds well with adhesives and bonding cement and it can be screen-printed, painted and chrome plated.
ABS is used in making caravan trim panels, gas bottle covers, bathroom casings and in 3D printing. It has impact strength and toughness, can be heat-formed, has low water absorption properties, and is chemical resistant and rigid.
Caravan ABS repair kits are available in the trade.
How to repair caravan walls
Caravan wall repair depends on the wall material. Caravan walls are made from
- Wood
- Fibreglass
- Sheet aluminium cladding
- Insulating foam
What repairs are needed and how it is done depends on which section of the caravan wall is damaged.
- If the wood is rotten, broken or cracked, it will in most cases need to be completely or partially replaced.
- Fibreglass can be repaired and rarely needs to be replaced.
- Aluminium cladding can be repaired but it often stretches so it must be replaced because aluminium that expanded due to stretching cannot return to its previous dimensions.
- Insulating foam can be repaired by substituting rotten or unusable sections with new material, but caravan repairers usually just fit a new sheet of foam.
How to fix caravan damp wall damage
The wood frame of the caravan is equal to a human skeleton, without it everything collapses. That is why damp walls are possibly the most discussed and feared event in the lives of caravan buyers and owners.
This is also because wall dampness is difficult to detect and can have costly results if not found in time.
Before you start repairs you need to find the source of the moisture that creates the dampness otherwise the problem will keep on returning. Once the source has been repaired or eliminated, you can do the repairs. A reputable caravan repairer will find the source and advise you about the best solution before proceeding with the damp wall repairs.
The damp wall should be opened, usually by removing the covering sheet, and the damp wood will be allowed to dry. Drying the wood frame of a caravan is done by putting fans and/or heaters on it or allowing it to dry naturally. After it has dried, inspection will reveal whether the wood has recovered adequately or whether replacement is the best solution.
It is usually not necessary to replace aluminium and isolating polystyrene as both withstand dampness quite well. Polystyrene may need to be replaced if it has a mould infestation, both from a quality and a health risk perspective.
Repair of caravan walls can be done by a handy caravan owner but the real risk that come after repairs have been done is the re-sealing of the wall edges where they join other parts of the caravan. For this reason, it is often better to have repairs done by a knowledgeable caravan repairer or you may have a replay of the whole situation.
Do caravans get serviced?
Yes, regular servicing of your caravan is imperative.
Just like a car, a caravan needs regular services, especially the brake system, wheel bearings and lubrication and to check for rust and dampness.
Most manufacturers, repairers and knowledgeable caravan owners will advise that you have your caravan serviced every year unless you tow often, then it may need to be serviced more often.
A caravan service includes checking, repairing or replacing:
- Bearings
- Caravan jacks
- Coupler shocks
- Wiring on caravan
- Brake cables/
- Brake shoes
- A-Frame (Coupler Unit) regreasing
- Bolts and nuts
- Chassis (new rubberising)
- Sand in wheel valves (if there are no valve caps)
Is it a legal requirement to service a caravan?
In South Africa, you are not legally required to service your caravan except that you are legally required to keep your caravan in a road-worthy condition.
Caravans for sale
Caravans that are offered for sale in the used caravan market are often the main culprits in caravan damp complaints.
Sellers are rarely prepared to give a guarantee that the caravan does not have dampness and sellers do not have the knowledge to check for dampness. (See “How to check for damp or rotten wood in a caravan” above)
Keep in mind that most caravans that are offered for sale are not sold to get rid of damp or rot but for other reasons. Communication with the seller may alert you if there is something that he is hiding. If the reason for selling changes as the conversation progresses, it may be wise to check those screws!
Caravan camping is a soul-enriching experience and more-and-more people spend their vacations and retirement in caravans. One does not want to cloud your holiday or retirement with problems that affect the very construction of your caravan.
Looking after your asset and doing regular caravan maintenance and repairs will ensure you have great camping experiences and create many memories.