Stephen Ward
Caravan & Boats
07747805702
"The Caravan and Motorhome Professional"
Leisure Industry
LPG Specialist
30yrs Experience
Buying or have bought a touring caravan or motorhome?
Have you just bought a touring caravan or motorhome? New or old? Or considering buying one?
Why not book our inspection and report service?
Here at Stephen Ward Caravan & we offer a consultation/inspection service that will inspect and report on any touring caravan, static holiday caravan or motorhome. This includes:
- LPG Installation safety check.​
- LPG Appliance safety check.
- 12v equipment check.
- 240v equipment check
- Bodywork, dampness check.
- Chassis and Hitches
- Brakes inspected extra cost).
When you buy a new touring caravan or motorhome, your sales rep will go through with you how things work and give you the installation manuals for you to read, which can be complicated and hard to understand. The equipment is getting more sophisticated and more computerised and even an experienced touring caravan and motorhome owner may need help.
Why not book our Instruction course with our specialist consultant?
We will go through all the equipment in your touring caravan, motorhome, and static caravan at a time that suits you. We will go through each piece of equipment: how it works, how it switches on and off, what to do and what not to do in an easy-to-understand way. This is all done in a relaxed, unhurried way that suits you, and we can even create personal instructions that are clearer for your touring caravan and motorhome.
Its that piece of mind of somebody at the end of a phone line that you can call to ask again how something works or if your not sure that it is working properly.
Contact us now for our services.
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VAN CONVERSIONS
Van conversions require them to conform to the current gas safety and electrical regulations. All equipment must be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions. Not doing so jeopardises your safety. The vehicle will also not be insured as a motorhome without the relevant certificates.
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Basic Motorhome Regulations and Considerations
LPG Cylinder Container, vapour sealed, 30 minutes fireproofed and not accessible from inside the vehicle. This must have a direct to outside drop-hole vent at least 16mm in size at the base of the locker with no kinks or bends to hinder gas escape.
Copper pipe must be used to connect appliances, and no orange or black hose is allowed, only in the gas locker. A fixed regulator must be used unless a single small cylinder is used; in that case, a bottle regulator can be used.
When using an LPG refillable tank, the filling point must be on the exterior of the vehicle and use a single supply pipe from the tank to the interior. Once the supply pipe enters the vehicle, all appliances must be connected to this feed via isolation taps, and the pipe must not exit the floor again, ie to transfer gas to another part of the vehicle. The gas pipe, water and eletrics must all stay within the habitation side of the vehicle. With the exception of under-slung water and waste tanks, water connections and drains and the hook-up point for the electrics.
All Gas appliances must have flame failure devices, and all water or heating appliances be room sealed and vented to the outside air. Appliances must have the correct installation conforming to the manufacturer's instructions relating to where they can be fitted, and relative distances from combustible materials ie overhead lockers on hobs, surrounds on ovens and access for servicing.
Correct ventilation must be installed with a permanent air rooflight and floor drop holes in gas connection locations and appliances.
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Mains 230V electric must have a consumer unit with the correct amperage, an RCD, and an MCB for all circuits, and be correctly earthed to the chassis. The mains inlet must be an approved type. Mains inlets cannot be installed in an engine bay or where the cable runs through open lockers or doors.
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Lead-acid batteries must be stored in a sealed container with ventilation to the outside. ​​​​
Second Hand Caravans Repairs and Restoring
Before towing an unknown caravan, your safety and that of your passengers, your vehicle, and the public around you must take precedence. Never tow a caravan if you suspect the brakes may fail or are broken. Always check the condition of the tyres. Check they are inflated to the correct pressure, have not perished, are not damaged, have no cuts, and do not appear to have lost any tread. Never tow a caravan without working lights.
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The tow hitch must be working and able to lock onto the tow ball correctly; the damper must be working and able to move freely to activate the brakes. Check the last servicing and paperwork, including receipts for parts and dealer stamps; this will indicate the last brake servicing.
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Damp Problems and Water Ingress
Water Ingress or leaks inside the caravan are the number one problem with pre-owned caravan and motorhome repairs.​
How to check for damp?
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A simple damp meter is a good start. The Draper Mini Moisture
meter is cheap and effective. These are prong-type pins that
you gently push into the surfaces, walls, and ceilings to measure
percentage. Be careful not to put too many pin holes in obvious areas.
You can also test by running your hand over the walls and pressing around vulnerable areas, i.e., in the top corners, along the top sides within the lockers, under and around windows and rooflights, and around the caravan. If it's soft, feels wet or has dried and you can press through the paper, then it's got major water damage.
Damp readings from a meter: anything under 15% is normal, although a good reading is 0% to 6%; anything over 15%-25% is to be checked and investigated; water is present in those areas. Anything above 35%-45% is damp, and water is ingressing.
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Most caravans over the past 30 years have had the same construction: a thin painted aluminium panel is bonded to polystyrene for insulation; this is in turn bonded to a thin wooden panel with a glued finish, i.e., vinyl paper. This glue is waterproof, so all the water is retained behind the paper, but any wood around the window, the corner edges, and the top edges where the awning rail is attached will rot; the wood will be wet and rotten. Water gets retained by the insulation and materials. Hot weather does not always dry damp ingress.
The picture shows the blackened area where water has damaged the paper-wood finish around a corner in a touring caravan; this damage is not easy to spot and may not even smell damp.
One telltale sign is that the paper may have hard spots on it; this is mould growth drying hard behind the paper when it's wet. Repairing a damaged caravan like this is expensive and labour-intensive. If the caravan has immediate value, then of course a repair can be made, but on a second-hand or older caravan, an expensive repair will resolve the issues but may not add any more value to the caravan.
Other considerations of older caravans is the cost of replacing items that don't work. A mixer tap can be anything from £50-£120; a water pump system, the same; integrated battery chargers, £300; one window, £500; let alone a three-way fridge, £900-£1200; a Truma fire with electric heater and blower, £1200. The front window restoration on the gallery pages cost over £2500, but the caravan's value was maintained.
