2006 Hobby Caravan - Replacing Damp Moldy Gas Locker Shelf

Water ingress is the killer of caravans. It brings with it dampness and condensation which leads to mold and mildew. The particular wood that's used in caravans is chosen for its lightness in construction. But chip or fibre board once wet quickly destroys its strength and cohesion.
So it's best to replace all the destroyed wood and dry out and treat the rest that is structurally sound. And that's exactly what I have done here. I replaced the very light laminated shelf with two layers of tong and groove boards, screwed and glued together. The old shelf was used as a template to create the new shelf.
Also, I replaced the side panels with new exterior large particle chip board. Again the old panels were used as a template. I used the straight edge which will butted up against the straight window wall. Then I hand sawed the other sides that didn't need such straight precision as the plastic edge would cover the front and I could adjust the bottom edge to match the slightly uneven shelf.
Finally a thin strip was nailed to the edge of the shelf to hide my hand sawed cut, which as it turned out was very straight! I used a couple of inches of double sided sticky foam tape to fix the ends of the wooden edge trim.

[@paraipan385.]

Good morning sir. I must write this to you,it is one of the most explicative DIY videos about this situation to be honest. I've been looking for years for something like this. Too late though,cos I had my 2011 Hobby Prestige been fixed by a so called " professional garage " and I ended up by getting very and I mean veeeery disappointed about how the job was done on my caravan ! I paid about 2.400€ for to get fixed,just because I didn't had the time and this video of yours,for starters,to do it and I'm a trucker,so bearly have the time for my family ,not to mention to work on this tipe of fixing.With my caravan was a bit more complicated,cos it needed the whole front to be replaced. But anyways,God bless you sir and your loved ones and hopefully you will upload more vids like this. Thank you.

[@TimHollingworth]

Thank you for your very kind comment. It seems to be a fairly common problem as a few others have said. Your issue of having to replace the front would be way out of my comfort zone of DIY knowledge. This project was on the edge as it was pretty scary starting it as there was no way back once I had removed the shelf! Thankfully it worked out ok and is still dry and mold free! 😅

[@mariaclayton9464]

Hi Tim Thank you … I have just discovered this problem. Can anything also be done to the gas locker door to prevent the problem?

[@BillSikes.]

great video and very helpful, mines leaking in exactly the same place, it's ashame you didn't show us where to reseal it, but thanks anyway and all the best 👍

[@TimHollingworth]

Thanks for your reply. Sorry I didn't see it earlier. Have a look along the hinge and below the window. I found lots of tiny black holes that had corroded through. Not sure if it was caused by stones hitting the front when towing or dissimilar metals in construction. Like iron filings had got between the aluminium skin and the wooden backing. Either way I tried to fill as much of the gap as possible with clear silicone. I also did a bit of a skim a few inches above the top of the hinge wit more silicone then sprayed it white. Diana stuck some sunflower stickers around the window and above the hinge in the hope of keeping out the water. Two years on and it seems to be working well. So far so good 🤞

[@andronicsebastian7068]

Very nice video. But I wonder if you did anything to stop the infiltrations. In the video it shows only changing the materials but you didn't show how you fixed the main problem the entry of water. Where was the sport that let the water enter in the caravan and destroy the wood boards. Thanks, the video was very helpful.

[@TimHollingworth]

That's a very good point. I have some footage of tiny holes in the sheet aluminium between the window and gas locker along the top of the hinge. I tried to inject silicone inbetween the metal and it's wooden backing in the hope that it would seal the ingress of water. I didn't use the footage as I just concentrated on what I thought was a more interesting project, to replace the shelf as it was ruined. Maybe I will revisit the footage and see if I can make something interesting to show, now that it's been a couple of years. Fortunately I don't see any degradation or mould or water seepage. I think the tiny holes were created by stones hitting the front and exposing the bare metal to the elements. Or perhaps tiny fragments of dissimilar metal like iron filings in the construction of the metal/wood panels. Thanks for your constructive suggestion, I hope the video and this explanation has helped.

[@ianbrowne4074]

Thank you for this video we have a 540 with some ingress. Not as bad as yours replaced the silicone seal above the locker doors but still wondering if water / damp is coming through the screws, will keep searching and wish I had your handy skills 😅

[@TimHollingworth]

I'm no carpenter by any means. Just someone who has a go at fixing things. Good luck...

[@dallas4444]

Awesome video! Thank you for posting :)

[@TimHollingworth]

Many thanks, glad you enjoyed...

[@piotrmichalak859]

Hi, great video and instructions how to do it. I have Hobby 440 from 2004 and I'm going to replace the shelf. Did you put the silicon - butyl sealant beetwen shelf and front aluminium wall?

[@TimHollingworth]

I tried to inject silicone between as much as possible but ideally the front needed much more. But it seems to be holding. It's been more than a couple of years now and hopefully will last many more!

[@SpawnMark]

Good work!

[@ericdehaan7799]

Did you also take care of the leackage itself? Can’t imagine it was only leacking through these small chips?

[@TimHollingworth]

Hi Eric, it seems to be still damp free in each corner. So I'm hoping I found where the ingress if water was coming from. On wet windy days there is some slight water pooling in the gas locker floor. I changed the locker door rubber sealing loop from a scrap car and that has helped keep it dryer. Hope the update has been of interest to you, Eric. Thanks for your comment.

[@pjuhasz1976]

I just wonder why are beds undone while you are pulling mouldy plywoods in and out around them.

[@TimHollingworth]

Good point... 🤔 The shelf and all other parts,were taken out through the back so never came close to the bed. Plus I never really considered the hazard, as I needed to get the job done. Thanks for watching.

[@eleeeanora]

Grazie e bravo!

[@TimHollingworth]

Sono contento che ti sia piaciuto

[@nigel129129]

BRILLIAN...not identical to mine as got bathroom panel on rhs but enough info to make a DIY repair feasible...would like to have seen resealing of locker lid but cant be to difficult...thanks for the vid

[@TimHollingworth]

Hi Nigel, all I did was sandwich clear silica sealant between the hinge and body and behind the metal work and wood of the van. There were some tiny holes in the aluminium skin so I just made sure they were all covered with silica. So far its not leaked but whether it will last the same amount of time who knows. But at least its proper wood with non rust screws so that should be miles better than the original. Glad you found the video useful. My next task is to fix the cracks in the flimsy sink by the plug hole and also behind the tap...

[@emoshan1037]

Where was the water getting in?

[@TimHollingworth]

There were tiny holes in the aluminium skin. Could be that stones chipped the paint and corroded through. I put a skim of silicone above the locker door and around the window. Hopefully I got all the tiny holes filled in. 🤞

[@adamoneill3092]

Thanks for the Great video. Good job. I’ve a hobby caravan same year, same leak problem. Got tiny holes in mine too. I thought these we’re from stone chips but now I’m thinking the metal corroded because of the wet wood underneath. Is your repair still dry inside after filling tiny holes?

[@TimHollingworth]

@@adamoneill3092 Hi Adam, yes its been perfectly dry 10 months on. So I'm hoping its going to be a long term fix. The corrosion must be a pretty common problem. It's possible that there were some iron filings behind the skin and the block board that corroded the aluminium but it's more likely just constant damp or stone chips that did the damage, as I haven't seen it anywhere else. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@ripperasvanappi7028]

Where water game there

[@Apo5308]

❤