Hidden costs of RV water damage

You may not be aware of the silent carnage going on behind closed walls in your caravan or motorhome, but if the body seals are damaged and allowing moisture in, you will know soon enough.

When the water damage has rotted timber framing and/or ply flooring and internal walls, the repair bill can run to tens of thousands of dollars.

Water ingress leading to rotting timber or metal corrosion is a such a common issue that some caravan service and repair companies strongly suggest having it tested.

Danie Johanson of Premium Caravan & Motorhome Services in Sydney said the moisture test he offers is based on his carpentry background and a simple moisture tester. 

“We use a pin moisture meter. With my background in carpentry, I know 11 percent in plywood is acceptable, more than that isn’t good. In fact, the detectors themselves give you an alert if you’re over the 15 percent mark,” he explained.

Johanson said the moisture test is a good early warning to avoid big damage but also confirms when it’s too late.

“If you’re heading over 20 per cent, you’ve got a problem. If you’re up around 50 per cent you’ve got a big problem, likely rotted timbers," he said.

If you have RV insurance you might think that it’s a simple matter of making a claim and letting the insurance company take over – but you could find your claim is knocked back.

According to a CIL Insurance spokesperson: “A policy may not provide cover if the responsibilities, as outlined in the product disclosure statement, have not been met. This may lead us to reduce or refuse to pay a claim and/or cancel a policy.”  

According to the CIL Insurance Secure Caravan Insurance Product Disclosure Statement of 3/12/2020 (page 25): “any mould, mildew, rot, wear and tear, gradual deterioration, corrosion, rusting, depreciation, lack of maintenance, fading, rising damp, action of light, atmospheric or climatic conditions”, will not be covered.

The CIL Insurance spokesperson noted that this effectively “states that the owner must take steps to prevent loss or damage, for example keep your caravan structurally sound, watertight, secure and well maintained (for example, maintain seals, fix leaks, remove mould, repair paint problems, major rust, corrosion, cracking and blistering, repair major scratches or dents, fix mechanical and electrical problems”.

Johanson says that he’s noticed among his customers that, as far as water damage is concerned, insurers are “refusing claims that are not dire”.

“Water ingress has to be caused by a specific incident. Not something over a period of time," he continued.

"If a gum tree hits your van, then yes, very likely you’ll get a claim through. But if your laminate starts to crack and bubble, it’s moisture ingress. It’s usually a small amount gets in between the walls over time, then the veneer fails, it suffers expansion and contraction, then it cracks.”

As storm events have become more regular occurrences, so to has the insurance knock-backs, says Johanson.

“Before La Nina came through [the rare record-breaking rainfall and flooding across Australia during 2020-2023], they’d often go through. After that, assessors would come out and I’d have to show them the damage.”

While the likes of CIL’s policy wording is quite clear, not all water damage that is not the direct cause of physical damage is refused.  

“A very well-maintained caravan though, where the owner has taken all the precautions, there are times the insurance company will take it on board and let it through," he said.

If you think having a composite or aluminium frame van solves the problem, think again.

“It’s not just timber frame vans, where the internals are affected by water ingress, it’s internal ply too," Johanson said.

"Now also with some of the aluminium sandwich panels, the aluminium actually corrodes. They have a 0.3mm aluminium skin, then go into the plastic (composite). It doesn’t happen regularly, but we do see it.”

Even the floor could be hiding extensive damage.

“Some vans that have a composite underfloor layer under the floor ply, the water can’t escape, and that membrane stops the water from escaping. It rots out the ply. It will quite literally run into tens of thousands of dollars to pull it all out and fix it.”

A problem that Johanson has noticed is that customers often don’t think of checking all seals on a regular basis.

“People don’t realise when a van is leaking from a tiny point. That’s when you get internal wall delamination.

“As part of our yearly service, we recommend to have the J-moulds and other seals checked for condition of silicones. That’s an optional extra on the checklist, but you should really opt to have that carried out.”

Related: How to prevent caravan water leaks