Condensation in cargo area

[woodbutcherbower]

I hope that van is somewhere secure overnight

It is, Mike. It's locked inside my workshop every night, behind a substantial steel roller shutter door. The main door to the building is also made from steel, and the estate has 24/7 security with every unit covered by CCTV and an alarm system linked directly to the police. The van's also got around £2k in extra security fitted to it, and I have £10k in vehicle tools and contents insurance. Nothing's infallible obviously and it's all eye-wateringly expensive, but I've done literally everything possible to protect my livelihood. Best wishes.

[Mike]

It's nice to see someone taking things seriously. Most of the time idiots come here blaming Ford because their van has been broken into.

Like this plonker, viewtopic.php?f=65&t=193948&c=1

[woodbutcherbower]

Most of the time idiots come here blaming Ford because their van has been broken into.

I remember reading that thread open-mouthed, and I also remember the flak you took from the OP for being truthful. It's madness isn't it? I picked up the van from the dealership at 9am on a Saturday morning, and literally drove it straight to the locksmiths to get all the extra security kit fitted - 4 deadlocks, a Replock, an additional app-linked Cat 1 alarm with PIR's and trigger switches on the cargo doors, a hidden switch which kills the fuel pump, a steel cover plate for the OBD port, plus anti-smash glass film for the cab windows. The two grand it all cost really stung at the time and the additional insurance premiums on the workshop and van contents still do, but at least I sleep at night. Probably the most shocking thing was the locksmith telling me that more than half of the security kit he fits to Customs gets fitted AFTER a van's already been done over. Unbelievable. Ford are indeed culpable for fitting locks made of cheese, but I've yet to see any van manufacturer come up with a software update which prevents the doors from being levered open with a crowbar which is what the OP seemed to think should happen......

BTW - your 'aircon permanently on' fix is working a treat. Thanks again.

[Mike]

I remember reading that thread open-mouthed, and I also remember the flak you took from the OP for being truthful. It's madness isn't it?

It's water off a ducks back

BTW - your 'aircon permanently on' is working a treat. Thanks again.

You're welcome, after many years in the swimming pool game you work out how to keep your van dry.

[Attila]

My MK6 didn't have aircon, so I had a Flettner fitted, condensation problem solved and trades don't get much wetter than mine.

All my vans since then have had aircon so that deals with the condensation as long as you leave it on all the time.

Hi,

Which flettner model do you have - and can you send me a photo?

I just bought a flettner slimline for my mk7, but it seems that the vent would touch the raised rib of the roon, and it would get stuck out wouldn't be able to spin..

I didn't dare to start fitting it in..

Would you send me a photo how your one is fitting on your roof - and which flettner model you bought?

Thx!


Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[Agriv8]

Blimy fella that’s an organised van. My bleeding house ain’t that tidy and organised.

One thing to say though you can tell a lot about the craftsmen by how well they organise there tools.

ATB Agriv8

As a fellow butcher of wood, firstly congratulations on a beautifully organised cargo area and your choice of toolage.

Yes they do suffer from condensation at this time of year but I would remove your bolts and seal them with a decent epdm sealant. Mastic did work but will dry out, the tiger seal or something similar (used for mounting body panels similar to the spoilers etc) works very well.

Thanks for the kind words I've got a cartridge of Tigerseal left over from when I put my roof spoiler on, I'll take you up on your suggestion just for belt & braces. I'll sign off with some more racking and toolage porn. All the best.

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[Sammo85]

I’ve cured this in my van using two small dehumidifier boxes. Basically they’re what you’d buy for a caravan. Normally on Amazon pack of 5 for £20, and they’re normally full within a month or so. Tools and roof space are now bone dry.

[woodbutcherbower]

Blimy fella that’s an organised van. My bleeding house ain’t that tidy and organised.

One thing to say though you can tell a lot about the craftsmen by how well they organise there tools.

ATB Agriv8

As a fellow butcher of wood, firstly congratulations on a beautifully organised cargo area and your choice of toolage.

Yes they do suffer from condensation at this time of year but I would remove your bolts and seal them with a decent epdm sealant. Mastic did work but will dry out, the tiger seal or something similar (used for mounting body panels similar to the spoilers etc) works very well.

Thanks for the kind words I've got a cartridge of Tigerseal left over from when I put my roof spoiler on, I'll take you up on your suggestion just for belt & braces. I'll sign off with some more racking and toolage porn. All the best.

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Thanks for the compliment. If a professional joiner can’t fit out his own van properly, then his customers don’t stand a chance of getting a decent job. The amount of work I pick up from members of the public seeing this in unbelievable - someone will wander over whilst I’m loading up at the timber merchants and say ‘do you fit kitchens?’. It’s only the back of a van - but it says something about your work, it speaks volumes about your commitment to quality and attention to detail. I haven’t advertised now for 27 years and am permanently booked solid at least 3 months in advance. It works. ATB to you too.

[S60r]

Yes....made up my mind.... I must clear my van out.










Yours is definitely a thing of beauty, and highlights the difference between a joiner and a carpenter very well.


Customers sometimes ask what the difference is.... I think I may use your photos as an answer onwardly!

[woodbutcherbower]

You're very kind.

As an aside - If anyone else out there has gone down the Tanos/Festool Systainer route and wants to do something similar, the racking shelves were all routed up from a template I knocked up. It contains four holes where the Systainer's feet lock, stopping the boxes from falling out the racking. The centre hole is there so you can put your hand into the racking aperture below, and push a tight-fitting Sys 1 or 2 up and out from underneath to slide it out. With the template, you can knock up a shelf in 12mm birch ply in about 5 minutes using a 12.7mm x 50.8mm cutter with a 30mm guide bush on the router. If anyone wants to borrow the template - I kept it and I'd be more than happy to send it out to anyone who wants to borrow it - drop me a PM and we'll fix it up. The width of the template is set to 10mm oversize so that the resulting shelves can lock into 12mm x 5mm deep rebates routed into the rack uprights - but the template is marked along the edges so you can just reduce the width and screw it to the uprights without the rebates if you only want to do half a job

Oh and BTW - the internal layout has changed again since the pics were taken, because I accidentally bought some more kit. Never owned a 2nd fix Paslode before - but an 80m2 clad ceiling needing 4,000 brads finally persuaded me .......

All the best

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