Is winterizing required?

Smoogy

Guest
We have a 2010 Auto-trail Apache 700, do we need to winterize it in order to continue to use it (in uk) over the winter months.
When I asked our dealer's service centre they said heating elements were required for water tanks and all pipes needed lagging which was a labour intensive job quoting £800 minimum.
Other motorhomer's have said they've not bothered and the garage is on a money grabbing exercise.
Any advice would be grateful as we're keen to carry on wild camping at weekends through out the winter.
 
The company has to give you the text book answer which they have. In reality from my point of view, I occasionally insulate the external water pipes as they freeze easily, you could do the same with the water tank itself. As regards heater elements etc... in my opinion this is a bit over the top if you're staying in the UK. The bits mentioned above can easily be done yourself for far less than £800!

I guess with such a new motorhome there may be warranty issues, so just be careful to make sure you don't breach this.
 
I think the answer depends on whether you will want to use the MH in very, very cold weather (we do get that here sometimes!) or only in moderate cold i.e. not below freezing.

Our van is a Carthago and is fully winterized i.e. fresh and waste water tanks both inboard and a very high level of insulation with double floor etc. We were away in all the bad weather last winter and were warm as toast with no problems at all.

I remember some years back using our (then) caravan in cold but not freezing weather. It was a good, well regarded make and supposedly well insulated. In short, it wasn't and we were very uncomfortable. The worst thing for me was how cold the walls were and this was particularly noticeable at night when it wasn't possible to sleep if you were the unlucky one next to the wall! :mad:

If I were you I would try to find out exactly what level of insulation you have now - your van might already be quite well insulated so it might only be the waste water you have to worry about. If this is the case, why not put a bucket under the grey drain and leave the tap open; a bucket can be emptied even if it freezes.

I've tried to find out what level of insulation your van has from this :
Auto-Trail
but it doesn't really give enough information. It looks as though you don't have a double floor and it doesn't mention any insulation round the fresh water tank.

If you do want to use the van in sub-zero temperatures then I think you would need to look into lagging the tanks and having some kind of heater on for the fresh water tank - I don't know what, though, so hopefully someone with more knowledge than I have can advise on this. Some kind of belt type heater that runs off 12v? Does such a thing exist?

Do post back to let us know what you decide to do - £800 does seem like a rip-off; I feel sure you could D-I-Y for much less.

Marilyn
 
Hi Smoogy,
I do not know much about your van but I have never had a problem with mine in winter and it is not lagged nor the tanks heated. I tend to leave the fresh water tank empty and use a 5 gallon container if its really cold. The grey tank has never to my knowledge frozen and the toilet cassette is internal so will not freeze. The water butts in my garden normally have a couple of inches of ice in them at times during the winter and this has never been a problem. What you do have to be careful of is the water in your pump freezing so if its in an external tank you may well need to heat it or make sure its empty.
If I was off to the Alps then I may spend the £800.
 
hi , my neighbour has had his taps split with the frost . he uses metal house type taps his van is well insulated with 50mm kingspan. his pipes are all internal and have insulation . it as been left with water in the system and twice the taps have split wide open. could be the metal thats the problem. he uses it every weekend but he needs a change. i have been in other campers where its so cold the butane will not work. and you fill the kettle the night before as itts frozen in the morning. and i live in cornwall . i used a vw camper as a caravan once when working away from home. best bet is bugger off and enjoy the sun somewhere else. thats my way round the problem. you also have to becareful with water heaters etc . busted radiators in instantanious heaters is the biggest killer of them. but have fun ,cheers alan. also condensation more heat you have the more condensation.all you can do is tyr it and see. cheers alan
 
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If I were you Smoogy I would contact Autotrail direct and see what their advice is.
 
If it is British made, then it is not winterised as nobody makes them that way.

It will depend where your fresh water tank is situated. I had an Elddis which I used in all weather conditions when I worked around the UK. The fresh water tank was on board but I had to leave the drain open on the waste tank or it would freeze up.

Normally, I was on hook up and I needed it as the insulation was not as good as my present one. It had a rear lounge which amounts to a lot of plastic and therefore poorer insulation. I had the gas fire on low and a 2 Kw electric fan heater going.
 
Tbear said:
Hi Smoogy,
I do not know much about your van but I have never had a problem with mine in winter and it is not lagged nor the tanks heated. I tend to leave the fresh water tank empty and use a 5 gallon container if its really cold. The grey tank has never to my knowledge frozen and the toilet cassette is internal so will not freeze. The water butts in my garden normally have a couple of inches of ice in them at times during the winter and this has never been a problem. What you do have to be careful of is the water in your pump freezing so if its in an external tank you may well need to heat it or make sure its empty.
If I was off to the Alps then I may spend the £800.
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Hi Tbear

I was at a CC site at Spital near Berwick last new year. While the van was comfortably warm and is well insulated with the blown heater pipes routed beside the water pipes, the waste tank is exposed at the rear as is the drain tap.

All seemed well until I went to empty the tank on the last morning on site. The valve had frozen up. We had been putting hot water into the tank and emptying it but on the last night on site I had not drained it as we were in a blizzard. We had to drive back to Newcastle upon Tyne with a full-ish waste tank in a blizzard. It didn't thaw even when hot water was applied to the outside. Managed to get the frozen valve open and it drained later as it thawed.

As has been said before if you sleep against a wall you will find the cold strikes though. I lived in a caravan in the winter of 1981/2 when the temperatures dropped in Newcastle upon Tyne to nearly minus 20c. The Tyne was frozen solid at Newburn Bridge.

I had a thick cushion against the wall and three sleeping bags plus blankets. As Alan said the water froze inside the van despite a Carver SB-1800 and a Fan heater going all night. I was warm enough in my little cocoon and it soon warmed up when I lit the oven and cooker rings. I had an instantaneous water heater that didn't freeze as the pilot was left on even though I couldn't pump water through it. I had a 5 gall water container on the top above the fridge despite the rising heat it still froze up.

Like Alan I am heading to warmer climbs this winter.

John
 
well john im not suprised you are heading south for winter with memories like that !:D
 
John,

How long ago? And that was in far off Geordieland. Did you suffer any damage?

I agree you are much better off coming south:)
 
Tbear said:
John,

How long ago? And that was in far off Geordieland. Did you suffer any damage?

I agree you are much better off coming south:)
Click to expand...

It was winter of 81/82 or it could have been 80/81.

I was warden on a Caravan storage site. I was living in the caravan full time so developed strategies to cope with the very cold weather. No there was no damage as I disconected the water system each night and blew it out, leaving all of the taps open. I reconnected things next morning. This went on for a couple of months until it warmed up and began to snow.

John
 
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John Thompson said:
It was winter of 81/82 or it could have been 80/81.

I was warden on a Caravan storage site. I was living in the caravan full time so developed strategies to cope with the very cold weather. No there was no damage as I disconected the water system each night and blew it out, leaving all of the taps open. I reconnected things next morning. This went on for a couple of months until it warmed up and began to snow.

John
Click to expand...
John
I suspect your common sense worked a lot better than an energy draining heating system.
 
Many thanks to all for all the advice.
I'm expecting a call back from Auto-Trail regarding what they recommend as when looking under the van many of the pipes look to be lagged already. I don't mind if it's necessary but prefer to do the majority ourselves if possible.
Will keep you posted on the outcome.
 
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