Pre-winter jobs for tucking up camper?

mariesnowgoose

mariesnowgoose

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Not all of us will be using our campers regularly over the winter months.

Ours will be sitting on the drive, but I'm thinking of all the jobs I need to do to keep it safe and in good nick now that winter is arriving.

Check list:

1. Give everything a good clean top to bottom.

2. Make sure toilet cassette is empty and clean.

3. Make sure grey waste tank is drained.

4. Take all of the seat cushions and bedding indoors to keep them warm, dry and aired.

5. Fridge well cleaned out and door left ajar to prevent mould and nasties breeding.

6. Set up a little electric blow heater on a timer with the EHU to keep it warm and aired when it's really cold.

7. Fresh water systems:

Still not sure about draining down the fresh water systems. Neil was arguing last night that you need to leave some water in the system for the water boiler.
We did have a bit of a job getting water pumped through to the boiler when we came to use it from empty for the first time this year.
What do you guys do about this?

Does anyone else have any other suggestions for pre-winter jobs/checks?
 
I do intend to use my camper over winter but have drained out all the water from both the toilet system & the boiler ready for if/when there are frosts during the week. ( we store ours away from the house so can't keep it heated on our drive )

Should I have left some water in the emmersion heater ? what problem could I have caused , air locks in the system perhaps ?
 
New water heaters are expensive.

In my case about £700, so I would drain the entire system, especially living as far north as you do. One job I do on all my vehicles before winter is to up the level of anti-freeze to cope with arctic conditions just in case, as I live about 160 metres above sea level. Good idea about taking cushions etc. indoors though, I wouldn't have thought of that. For what it costs to run, I'd tend to use the frostguard setting on the heater, a timer might cut the heating off just as the temperature plummets.
 
Hi there,

Just a couple of things...........we use one of the small oil filled radiators ( £19.99 Argos on offer then )
as we found it a " Lot kinder to your electric bill " than a fan heater.

Check the wattage ours is only 500W on maximum and the bad cold spell a couple of years back didn`t
make that much difference to our electric bill.

They have a thermostat and you don`t need it to high, but high enough to feel the difference when
you enter the van and if it`s going to get really cold just turn it up a bit.

The other thing is to make sure you turn off the water pump and leave the taps ( all of them ) open
with something under them to catch any drips.

By opening them it will allow any water in the system ( and there will be some ) has room to expand
without splitting any of the pipes.

We don`t bother taking out all the cushions, clothes and tins etc and have never had a problem, just
leave all the doors and drawers open.

Hope this helps

Regards.

Graham
 
That's a good point.

We live on the edge of forestry land and do get mice, so I permanently leave poison in the loft to stop them damaging stuff up there. As we've been in the camper for most of the Summer a lot of food has been stored in it, so we probably need to get right behind the shelves with the vacuum cleaner, then put poison down just in case, another good reason for removing cushions etc.
 
Mice in vans ???? :scared: oh my god !!!!!......I know we have got a family of rats living under our decking.. the mafia 'Corleone' family are not a patch on this lot ...
I think I will be buying some mouse traps today ..thats one thing I wouldnt of thought of.:scared:
 
Drain all the water off for deffo, any water in tank can freeze and burst pipes, trust me, i know, but i mended it myself, luckily my tank hadn't split just my tie rod broke the return valve, £3 off ebay
 
Road Tax

Make sure you get any remaining road tax back. :wave:
 
You need to be vigilant with mice in the loft. My sister had her electrical wiring chewed through in her loft about 3 years ago, and she lives in an upstairs flat! :scared:

She regularly leaves baited traps up there now.
 
mariesnowgoose said:
You need to be vigilant with mice in the loft. My sister had her electrical wiring chewed through in her loft about 3 years ago, and she lives in an upstairs flat! :scared:

She regularly leaves baited traps up there now.
Click to expand...

That's a good idea Marie but never leave poisoned baits for mice in a loft. Once poisoned, mice get a raging thirst and head for the nearest water - in a loft that would most likely be the water tank, and they can get through the smallest gaps in the lid. So, consequently you would have a dead mouse full of poison in your tank!
 
The best thing to do with your van during the winter months is to keep using it!

A van is for all seasons, not just summer! :lol-053::lol-053::lol-053:

Please accept this light hearted comment in the fun that it was intended...have a warm & cosy winter :goodnight:
 
carolinemoon said:
The best thing to do with your van during the winter months is to keep using it!

A van is for all seasons, not just summer! :lol-053::lol-053::lol-053:

Please accept this light hearted comment in the fun that it was intended...have a warm & cosy winter :goodnight:
Click to expand...

Good point ;)

We will be using it, it's just for those days when we're not that we have to be vigilant in keeping it aired and frost free.
 
Personally I would not drain it etc.

Keep it heated above freezing with trace heating, paraffin or on electric hook up, like a green-house if possible. It will not cost much and saves all the hassle of draining. Letting it freeze inside is bad for the van and opens joints if water had got partially into them.

All the stuff about laying up and draining comes from those motorhome magazines where some people use their vans for 4 weeks a year and then need to find something to do with their time in the rest of the year. Let's face it people need stuff to occupy them with, and motorhome mags need some content to write about!
 
Even gentle heating cannot reach all parts inside the van. A burst pipe or hose can be a lot more time consuming and expensive. Far better to drain. Also, most British made conversions have the water tanks exposed to the elements and at the mercy of Winter conditions.
 
Yes this depends on the model. If your water tanks are outside then drain them. I built mine with all water tanks inside like the continental vans. If it were me, I'd get rid of the van sharpish if the water tanks are outside - terrible design concept!
 
Firefox said:
Yes this depends on the model. If your water tanks are outside then drain them. I built mine with all water tanks inside like the continental vans. If it were me, I'd get rid of the van sharpish if the water tanks are outside - terrible design concept!
Click to expand...

That is what I like best about my van, it is fully winterised. Mine is kept on the driveway and I have an oil filled radiator ticking over and it is fully drained off. In severe weather, I also have a fan heater which I put under the false floor where the tanks and batteries are. It is 1000 watts and left on the minimum temperature setting. This circulates the air and is better than the radiator.

To combat any dampness or condensation, I place 3 bowls of salt around the van. When they go 'crusty', I dry them on a house radiator and put them back.

As has been said, open all cupboards etc. to help prevent mildew. Any curtain or seating material should be moved so that it is not touching the windows or sides of the van (mildew). If possible, prop up cushions in a pile in such a way that air can circulate around them. If you get a warmer, dry day, open a couple of windows to get some fresh air through the van.
 
Liking the salt tip - keep damp out the van

If it were me. I would also use the van on the drive a night or so a week, even if not taking it out.

Fire up the heating. Cook a meal, run the water, watch TV, have a good night's sleep. I like using my van it's even better than the house!

Van's are meant to be used and loved. By going in regularly you can keep on top of any problems.
 
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