Do you leave your heating on ?
Comments
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Yes, mines in storage. Battery removed and topped up at home when required, visit the caravan every few weeks to check security, check the moisture trap thingy and air it out for an hour. Been doing this for years with previous caravans with no problems but I suppose if it were parked on my drive I would just air it out more often, certainly no heat unless I was living in it.
Heating and cold surfaces can cause condensation, and can make things worse under certain conditions.
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WE have ours plug in all the time and that is to keep the battery charge. I had it on a timmer but learnt the hard way that when the power is switched on more often than not it trips the caravan electrics out ( I don't think it's a fault the van is only
1 year old ) not knowing this as time went on we had a very flat battery and that triggered an alarm of at 2 oclock in the morming I was not very popular it is not on a timmer now and no problems.0 -
It is bad for the battery to keep it on mains voltage permanently and will lead to premature failure.
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The Alde system we have lends itself to being set so that it comes on if the temperature drops below a certain level. I set it at 5C and then don't worry about draining down or anything freezing up. So far this winter it has run for about an hour one evening. It costs about 15p per hour to run and I consider that cheap to protect an expensive machine. If we go away in the winter we protect the house in the same way.
I sometimes drain down after return fom 2 week Christmas break in late December. This year I have not yet done so and I am busy working in the house, Alde set on 5. I will pop out in a couple of weeks when I have finished in the house and then drain down and remove filter. Service in March and away in April.
Always on EHU. Battery life does not concern me too much.
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When not in use my caravan isn't plugged in, the battery being trickle charged by the solar panels (200w). I use those damp-trap things "just to be on the safe side" but nothing ever seems to collect in them .....
That being said, it is a German-built van so it doesn't suffer from the teabag-perforation qualities of most UK-built vans
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My parents caravan has been on the drive and not moved for at least 5 years. They keep their heating on at somewhere around 10 so it is easy to warm up quickly if needed as a spare room and nothing freezes. The battery seems to be OK still too aparantly.
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It is bad for the battery to keep it on mains voltage permanently and will lead to premature failure.
If you use a smart charger it is good for the battey leaving tplugged in that is what they are designed for.
what about a solar panel they are plugged in all the time arnt they??
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Having tried both options of no heat when not in use and running the Alde wet system at the minimum 'frost setting' ie 5c, I found that heating the caravan above the outside tempreture increased condensation on the insides of windows and cold surfaces. The
caravan definitely has less moisture if you leave the heating off. I just give it a few hours heat before setting off in winter.0 -
we keep our caravan in storage and have damp traps, we have been down this week and changed them, i go down every week and open the door and sit in it and have a sandwich and a can of pop to let it air, smells fine, we have removed the battery and charge
it at home every month0 -
So far this winter we have left the van in storage for three months for various reasons. All liquids taken home plus battery. Night vents left open and cushions propped up on end. Checked at weekend and all fine thank goodness.
we have found that a good wipe down with disinfectant wipes before laying up for storage prevents mould forming in addition to the most important aspect which is ventilation
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Having tried both options of no heat when not in use and running the Alde wet system at the minimum 'frost setting' ie 5c, I found that heating the caravan above the outside tempreture increased condensation on the insides of windows and cold surfaces. The
caravan definitely has less moisture if you leave the heating off. I just give it a few hours heat before setting off in winter.I suggest that your van has exactly the same amount of moisture in either case it is just the distribution that is different.
When the heating is off and there is little or no difference between the outside and inside temperature the moisture will not readily condense; it just stays suspended in the air. When a difference does exist it does condense, however, if the inside
air was dry there would be none, i.e. no moisture no condensation regardless of temperature difference. Perhaps your van needs airing
Write your comments here... I always understood that the warmer the air the more moisture it can hold and therefore the more dampness it can ultimately deposit on cold surfaces when the temperature drops a bit. This is the reason for the current very wet
few weeks and consequent flooding. The jet stream is bringing warm air up from the south and picking up more moisture off the Atlantic as it does so. Keeping the caravan aired is the best way of keeping it dry.0 -
On an allied subject - our caravan is stored on the drive and plugged in all the time with the Alde heating set at 10 degrees. However, is it better to use the Alde heating - or turn that off completely and rely on a cheap fan heater set to a low setting?
Wondering whether or not running the Alde virtually every day for a short period will shorten its life - or is it better to keep it in use - since my experience from yachting was that it was invariably the equipment which wasn't used for a long period which
failed when you needed it most!0 -
I have been there too, Ian, (infrequent use of boats) and I agree that it’s best to turn things over from time to time.
My comments, having read the last page of posts are as follows:
Some chargers are smarter than others but I don’t think any should (or need to) be left on continuously. A couple of days, once a month, should do it. But, if you cannot keep to a schedule there’s probably little harm in leaving it on charge continuously with a smart charger. Keeping a battery charged with solar may be a challenge in December if the alarm is on.
I used to leave heating on low but am now too mean to heat the sparrows. I don’t think it helps at all. Remove all freezable contents and ventilate well instead. Warm air can hold more moisture and cause more condensation as the fabric cools each night. Better ventilation might let it escape but why heat it in the first place? If you must do, heating with Alde will provide a more thorough job of providing even heat than a fan heater and it will exercise the equipment.
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My van is on the drive at home permanently hooked up. Alde heating set to 8 and night vents open. Cupboard doors are open plus shower room door. I have two moisture traps which have hardly ever been emptied. I go sit in van occasionaly and increase heating
and watch tv. I have a cover over it and have noticed that the internal temperture is always 2 to 3 degrees above external temp. I have never had any condensation or moisure internally. It is a 2014 Swift Elegance and have never needed the bathroom upgrade
(Bathroom corner) which some people believe is a fault on these vans, not on mine ! Upholstery left in situ and never feels damp. The only things I remove are clothes and perishable food. The cost of low heating is very small and well worth it, I think.Sheila
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I think the notion that it costs very little to keep a low heat in the van may be flawed. It depends on how much “very little” is, of course but I reckon it’ll be over £1/night during winter and it all adds up.
Heating will encourage good circulation, as hot air rises. The warmer, moister, air will be exhausted through the roof vents, drawing in fresh air from outside.
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As we are out in our caravan all the time, we are always plugged into the site electric hook-up. We need the heating on in the winter to keep the inside warm but we only put the awning heater on when we are sitting out in the awning.
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Our caravan is in a field near the house. Water etc drained down, but that's all. Not plugged in. So no heating on ever. The battery may or may not be still in it when we next get away (it depends if "someone" has "borrowed" it for a farm job).
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Our caravan is in a field near the house. Water etc drained down, but that's all. Not plugged in. So no heating on ever. The battery may or may not be still in it when we next get away (it depends if "someone" has "borrowed" it for a farm job).
Write your comments here...Doesn't it feel cold and damp inside without the heating on?
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I think the notion that it costs very little to keep a low heat in the van may be flawed. It depends on how much “very little” is, of course but I reckon it’ll be over £1/night during winter and it all adds up.
Heating will encourage good circulation, as hot air rises. The warmer, moister, air will be exhausted through the roof vents, drawing in fresh air from outside.
Write your comments here...A pound a night seems good value to me, a complete re-covering of our mouldy caravan setee 's and curtains cost us 700 pounds and that was 10 years ago.
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