Winter storage
Hi All,
I we are new to caravaning and want to know what is the best thins to do with the caravan over the winter as we will not be using it?
We have only been away for 4 days and still have a lot to learn. Any advice would be great
Steve & Clare
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Block the van up to take the weight off the tyres. Make sure all the water is fully drained down and leave all the taps in the open position.
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Never lifted caravan to protect tyres and mine is left for 6 months at storage and never a problem. new caravans can be sat for more than 12 months at dealers and they don't get damaged. drain as much water out the system as possible and leave taps open, kitchen/bathroom and even the shower. Make sure all vents in floor are not blocked with blankets or cushions so air can flow. I lift seat bases to the vertical position and also lift the bed just to give extra flow around them. Also open all cupboard doors and leave fridge door ajar.
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May not be an issue for you, but locally we have a problem with ‘cluster flies’ each winter. In the autumn they seek out warm places for the winter and can enter your caravan through the smallest of cracks, unmeshed vents etc. They take up residence in little nooks & crannies all over the place. It will be obvious if you have a problem as they’ll become active as soon as the van warms up and you’ll find quite a few dead ones scattered around the place. Numbers can run into hundreds and infestation, although not harmful to health, is horrible. In motorhomes the gaps between the cab doors are favoured locations. Each autumn I liberally spray fly killer inside and around the door gaps, ditto roof vents and inside window frames. Truma and fridge vents etc need to be properly covered and treated with an occasional blast of fly spray during the winter months. In spring I respray inside the door gaps etc before opening the doors to stop them flying inside the cab.
Not sure if they’re just a Cornish/SW thing, but happens here every year. We have exactly the same problem, but on a bigger scale with furled sails.
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That’s strange, SB. It must be very localised as we’ve no problem here and I’m so close as to almost be your neighbour.
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Depends where you are storing the caravan. Ours is on a 5* storage site so we do everything that has been suggested by previous people drain water, open taps, wardrobe doors & generally letting plenty of air circulate etc. Something that has not been mentioned - we put in boxes (6) containing crystals to take out some of the damp air, We also remove the battery & bring it home, periodically charging it in the garage. Of course if you have the 'van at home & have the facility to charge the battery that is much easier. My pal who stores his 'van at the same place also goes once a month, lifts his 'van & turns the wheels through 90 deg each time.
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Our caravan is stored on a site remote to us so I installed a solar panel to maintain the battery. I wrote a short article about my winter preparations which may be of help to the OP here.
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