A Bit of Advice Re Locker Seals

I wanted to replace the seal on the wet locker to the rear of the van.

This one:-

After much back and forth with Prima Leisure, and two seals that didn't fit we eventually got to the bottom of the problem.

On the Prima site there are two different seals for the wet lockers, one for a "flush" door and one for a "wet locker " door.

As it was for a wet locker I naturally chose the wet locker one, wrong. 

It should have been the flush door one.

Bailey changed their minds half way through 2015 in their locker door design

Gemma from Prima Leisure has done a rather good blog post on it:-

Seal Blog Post

So if you want a replacement locker seal, ORDER THE CORRECT ONE, or it will drive you nuts 

It has taken me weeks and umpteen e mails back and forth to sort it all out.

Ian

Replacing Heki

After waiting since June my replacement Heki blind unit arrived last week.

Replaced it today, a pretty easy job, unclip the old and clip in the new

Old Unit

Half Out

Replaced

The new blind is a bit stiffer to pull across than the old one but I am sure it will "ride up with wear" ( Are You Being Served for my younger readers).

Ian

Problems

Came to hitch up for home this morning, car won't start. 

Tried two engine starters, no joy awaiting Mayday.

Ian

CMC White Water Park

We are at the above site on Teesside adjacent to the white water course.

The weather has been a bit breezy and moist but at least it is warm. 

Nothing much to report on the Cadiz front

I have to say the Vision Plus TV signal finding device I mentioned a couple of posts ago proved excellent, signal found in seconds as opposef to trusting to luck. 

Was also impressed by out Isabella Eclipse canopy which never moved even in very strong winds. 

This will be our last trip for this year, don't fancy winter caravanning. 

Will be removing wheels next week as we need some new tyres the present incumbents are approaching seven years old so time for some new rubber. 

Will keep blogging over winter as things occur. 

Ian

CMC York Beechwood Grange

We are at present on the above which is our "local" CMC site as it is only about forty five minutes from storage.

It is an immaculately kept site due to the hard work of the wardens. 

Newspapers are back to order so things are looking up

Weather a bit changeable but nothing to be done about that. 

The Cadiz has behaved itself and the drip from the Alde pipe has stopped so the new valve must have done the trick

Gave the old one a good soak in some cleaner and will keep as spare. 

Been looking out at dealers for the arrival of the new Unicorn  but still no sign, I suppose the lack of HGV drivers hasn't helped deliveries. 

Keep pondering a trade in to a new Cadiz whilst trade in levels are high but of course there is a chance of buying a pile of trouble even with a new van so will have to see.

Sometimes it is better the devil you know. 

Ian

CMC Chatsworth

At present on the very pleasant CMC Chatsworth which is one of the Caravan and Motorhome Clubs honeypot sites situated on the estate itself in what was, I think, a previous walled garden. The house itself is just a short stroll away. 

There is a small problem on the site in my view as a lot of pitches are overhung by very large trees. 

The chap next door moved pitches as acorns kept dropping on his roof and keeping him awake. 

Cadiz wise, had a drip from the air relief pipe ( I think that is what it is) from the Alde boiler. Not a major problem by any means but have ordered a new joint and will swap it next week. Had to clean it out once before. 

Broke a hinge on the cupboard to the right of the door but managed to cobble it together. 

The main door lock is getting a bit dodgy so I think I will need to have it replaced eventually. 

Prima Leisure sell a single lock barrel for a fiver but stupidly it says it doesn't fit any model. 

Have emailed my repair man to see if he knows whether it will fit and whether it can be manipulated to fit the original key. 

If not you have to buy seven barrels and two keys for about £50.

The joys of caravanning. 

Ian

CMC Teesdale Barnard Castle

We are at present on the above site very pleasantly situated just outside Barnard Castle which, according to a local, has benefitted greatly from the "Dominic Cummings effect". 

It even has a drying room. 

The site is very busy, mostly with motorhomes, we have this behemoth next to us:

They are towing a car as well

The TV is a bit querky, couldn't get all channels on satellite but the van aerial gets everything.

The Vision Plus thing I fitted recently is excellent, no more buggering about looking for a signal, well worth the fitting. 

One oddity popped up, bought SWMBO a new phone recently which won't charge on the  front reading light USB's but will charge on the rear bedroom ones, cables etc. check out OK, my phone charges on them all.

One of life's mysteries. 

The Isabella Eclipse canopy still attracts attention where ever we go, some chap was admiring it yesterday

The Cadiz soldiers on reliably although I think the Paintseal I had applied on purchase is wearing off but hasn't done bad for over six years. 

Ian

Vision Plus Amplifier

Have replaced the standard fit Vision Plus TV signal amplifier with one of these :-

It should make life a little easier when using the Status aerial as it glows green when a good signal is found. 

Cost is about £35 or so. 

Ian

CMC Cayton Village

We are are at the minute on the above site which is the CMC's new flagship site near Scarborough and is very large and busy.

 The site is split into two with an upper and lower area. 

First impressions are that it is a bit style over substance.

The grassy areas look very scruffy, even when they have been cut, with weeds and thistles in abundance and plenty of bare patches. 

Not up to the usual CMC standards

Some of the grass pitches look a bit careworn to say the least. 

The upper site looks tidier but for some reason the pitches are narrow so you have to park your vehicle sideways at the front so if you want to sit out all you can see is your car

There is a very small games room which should have been open for 2021 but isn't. 

There is also an area of yurts and cabins which are surrounded by an area that presumably is left as wild  but which to me just looks like a patch of high weeds. 

On a new site and I would have thought there would be TV to the bollard but no not even on serviced pitches. 

The physical facilities are high class and spotless. 

Perhaps the club should stick to its core principles and concentrate on caravans and motorhomes without branching out into yurts etc.,but I imagine as with everything money rules. 

Given a choice I don't think would put it on our list of favourite sites certainly not for the price 

Anyway onto the Cadiz and there is nothing to report on that front gladly,except to mention that the Kartt jockey wheel is definite improvement and well worth the outlay. 

I must just just comment on our Isabella Eclipse canopy. 

It was quite windy when we arrived but it has never moved. 

Isabella recommend tilting the poles in slightly and I do think this makes a difference in tensioning the canopy. 

Ian

Update On The Gas Locker Light

It has been pointed out to me that there may be a potential for a spark from a light to ignite any gas leak in the locker.

Perhaps one should think twice about installing one.

Ian

Gas Locker Light

Went in the gas lkocker last night and was fumbling around in the dark.

Noticed one of these in Pondland today.

Only cost £2 complete with double sided Velcro and batteries, win win. 

Ian

CMC Norfolk Broads

 Well here we are ensconced on the above site half way through our two week break in glorious weather,it hasn't rained once so far though the weather forecast keeps threatening it.

It hasn't been an entirely uneventful trip,when we departed storage all the 12v electrics seemed to be dead,motor mover working though,

When we stopped half way for a break everything was working again,so perhaps I pressed the water pump switch by mistake.

Arrived on site and nudged a traffic cone which got stuck under the van,had to unhitch to remove it.

Had a leaking water pump inlet which,unbeknown to me at the time,caused a "leak" around the wheel arch as it was running down the awning skirt channel.

To cut a long story short after removing interior panels to see where it was leaking from and ringing a tech who ( fortunately ) never came I switched to our spare water pump which promptly blew a fuse twice so I have been carting a useless water pump around for a few years so that went in the bin.

Took the pump head apart and the blue pipe had come off the white spigot, replaced and problem solved. 

Then I had a puncture on my bike,so an eventful start,mind you not as eventful as some friends on the site whose air awning exploded after breakfast one morning so they had to drive home to their local dealers to get another.

Think I will stick with poled.

David Mantell one of my correspondents asked where the " bent stick" jockey wheel clamp was in the last post photo.

I use a Milenco jockey wheel clamp lock which unfortunately is unavailable now.

As I suggested if you want to make the same sort of thing you could use a hex or Torx bolt with the same thread or cut a thread to make it fit.

There are quite a few U3 Unicorns on site so they are still popular.

Ian

KARTT Jockey Wheel

Had some problems with the jockey wheel inflatable tyre so rather than fighting to get another inner tube in,believe me it is a fight, jdecided to to treat us to a new Kartt jockey wheel from Prima Leisure.

Came with next day delivery and was about £55 with P&P and 10% CMC discount. 

It is an improvement on the Al-ko product as it seems to work far more smoothly.

It also incorporates a device to stop it unwinding when travelling. 

The solid wheel is excellent at moving over various surfaces and of course no risk of punctures.

One negative, I don't  know why manufacturers persist in using split pins to retain the wheel when an R clip is much more convenient if the wheel needs removal

Apart from that appears an excellent product.

Ian

CMC Ferry Meadows

Just coming to the end of a week at the above site which is situated on the edge of Nene Country Park near Peterborough.

 This very busy site is up to the usual CMC standards but could do with a little tidying up at the edges,grass cutting and weeding of pitches to give two examples.

The Cadiz has behaved itself once again though I am still waiting for the replacement Heiki blind,not due to be posted till the 16th.July which I think is a supplier problem rather than Prima Leisure as usually they provide next day delivery.

Why on earth caravan parts take so long is anyone's guess,it's the 21st. century for heavens sake.

Don't mention  "these unprecedented times" as I am sick of hearing that one.

Now it's rant time,why can't weather forecasts at least be somewhere near the truth instead of  fantasy.

Was supposed to rain from 12md today so took the awning down a day early as it is forecast to rain all day tomorrow.

What happened ?

No rain at all, an afternoon of gloriously hot sunshine.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE WEATHER WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF ACCURACY THEN DON'T TELL US,WASTE OF BANDWITH.

Rant over.

Have suggested to the CMC that being able to pay online before your visit would cut down congestion in reception.

They seemed to think it was a good idea so we will have to see.

For those that aren't aware the NEC caravan and motorhome show in November which was announced last week has,one week later,been cancelled.

Wonder what happened in a week to make them change their minds ?

Ian

New Unicorn

If anyone is not aware,the new Unicorn range is unveiled in July.

It is live streamed on the Bailey site at 5:30pm on 14th.July.

Ian

CMC Tha Firs

 At present we are sat on the above site in a oeristent drizzle,

Cracking the flags the day we arrived two days ago but a bit gloomy since.]

A lovely site which the wardens work hard to keep so,

No Cadiz problems apart from a puddle developing on the floor in front of the fridge yesterday.

SWMBO put it down to turning the fridge down from high to low all in one jump and it seems she was right,increased ( or lowered whichever way you look at it ) and it leaks no more,presumably due to it "defrosting" too quickly.

Much interest has been shown regarding our Isabella Exlipse canopy with people stating it looks a better option than a full awning and easier to put up and dry if necessary,all in fact true.

My mobile chap can't come for a while to replace the broken blind on the middle Heki as previously blogged.

Fortunately he said it is a doddle to replace and having looked on You Tube it would seem to be so,just pull the frame off the ceiling and replace it with a new one.

The cheapest I found was Prima Leisure at fifty five pounds or so including P&P with 10% CMC discount,at least I don't have to pay call out and labour.

Will blog later when I actually replace it as they can't dispatch until 16th.July.

Ian

Satellite Dish

SWMBO was put out last night as there weren't many TV channels to watch via the satellite dish for some reason.

Why she had waited two days to tell me this remains a mystery. 

I am not the best setter up of the sat. dish but have improved since I bought a decent meter.

Thought I had a decent signal strength but obviously not enough so just had an on line read and came across LNB skew. 

( Have a read I am not going to explain it), suffice to say I altered it and got many more channels, even a couple for the more discerning gentlemen among us.

So if you are struggling with channels try altering the skew, go on then basically twisting the LNB. 

Ian

CMC Poolsbrook

 Well here we are sat on a very sunny,for a change,CMC Poolsbrook in Derbyshire surrounded by screaming kids and barking dogs.

The kids are tolerable,it is half term I suppose and it will be the first fresh air they've seen since last August,but what is it with dog owners ?

Watched one yesterday morning depositing a "parcel" right outside someone's awning,yes she picked it up but it hardly helps the toast and marmalade go down.

Of course it will never happen,too much money lost,but I would ban dogs from CMC sites.

Anyway rant over.

The Cadiz has popped up a problem in that the centre Heki roof light string has come adrift and a piece of plastic broke off in the process.

Watched a You Tube video where some chap reckoned it was an easy fix,hmmm.........

Think I will summon "my man" at some point.

Eventually I am thinking of replacing the Whale water inlet with one of the Easi-Slide ones as the flap on ours is buggered and held in place with a zip tie.

Been trying to find out if the Cadiz is a microswitched or a pressure system and it's like pulling teeth,neither Bailey or Whale will give a straight answer.

I think it is a pressure system as can't see any wires protruding from under the taps but would like to know for sure.

Everything else is fine though,bought a moisture meter a week or two back,only a cheap one so have been passing time checking for damp,as you do,happy to note it is all in the 12% or so bracket.

Anyway before I go for a walk with SWMBO a little tip,or "wrinkle" as Capt.Mainwaring says.

In my van toolbox I always carry a tube of Hard As Nails which is only a pound from Poundland.

Used it a day or so ago to fill a gap in a piece of wheel arch trim and it did an excellent job,worth keeping a tube at hand.

Anyway  off now to do some dog crap dodging around the lake.

Ian

CMC Durham Grange

Returned today from four nights at CMC Durham Grange a site we have visited many times before.

Site was fine through my eyes but SWMBO thought it looked a "bit seen into".

Some showers were open but some of the silly Covid restrictions persisted.

It is very close to the A1 so road noise can be a problem but I just zoned it out after awhile so didn't hear it.

The weather was not kind with rain,cold and wind.

There was a grumpy warden who wanted to know why I had removed the pitch marker to reverse the caravan back to hitch up without blocking the road,next time I may leave it in place and smash it to the ground.

Noticed one of the Milenco Grand Aero mirror clamps had broken which they seem to do pretty easily,this will be the third replacement,they arent cheap either at about £12 each.

The Cadiz was on its best behaviour and the new toy in the form of the on-board Floe worked a treat upon our return to storage.

Nothing else of note,let's hope the weather changes for the better in time for our next trip in a week or two.

Ian

Service and Floe Fitment

Had the van serviced today by DTH Caravan Services who did an excellent and professional job,thanks Tom.

No damp found fortunately and everything else OK.

Also had one of these bad boys fitted.

Gave it a try after the service and it did a great job of clearing water out of the pipes.

Will be excellent for colder weather trips as I will be able to blow the water out before leaving the van in storage as it only takes a few minutes instead of buggering about outside in the cold with connections to the car etc.,usually a couple of days later during which time it may freeze.

It is quite noisy though so perhaps not the thing to run at 8am on a Sunday morning prior to leaving the site.

It is NOT quite as straightforward to fit as the instructional videos would have you believe which is why I had my service man fit it.

I had it fitted vertically just to the left of the Alde boiler ( looking down on the boiler )..

If you decide to fit one here you will need to glue a piece of wood between the uprights at the top to screw it to.

It only weighs about 1Kg so isn't going to affect your payload much.

Can't understand why no manufacturer fits them as standard or at least as an option.

Usual disclaimer,nothing to do with Induratec,bought with my hard earned money,well pension.

Ian

CMC Bridlington

 At the minute we are on CMC Bridlington dodging showers in the freezing cold,thank the Lord for Alde heating.

It is a very big site and we are on the 'new' bit which by the looks of it hasn't been in use very long.

Compared to the the rest of the site it is very open and I would imagine if there is a strong wind it would bear the brunt.

All the pitches are hardstandings.

As per Castleton on the last visit there persists some rather silly,unnecessary and inconsistent Covid restrictions but enough said on that.

No problems with the Cadiz which is just as well as it is being serviced next Thursday and an interior Floe is being installed of which I will blog a review at a later date.

There is one thing though,does anyone else have a problem with the 'cheap as chips' carpets ?

We only use the front and rear ones but the backing is continuously shedding bits that look like dandruff.

I have tried hoovering them but it hasn't made any difference.

I am thinking of getting two more made up using the originals as a template.

Does anyone know how much this would cost roughly ?

Ian

Tidying Up

Whilst away in Castleton I had a rush of blood to the head and decided I was fed up with the jumble of wires on the front shelf connected to charging phones.

As I had the latest Bailey lights incorporating two USB sockets per light installed a couple of years ago I decided to use them to tidy things up a bit.

Bought a couple of 1M USB cables from E Bay,drilled a hole in each front corner shelf and brought the cables through it onto the shelf and plugged them into the rear of the lights.

Looks a much neater set up for caharging phones ( or anything else ) than a tangle of wires on the front shelf.

Still got one avialable socket per light vacant if needed.

Ian

CMC Castleton

 We are at present out on our first trip post-lockdown at CMC Castleton in the Hope Valley,Derbyshire.

To say this is the first time in the van since about the beginning of October all has gone remarkably smoothly,one exception being flooding the bathroom floor when I told SWMBO she could turn the water pump on before closing all the taps,obviously my fault.

Castleton is a lovely site that,being a 'honeypot' ,is difficult to get on to but I booked a year ago.

As far as the Covid regulations go there are a few ridiculous regulations which I don't know whether they are government or CMC inspired.

The toilet blocks are open but only three toilets availabe,no privacy cubicles and no showers.

Why,when at home,I can visit the gym daily and use the changing rooms,get a shower and even a jacuzzi but not have a shower on a campsite is beyond me.

I am sure a gym has more people through the door a day than a campsite.

No visitors allowed,'socialise off site',so it is OK to meet your friends and associate all day in the nearest village but not on site?

I enquired of the camp shop,which incidentally has virtually nothing on the shelves for some unearthly reason,if you could order a newspaper,I was told that if they handled a newspaper they couldn't touch anything else for 48hrs !!!

How the girl in the village newsagents shop goes on Lord knows,probably not eaten for a year,absolutely barmy,

One job I have undertaken is to clean the flush tank out with  a dilute Milton solution.

Put the Milton into an empty tank,fill up with water,give a short flush to clean the pump,leave for four hours,drain,refill,drain and then refill as usual.

It was amazing how many black bits came out of it,

Anyway another three days in the glorious sunshine with very cold nights to go,got down to -3/4 last night evidently.

Brought the Whale pump inside so it didn't freeze.

Ian

Flush Door Seal

 At last Prima Leisure/Thetford have sent the correct seal for the flush door.

Apparently Thetford had mislabelled all the boxes so the wrong ones were sent out.

Anyway got it swapped which only takes a minute or two,afterwards the door shuts much more firmly than previously.

I have no indication that ours was leaking but it may have been contributing to the wet floor underneath.

Having read on more than one forum that seal replacement sorted out a wet floor perhaps it is something that should be done every few years or so given the reasonable cost (about £20) and a few minutes of time.

Sorry to give you something else to worry about.

Ian

Dish N Treat

 In my weekly Caravan Times newsletter there was mention of the above which is a washing up liquid that cleans the grey water pipes as it goes down the plug hole.

Dish N Treat   ( It doesn't appear to have its own website )

Thought I would give it a go although I don't suppose I will ever really know if it works.

Perhaps won't use it every trip.perhaps every two or three,I'll see how it goes.

Got mine from E Bay at about £12 or so with free postage,don't be fooled by lower on line prices as it is a liquid and the postage costs are quite high.

Ian

Slanting Poles

Was watching another of Dan Trudgian's videos in which Isabella are demonstrating their new canopies for 2021.

Isabellia Canopies

At about 3mins 5secs the chap from Isabella has finished erecting the Loggia and he has all the supporting poles at an angle,when questioned about this he implies that it makes it more secure.

I didn't know this and thought it was worthwhile passing on to all of you who use canopies,which includes us.

Ian

Bailey Touch Up Crayon For Woodwork

Just been watcing a You Tube video by Dan Trudgian using a Bailey Touch Up Crayon for concealing dents and damage to the wooden surfaces inside the van.

Bailey Touch Up Crayon

Seems to do a good job so have ordered one ( Mendip Ash ) from Prima Leisure at the princely sum of £7.99 plus £1 for second class postage.

Not got a use for it yet but I am sure an occasion will arise.

When it does I will report back.

Ian

Wet Floor No More

Visited storage this afternoon and while there checked the floor under the van at the rear offside corner, which was previously very wet, with my damp meter. 

Very pleased to say it has dried out to 13% - 14%, in other words, dry. 

I must have done something right

Ian

I 

Alde Air Cushion

 No Alde haven't brought out an inflatable for alleviating piles.

In the latest copy of Practical Caravan there is an interesting article about how the restore the air cushion,and therefore avoiding damage,in the Alde boiler if sited for more than ten days.

Makes interesting reading and something I wasn't aware of.

Ian

Wet Rear Floor Solutions

Visited storage today to rectify the problem with the wet exterior rear floor as catalogued in previous posts.

Was heartened to note that the previously very wet floor had dried out considerably after I implemented the emergency methods posted previously to control it so presumably the water was either running down the bodywork and under the van or running down the gap where the totally useless grubby seal was,or both.

For this job I used Sikaflex 522,which is both sealant and adhesive,and was ably assisted by my neighbour Mr.Roscoe who seems to have an affinity for sealant that I do not possess.

Started with the front and rear panel gaps :-

Before

After

Then on to the rear,with pictures much the same as the front.

I had previously purchased some white 2cm x 2cm plastic angle from E Bay and used this as a "drip strip" along the bottom of the rear of the van to prevent water running underneath,secured with the Sikaflex and screws

All in all was pleased with the results and hopefully the floor will dry some more as the weather improves.

All that is left to do now as a "belt and braces" precaution is to change the seal in the toilet cassette comparment door when Bailey replace the wrong one they sent as Thetford had put it in the wrong packaging.

Ian

Shoe Holders

 I eventually managed to get up to storage today to check the van over and fit an idea that I read about somewhere a while ago.

Have found in the past that we are always tripping over shoes in the van doorway,especially if we haven't got and awning or canopy up.

Bought some collapsible coat hooks from E-Bay and fitted them just inside the door in order to hang shoes on.

Dead easy to fit but you may have to use shorter screws than the ones provided to prevent them from puncturing the fridge wall behind.

When not in use they can be folded safely out of the way.

I intend to put a spot of black paint on the screw heads so they are less noticeable.

There you are,a little lockdown project for you all.

Ian