Well as we had to cancel our holiday at Berwick CMC site this week due to my bad back going into overdrive we thought we may as well pack things up for winter as we are busy up to well into December and then it is of course the horror of Ch******s.
For the information of perhaps less experienced caravanners this is what I have done:
1. Water drained off using a Floe.
2.Wheels removed and replaced with winter wheels ( wheels now cleaned up and safely stored in our garage,tyres in very good nick I noted ).
3.All internal locker and cupboard doors left open to facilitate air circulation.
4.Toilet cassette removed,taken home and now full of cassette cleaner.
5.Locker,door and window seals treated with rubber lubricant.
6.All foodstuffs and liquids removed.
7.Check gas turned off.
8.All locks treated with lubricant.
9.Seat cushions and mattresses lifted so air can circulate.
10.Solar panel cleaned to make the most of any winter sunshine.
11.Battery swapped over for a fresh one ( not strictly necessary but as I have a second battery thought I might as well then I can put the removed one on the C-Tek at home ).
12. Wooden panel that covers the laundry basket in the wardrobe removed so air can circulate.
13.Taps left half-way and open so if there is a drop of water left in it's got somewhere to expand to.
14.Sink plugs left in to keep spiders out,waste pipe covers closed.
15.Handbrake left OFF ( It always is but I thought it worth mentioning ).
16.Jockey wheel removed and stored in van ( just the wheel not the whole caboodle ).
I am sure others can add to the list but the above should see you safely through winter,that is of course if you are not using it through winter and I know lots of people do.
As our van is in storage we are not able to keep an eye on it on a day to day basis so it has to be left in a safe winter state for the upcoming winter weather.
Hope this might have helped.
Ian
For the information of perhaps less experienced caravanners this is what I have done:
1. Water drained off using a Floe.
2.Wheels removed and replaced with winter wheels ( wheels now cleaned up and safely stored in our garage,tyres in very good nick I noted ).
3.All internal locker and cupboard doors left open to facilitate air circulation.
4.Toilet cassette removed,taken home and now full of cassette cleaner.
5.Locker,door and window seals treated with rubber lubricant.
6.All foodstuffs and liquids removed.
7.Check gas turned off.
8.All locks treated with lubricant.
9.Seat cushions and mattresses lifted so air can circulate.
10.Solar panel cleaned to make the most of any winter sunshine.
11.Battery swapped over for a fresh one ( not strictly necessary but as I have a second battery thought I might as well then I can put the removed one on the C-Tek at home ).
12. Wooden panel that covers the laundry basket in the wardrobe removed so air can circulate.
13.Taps left half-way and open so if there is a drop of water left in it's got somewhere to expand to.
14.Sink plugs left in to keep spiders out,waste pipe covers closed.
15.Handbrake left OFF ( It always is but I thought it worth mentioning ).
16.Jockey wheel removed and stored in van ( just the wheel not the whole caboodle ).
I am sure others can add to the list but the above should see you safely through winter,that is of course if you are not using it through winter and I know lots of people do.
As our van is in storage we are not able to keep an eye on it on a day to day basis so it has to be left in a safe winter state for the upcoming winter weather.
Hope this might have helped.
Ian
Thanks Ian. A timely reminder to us all.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that everybody has their own pet way of doing things ie
2. I jack up the caravan and leave it blocked up (with a simple cover over the wheels)
7. I remove gas canisters and leave them in the garage
9. All furnishing is removed and left indoors in spare bedroom (lucky one of my daughters has flown the nest)
16. Mine is a solid tyre hence I dont touch it
I have not come across the Floe device, so a bit of investigation is called for (I drain down and physically blow down each tap to remove residual water but a faff that i would like to avoid).
I really like the way that you constantly learn something new regarding caravanning (techniques and new equipment) - your Blog spot is really helpful in alerting us and sharing experiences - very many thanks.
While I am 'on' - the lock-n-level caravan leveling device is brilliantly easy to use and works a treat. Now had mine for nearly 2 years after you alerted me to it - to me it is as essential as a caravan battery!!