Winterising Your Van

Winterising Your Van

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The winter months can draw on and if you have not ensured your van is ready for the frost and months of idleness then
you could be facing big problems and even expensive repair bills. I have listed a few simple pointers to help your
winter pass as trouble free as possible.

The first two sections below (Internal Pre-Winter Guide-lines and External Pre-Winter Guide-lines) should be followed if
you are not going to be using your van during the winter, the last section (Care for your van if using over the winter
period) should be followed if you plan to carry on using it throughout the colder months.

Internal Pre-Winter Guide-lines

1. The Water System – completely drain the hot and cold water system in the van, you can do this by ensuring all the
     taps are open and removing the drain plug, normally on the outside of the van (see owners handbook). This process
     can take up to an hour so please be patient. A good time to drain the system is before you leave your last outing of
     the year, the journey home should ensure all water is drained. Once back ensure that the bung is replaced in the
     drain plugs but leave the taps open, to stop the build up of pressure in the system.

2. If your van has a water filter fitted either fully remove it or leave a note to replace it next season. If you fit the new
one before the winter period it could get damp and damaged by the frost.

3. Drain all water carriers completely and leave the plugs off to avoid unwanted smells.

4. The Toilet – Completely drain the water holding tank into the cassette and remove the cassette for draining and
     cleaning. Once the cassette is fully cleaned out and rinsed use Thetford’s Maintenance Spray or similar to coat the
     cassette seal and blade. This will help avoid corrosion over the winter months
     (this is available from your local   dealers).
     Using alternative chemicals may result in permanent damage to the seals. Leave the blade open to avoid sticking,
     this also helps prevent the cassette from being stolen.

5. Plug all water inlets and waste outlets to avoid smell and creepy crawlies coming in.

6. To take care of your upholstery, remove all cushions, pillows and bedding and if possible, store them in your home.
If not remove the seats and back cushions and place them, end on end in the centre walkway of the caravan.

7. Open all internal doors and cupboards to allow the air to circulate.

8. Thoroughly clean out all cupboards and ensure that no crumbs, opened packets remain in the van. Storing tinned
foods and non-perishable items should be OK over winter.

9. Thoroughly clean the fridge/freezer with bicarb of soda or anti-bacterial liquid. Leave the door propped open to
avoid pressure build up and a stagnant smell.

10. Ensure all windows and vents are locked shut and unobstructed and are secure from mice, spiders etc. Close all
blinds/curtains for extra security.

11. Remove your leisure battery if you can and keep the charge topped up every 5-6 weeks, please note if you van has
an alarm these normally are run off their own separate batteries, so removal of the leisure battery should not affect
the security, (you will need to check out your own van to ensure this is the case)

12. If you can remove all gas cylinders do so and store in an adequately ventilated location. If not ensure that all
cylinders are fully turned off and the gas compartment is locked. Remember when storing Butane gas, it begins to
freeze at temperatures below 4 degrees C. Propane does not.

13. Multi-pin plug sockets should be protected from the weather, but not fully sealed as this can encourage
condensation. Some moisture repellent sprays, such as WD 40 can damage plastics so we suggest a Tri-Flo
product or Vaseline applied around the sockets.

14. If the radio is of the removable type, take it out over winter and store in the house.

15. Carry out periodic inspections of your van over winter to ensure that no damp is in the van and to ensure it is
holding out against the frost.

External Pre-Winter Guide-lines

1. You can increase the tyre life, suspension and the running gear on your van if you take the weight off the wheels for
     just a few weeks of the year. To do this support the axles with axles stands and remove the wheels and bolts for
     storage (Please note some insurance companies may not cover this in the policy).
     If this is done store the wheels out of direct sunlight and in a place where contact with oils and greases is avoided
     and cover with natural materials such as Hessian, not plastic.

2. If your van is fitted with shock absorbers clean the rods and coat in Vaseline, don’t forget to remove the Vaseline at
the beginning of next season.

3. Ensure that the handbrake is left off, to avoid the drums sticking.

4. Ensure that the awning is washed and clean and completely dry before storing for winter, if you do not do this it
could result in mouldy patches on the awning, or worse. It is better to store the awning in the house rather than the
van if you can.

5. Thoroughly cleaning and polish your van makes it easier after winter to keep the van looking shiny. There are many
     products on the market to use and a suggestion is Fenwick’s Over-wintering. Using a product like this or similar
     protects your caravan during winter storage, it helps to protect against algae, mould, fungus, airborne pollutants,
     acid rain and bird lime.

6. You can cover your van and if you do this use a breathable cover because if it is not, the cover will do more harm
than good.

7. Coat window seals with olive oil to help prevent subsequent sticking.

Care for your van if using over the winter period

1. At the end of each outing always drain the water system, toilet system and water heater. Remove the water filter as
damp can turn to frost and cause permanent damage to the filter.

2. If you wish to leave water in the system over winter use pipe lagging to protect the water pipes.

3. As Butane Gas freezes at below 4 degrees C, you must use Propane.

4. Keep the leisure battery charged and if in the same place for long periods, move the electric hook up cable to avoid
it freezing.

5. Ensure that all mechanical parts of the van are in top working order, including the brakes, the jockey wheel, the
levellers, handbrake etc.

6. Ensure any moving parts are well oiled and maintained.