Caravan Winterisation Tips – How to winterise your caravan?

So your staycations have come to an end for the season, and you’re looking to prepare your caravan ready for storage during the cold winter period. Well we have some caravan winterisation tips on how to make sure your caravan is totally winterised for the cold spell ahead so there are no unwanted mishaps when you go back on your travels.

There are lots of things you can do to ensure that everything is in good working order for the following season. Some of the important items on your winterisation list is to make sure you drain down your water systems. However, we have compiled a master list of all of the top tips of winterising your caravan from start to finish.

Top Caravan Winterisation Tips:

Servicing

• Arrange a Habitation Service – One of the best ways to make sure everything is in tip top condition is to have an annual caravan service carried out to highlight any defects before putting your caravan into storage. Autumn/winter is the best time to have a service as it gives you time to fix any issues without having to rush for any holidays you have planned. Although, your service schedule may not be fall during the autumn / winter period.

Plumbing Winterisation Tips

Draining down your caravan is one of the most important parts of winterising your caravan. With the winter weather as you’d expect, water can freeze and cause potential damage to pipes and appliances. Not to forget the possibility of leaks and flooding. Below you can see some instructions on how to drain down your caravan thoroughly.

• Open & Remove Shower Head – Dismantle and remove the shower head and shake away any excess water within the pipe. Depending on the type of shower head it may not be removable, so open the shower valves and shake the pipes to remove as much water as you can.
• Open All Water Taps – Open up all of the taps and as for mixer taps, ensure the lever is in the central position to allow both cold and hot water to drain.
• Open All Drain Valves & Remove Plugs – Make sure all drain valves are open to remove excess water from any pipes to prevent the pipes from freezing up during winter. Make sure plugs are removed on water and waste tanks to help drain and air out.
• Open The Safety Drain Valve Next To Water Heater (Likely To Have A Yellow Handle) – To ensure everything is thoroughly drained and to prevent any frost damage open the safety drain valve to completely drain the water system within the caravan.
• Drain Portable Water Containers E.g. AquaRolls – Remove lids and allow to dry out to prevent it from going mouldy with stale water.
• Remove Any Filters And Wash – Remove and wash water filters ready for the new season.
• Take Your Caravan For A Ride – One effective way to completely drain down your caravan is to take it for a ride. To get the last drops of water to leave the system, leave the drainage point open whilst your driving but be aware, it is illegal to discharge water on the highway.

Electrical

Depending on if you have the privilege of storing your caravan where you can hook up your caravan to mains electrics or not, depends on what the best course of action is when storing your caravan. Especially, if your caravan needs power to operate an alarm or tracker.

Connecting Your Caravan To Mains Electrics:

• Connect The Leisure Battery – Make sure your battery is connected and the fuses all work to make sure the mains electrics are charging the leisure battery. Otherwise, depending on the type of battery you use, the battery can deplete if it falls below a certain voltage, which could require a new replacement.

Not Connecting Your Caravan To Mains Electrics:

If you have no access to electrics, and your caravan needs electrics to power items such as alarms and trackers (Which are items that may be stipulated to be in operation by your insurance company) then we would recommend either one of the following points to make sure that these continue to operate and your battery doesn’t deplete..

• Install A Solar Panel – Installing a solar panel can help trickle charge your battery during the winter period. Even during the darker days it can generate enough energy to ensure that your alarm remains in operation.
• Charge Your Battery – Every so often charge your battery when you can. However, the disadvantage of this would be that you would have periods of time where your caravan wouldn’t have a battery connected so your alarms or trackers may be deactivated, causing your caravan to be uninsured subject to your insurance policy.
• Buy A Spare Battery – One way to get around charging your battery and leaving your caravan without one at all, is to buy a spare battery. That way you’re able to remove the current battery and swap it for the fully charged one, take the other one home and charge it. Then repeat the process when it’s time to swap them again. We’d recommend checking the battery monthly.

If you’re caravan doesn’t require the battery to be connected at all, then disconnect the battery and store it in a safe dry place. However, make sure the battery is charged periodically to maximise its lifespan.

Gas Systems

• Close or Disconnect Gas Cylinders = To prevent any gas leaks whilst your away, turn off the gas cylinder or disconnect the regulator altogether. If you’re disconnecting the gas regulator, ensure that you have something to cover the open pipes to prevent anything going in and causing a blockage.

Toilet Winterisation Tips

• Drain The Toilet Flush – To prevent any potential opportunity for frost, drain the toilet flush by using the black valve that sit just above the toilet cassette.
• Remove and Clean Your Toilet Cassette – One thing you wouldn’t want to leave going fusty is the toilet cassette. Remove your toilet cassette, clean it thoroughly and make sure it is dried out before putting it back in.
• Clean & Leave The Valve Blade Partially Open – Clean and wipe down the valve blade that is the obstruction between the toilet and the waste cassette. Make sure the blade is partially opened when storing to prevent it from sticking shut. Apply a non-adhesive lubricant to the seal if you desire.
• Do Not Tighten Caps – Leave the spout cap loose on the cassette or remove altogether to prevent it from sticking shut.

Exterior Winterisation Tips

• Clean & Check The Body Work – It’s good to give your caravan a once over before you put it into storage. That way you can also check the caravans bodywork to make sure there aren’t any openings where water ingress may occur or even worse, some furry friends.
• Close Windows, Skylights & Access Doors – Make sure all windows, access doors and skylights are closed and secured to prevent any water ingress or unwanted critters.
• Inflate and Rotate The Tyres – Make sure that every so often you rotate the tyres to a different position, ideally every 6 to 8 weeks. Tyres being left stationary for long periods of time can cause the tyre to become misshaped. Make sure your tyres are inflated properly so the tyres don’t crack whilst they’re stood.
• If You Have Solar Panels, Clean Them – If your caravan has been under trees during your holidays, it may have gathered some dirt or debris. To maximise as much of the limited daylight in the winter you should make sure the solar panels are removed from anything that might obstruct light.
• Secure Your Caravan – Make sure your caravan is safe and secure with the addition of hitch-locks or/and wheel locks. Just like alarms and trackers, some insurance providers may stipulate security locks to validate the warranty.
• Put All Four Corner Steadies Down & Release The Handbrake – It’s important to release the handbrake to prevent it from sticking, so we suggest you put all four corner steadies down. Utilise chocks if required.
• Cover Up – There is a lot of speculation on whether caravan covers are good or not. The short answer is they are great if they’re breathable and fits securely. A poorly fitted cover can damage the bodywork and non-breathable covers can encourage mould or mildew. However, if you get the right one they’re perfect for protecting your caravan from animal droppings, dirt or debris, especially if you’re storing your caravan near trees. If you’re opting for a caravan cover then try using a cover that doesn’t obstruct the solar panel, if you have one.

Interior Winterisation Tips

The key objective when it comes to preparing the inside of your caravan, is to make it free from any obstructions, so air can easily circulate throughout the caravan. If you’re not going to use the caravan for several months then you want to make sure it is well ventilated to prevent the chances of mould or mildew.

Here are some interior caravan winterisation tips to achieve this…

• Give It A Spring (Winter) Clean – Packing the caravan up for storage is the perfect time to give it one last clean before the season ends. Not only should you clean it so it’s ready for when you pick it up again, but it’s also a good opportunity to clean and check cupboards for any perishable items left behind that might fester during the winter.
• Leave Doors Ajar – Once you’ve cleaned out your fridge and cupboards, make sure you keep the doors ajar to circulate the air through the caravan to prevent any mildew.
• Keep Cushions Upright – It is best practice to leave your cushions standing upright away from the caravan walls. Ideally in the footwell rather than on the seating area.
• Open Fixed Beds – Most fixed beds have under bed storage, to aid circulation keep the bed in it’s upright position, however, use something that can temporarily support the bed so the weight of the bed isn’t putting strain on the gas struts.
• Leave All Blinds Open – People think they should close the blinds for security reasons, however, blinds that use any kind of spring mechanism, if closed can stretch over time and cause the strings to become slack and not work efficiently. To prevent theft we recommend using a breathable, well fitted caravan cover. Otherwise, consider using cardboard to cover the windows.

So there you have it, your caravan is all prepped and future-proofed for the winter. Now you can look forward the new season ahead. If you’re still looking for a place to store your caravan then take a look at CaSSOA website to find the best and local places near you to store your caravan.