Using the MH over Winter (1 Viewer)

[MHVirgins]

We have noticed a few threads on here regarding "getting your van ready for winter storage".
Are there any other users out there who actually do use their vans over the winter, as their sole vehicle whilst staying in the UK only. Because we would like to use ours all year round and don't intend to store it away over the winter.
Can anyone offer any advice or tips for use of the van throughout the winter months?

 

[grasscutter]

We love the winter months and certainly use our van. There are loads of sites open all year and also find wild camping easier at this time. Its for times like this that you have heating in the van. Nothing better than waking up on a cold crisp morning and watching the dawn break whilst laying in a warm bed with a cuppa. Use it and enjoy :thumb:

 

[JockandRita]

We have noticed a few threads on here regarding "getting your van ready for winter storage".
Are there any other users out there who actually do use their vans over the winter, as their sole vehicle whilst staying in the UK only. Because we would like to use ours all year round and don't intend to store it away over the winter.
Can anyone offer any advice or tips for use of the van throughout the winter months?

Hi there,

It's not our sole vehicle, but Rita and I use our MH all year round, as it's build construction was designed for. We do still drain everything down, etc, in between weekends away, as to not do so, would cause untold damage should temperatures drop far enough.

If it is on the driveway, we use a small oil filled radiator, plugged into a timer during extreme weather conditions. If we have to return it to storage, it's never there for more than a fortnight, and with 2 x large solar panels on the roof, the batteries are getting a charge, providing the panels are not covered in snow of course.

In our opinion, the worst thing anyone can do to a MH, is lay it up for winter, without any use at all.

HTH,

Jock. & Rita.

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[Ralph-n-Bev]

Our motorhome is not the sole vehicle but we do use it all year round most weekends , and in any school holidays.
The Mizar TC is fully winterized , has webasto diesel heating so all the habitation bit gets and stays as hot as you want when driving around. We too love waking up toasty warm , in a farmers field preferably , with nobody about but us on a really cold frosty morning.
Getting wrapped up and going out for a long walk with the kids and dogs ending up in a village pub with an open fire for lunch is our favorite pastime .
We too drain everything down after our trips and keep the taps open and have the solar panel on the roof keeping the Trojans topped up. Sometimes we even go out in it for 1 night going after work on a Friday to have a full day Saturday somewhere then back home , for tea . This keeps the kids happy too , as now they are getting older they can they do something with their pals then.

 

[Gooney]

We love the winter months and certainly use our van. There are loads of sites open all year and also find wild camping easier at this time. Its for times like this that you have heating in the van. Nothing better than waking up on a cold crisp morning and watching the dawn break [HI]whilst laying in a warm bed with a cuppa.[/HI] Use it and enjoy :thumb:

Depends on who has to get out of the nice 'warm bed' to make the cuppa

 

[Chris]

I think I prefer using it in winter. We have underfloor heating and it's lovely getting out of bed in bare feet and feeling the warm floor.:thumb:

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[Larrynwin]

Yes we will use ours , too much of a waste just standing in the drive and the winter can be beautiful wherever you are :thumb:

 

[jezport]

That's what motorhoming is all about for us, we keep ours at home and keep it ready to go all year round, if the weather is freezing we either leave the heating set on low or drain the water for longer periods of freezing weather.

 

[Dodgey]

Practice drain down and fills, winter use means a few but it's doesn't take long and as others have said, winter in the van can't be beat:thumb:

Our Winne whilst well insulated, double glazed and with a serious heater on board, though winter usually means go EHU and just use a little fan heater and oil rad, has external grey and black tanks, so freeze ups happen we just plan for them and try best to manage. I have a cunning plan for this but time will tell, or to put it another way, fully winterised would be nice but it doesn't stop us having a great time, site's quieter, and you meet a different group of people in the winter too, and as other also say, waking up on crisp frosty mornings away from brick and morter, awsome, better with lashings of snow though:thumb:

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[GJH]

If anyone is in the market for an oil filled radiator, Lidl have one in their specials from Monday 24th October. See Broken Link Removed.

 

[dylan]

Glad op posted this thread, I have never understood why folk don't use them in the winter. You pay mega bucks for the vehicles and then stand them up for 6 months, perhaps someone will tell me why. We do get quite a few on site in the winter and some caravans so obviously there are folk that do want all year round sites with hardstanding. Understood if sites are all grass and wet but plenty of sites have hard pitches. Agree with some funsters that winter can be beautiful so why not enjoy

 

[novawight]

Practice drain down and fills, winter use means a few but it's doesn't take long and as others have said, winter in the van can't be beat:thumb:

Our Winne whilst well insulated, double glazed and with a serious heater on board, though winter usually means go EHU and just use a little fan heater and oil rad, has external grey and black tanks, so freeze ups happen we just plan for them and try best to manage. I have a cunning plan for this but time will tell, or to put it another way, fully winterised would be nice but it doesn't stop us having a great time, site's quieter, and you meet a different group of people in the winter too, and as other also say, waking up on crisp frosty mornings away from brick and morter, awsome, better with lashings of snow though:thumb:

Brrrrrrrrr................

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[Wildman]

Fulltimeing in a winterised van is no different to summer however occasional use requires some thought. I am lucky enought to visit my van every day and use it occasionally in the winter. I Keep a bottle of water in the shower tray and one on the worktop. if they freeze then I drain my well insulated tanks. I then manage with bottled water when away as the temp in the van rises when in use. The waste gets drained and stopcock left open with a bucket underneath. If it freezes it is easy to tip out a block of ice from a bucket. Remember to fit winter covers to fridge vents and waterheater vents (and don't use the water heater). Replacing frozen waterpumps and waterheaters is an expencive game. Don't forget to drain shower hoses as well.

 

[lorger]

We use ours all winter and have actually spent the last 3 new years in it, even had a BBQ for the bells at -9 2 years ago. Our van being the same make as yours so will be very similar, while away in it and its really cold we only put a small amount of water in the tank we always turn the pump off before going to bed just in case something happens. Our waste tank we drain down as we use it into a bucket to save it freezing.

Inside van if on site we have a small fan heater that we leave on a low setting. Some of the best days we have had are during winter months waking up to glorious sunshine with snow on the hills at Loch Lomond.

There again you might not get your van back for the winter at this rate

 

[motorhomelover]

WE use ore RV all year you just have to drain the system if not in use
as ours is not on site at home we can not leave it on EHU so drop all water and open taps incase of frost

use red propane not blue bottle butane as it can stop gassing so no gas for heating or cooking
make sure all your pipes are lagged we have under locker heaters so no worry of freezing /leaking pipes

get away and enjoy your MH in winter it can be great fun

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[tomm]

Dont think it even entered our heads not to use the M/H over the winter months, as it would be a damned expensive ornament if it was sitting doing nothing for months on end .

Learning the hard way on a few things mind you.

Parking up on what seemed at the time to be firm base grass , having to be towed off (courtesy of friendly CL owner) . Amazing how quickly those bread crates were sourced and adapted . As well as hard standing park up.............Using butane, spent a bl***y cold night when it froze . Lesson learned ,promptly shifted over to propane.........Some other minor daft learning as we go stuff. All more than made up for , by being in some glorious settings with stunning winter views .And no regimented rows of white boxes around.

 

[Touchwood]

We will definitely be using Rosie over the winter, for trips out and probably also some overnight stops. I'm resigned to having to drain down between trips and maybe not use the tanks - no big deal.

Two questions: -

How do I drain down the cassette toilet flush tank? I haven't looked and it may be obvious but I cant remember seeing anything in the way of a drain - do I just keep flushing 'til it's all gone?

I need some 'fridge vent covers - where will I get them, and are they a standard size or do I need to know the make/model of the 'fridge?

 

[MHVirgins]

Many thanks to everyone who has posted replies on this subject, it's good to hear everyone's response to this. We were advised when we bought the van that it is meant to be used and kept on the go, not to be laid up for months on end. It appears that more mechanical problems will be caused by laying it up, so yes, we will need to have a go at draining everything down, let's hope we don't get too bad a winter, last year was pretty bad in some areas of the UK.
Love the idea of waking up and sitting with a cup of tea/coffee, especially if it's been brought in by someone else!

Touchwood - would you get winter covers for your fridge from your nearest dealer? Like you, we haven't figured out how to drain down the flusher:Blush:

Gerry - fingers crossed we will get the van back before too long.:Angry: