Storing over winter (1 Viewer)

[irnbru]

Our MH will be going off the road for the winter next month. What's all the things we must do beforehand.

1.Drain the water
2.?????

 

[GJH]

http://www.gjh.me.uk/mhnotes.htm#winter

 

[jonandshell]

Its that time of year again..................


Where people have to be told they don't need to put away their van and should be getting out enjoying the peace of the countryside now the madding crowd has gone!:thumb:

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[tonka]

Loads to do... why park it up ??
Club rallies etc I just seen one for Bath with the MCC, xmas shopping first week of December.. Lovely place to visit and use the van.. Sure there are many more...

Drain and take precautions but still get some use from it :thumb:

BUT Sensible to ask advise on what to do before you get any issues.

 

[SomeoneElse]

Water: drain down all tanks, make sure you include draining the hot water heater. Leave all taps, shower etc open, if you have mixer taps set them to mid position so that both hot and cold are open.

Batteries: I find the engine battery looks after itself. But others who have extra security systems need to recharge it regularly, say every month. The leisure battery actions will depend of th storage situation. Mine is on the drive and get a EHU connected one day a month. If you store away from home best to disconnect the leisure battery and maybe bring it home for storage and maintenance charging.

Tyres and brakes: Ensure tyres are at the correct pressure before storage, check every month, well at least the first month. Ensure the handbrake is left off, block the wheels to prevent movement. Every month it advisable to move th MH to change the part of the tyre resting on the ground, a quarter of a turn will do.

Engine: I've heard tale of people who change the oil before storage so that there is nice clean oil in the engine, rather than old, dirty maybe acidic stuff. I believe that with modern oils its not necessary.

Gordon

 

[Wildbill]

Our MH will be going off the road for the winter next month. What's all the things we must do beforehand.

1.Drain the water
2.?????

winterise your MH so you can use it all year rownd motor homing is fun all year

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[SomeoneElse]

winterise your MH so you can use it all year rownd motor homing is fun all year

What does winterise mean in this context?

We use our MH every month of the year, but we still take precautions in cold weather when the MH is left for a week or three between trips.

 

[TheBig1]

if youre definitely not going to use the van for some months, remember to lift up the seat cushions to allow airflow.

also unscrew the shower head as even a small amount of water freezing in there will crack it

make certain to drain all water, especially including in the boiler. look for a drain beside it, often yellow. lift this to open and leave it up to you need to refill

 

[TheBig1]

What does winterise mean in this context?

We use our MH every month of the year, but we still take precautions in cold weather when the MH is left for a week or three between trips.

basically it means insulating the water tanks and pipes exposed below the floor of the van and possibly fitting tank heaters

many of us actually still go camping with temperatures well below freezing

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[Wildbill]

Water: drain down all tanks, make sure you include draining the hot water heater. Leave all taps, shower etc open, if you have mixer taps set them to mid position so that both hot and cold are open.

Batteries: I find the engine battery looks after itself. But others who have extra security systems need to recharge it regularly, say every month. The leisure battery actions will depend of th storage situation. Mine is on the drive and get a EHU connected one day a month. If you store away from home best to disconnect the leisure battery and maybe bring it home for storage and maintenance charging.

Tyres and brakes: Ensure tyres are at the correct pressure before storage, check every month, well at least the first month. Ensure the handbrake is left off, block the wheels to prevent movement. Every month it advisable to move th MH to change the part of the tyre resting on the ground, a quarter of a turn will do.

Engine: I've heard tale of people who change the oil before storage so that there is nice clean oil in the engine, rather than old, dirty maybe acidic stuff. I believe that with modern oils its not necessary.

Gordon

i personaly woul just use it once a month and just dran down when finised
if it is out side your home just put sum frost protection in it but that's me i never stop usin my van

 

[simsy56]

What I am doing this winter to my trailer is to fill up the gas tanks, half fill the water tank, take it to Portsmouth, and board the ferry to Spain. That should keep the frost away until about next april, when I will check to see if it safe to return to the UK.

Craig

 

[Wildbill]

What does winterise mean in this context?

We use our MH every month of the year, but we still take precautions in cold weather when the MH is left for a week or three between trips.

Lag any exposed water pipes under the van bit of heat in to the gas locker to stop your gas freezing ensure you take a bucket with you the let your grey water drain in to so it doesn’t freeze up in the tank lag your external tanks or if they are under seat lockers if you have blown air hating use sum 1.5in duckting I used old hover hose to divert a bit of the heed to gas locker water tank storage job done
Additional leisure battery for those long winter nights
Then after you finish with your van for the weekend just dump the water drain the system taps open drains open job done
Additional winter provisions


Beer whisky fags :thumb:

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[irnbru]

winterise your MH so you can use it all year rownd motor homing is fun all year

We might have done but I have 2 trips to Spain and 2 cruises to fit in before the end of the year. All were planned before the MH came along.

Scotland in the beginning of the year isn't the warmest of climates.

Next year we will head south to Europe.

 

[mitzimad]

wedge the fridge door open or it will be black with mold by spring

 

[pamella]

if youre definitely not going to use the van for some months, remember to lift up the seat cushions to allow airflow.

also unscrew the shower head as even a small amount of water freezing in there will crack it

make certain to drain all water, especially including in the boiler. look for a drain beside it, often yellow. lift this to open and leave it up to you need to refill

our water heater doesnt work at the moment.we are undecided as to whether or not repair/replace it.however,whatever we do it wont be untill next year.so i am looking and looking and looking for this drain down valve near the boiler.i cannot see it for love nor money.we have a truma boiler-black-1988 on the sticker.any ideas where it could be or did it ever have one?

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[camocam1]

Plan to use ours over the winter and just trying to decide where to go for Hogmanay, its between Grantown-on-spey street party, the new Loch ness shore site for a quite time or Aviemore to high range and an organised event.
Scotland may not be the warmest place in the winter but even with limited sites open we still plan to be out and about at weekends