Winterising...what is involved ? (1 Viewer)

[milesofsmiles]

Hello,
I have noticed throughout the forum references made to "Winterising"...I assume this is making things warmer for bad weather, but what exactly can be done...
We are thinking of a few nights away, def September and maybe October...but would we need to prepare in any special way??
For reference we have a Swift Royale....Old but only done 14k...and we love it...

 

[slobadoberbob]

winterising is when some of us close the vehicle down

Hello,
I have noticed throughout the forum references made to "Winterising"...I assume this is making things warmer for bad weather, but what exactly can be done...
We are thinking of a few nights away, def September and maybe October...but would we need to prepare in any special way??
For reference we have a Swift Royale....Old but only done 14k...and we love it...

Perhaps it has two meanings:Sad: But winterising to me is taking off the items I will not use ... closing the RV (Yank - motorhome) down... draining the water from the hot water boiler and out of the water tanks and pipes, opening the taps.... closing the LPG fridge/freezer down and cleaning the fridge out and setting the door wedges to keep air going around... opening the cupboards... setting up the dehumidifier (setting it to timer mode)... set a mouse trap may be.

But it normally means closing down the vehicle for a few months...

Bob

 

[milesofsmiles]

Oh I see....
I thought it meant...make sure there are plenty of warm clothes on board, hats, gloves, scarves, plenty of hot chocolate in the cupboards, warmer quilts etc....
Oh I have a lot to learn...

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[slobadoberbob]

well I suppose it could mean that

Oh I see....
I thought it meant...make sure there are plenty of warm clothes on board, hats, gloves, scarves, plenty of hot chocolate in the cupboards, warmer quilts etc....
Oh I have a lot to learn...

Well I suppose it could mean that... but then I have already closed my RV down for the winter (unless it sells)... last year it was closed down from end of September until Peterborough mud bath in the spring... around 6 months.

BUT I know a lot of motor home owners that use there motor homes all year round... we used to do that ourselves 25 years back in an RV... found the european motor homes were to cold.

But if you do use them in the winter, make sure you have dealt with the risk of frozen water and pipes etc., and read the post about not using the cooker to generate heat.. sound words.

Bob

 

[johnp10]

Oh I see....
I thought it meant...make sure there are plenty of warm clothes on board, hats, gloves, scarves, plenty of [HI]hot chocolate [/HI]in the cupboards, warmer quilts etc....
Oh I have a lot to learn...

Should read "hot toddies".

 

[milesofsmiles]

Wise words Bob thank you..

Hot toddies???....ummm not met any of you yet, but suffice to say a whiff of the barmaids apron and I am not responsible for my actions........so a few Hot tods and I would be out of it for the evening.....and no that is not a challenge....

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[Chris]

BUT I know a lot of motor home owners that use there motor homes all year round... we used to do that ourselves 25 years back in an RV... found the european motor homes were to cold.



Bob

You should have tried a Burstner Bob.

The under floor heating keeps your tootsies toasty whatever the weather.

 

[Heyupluv]

Hello,
I have noticed throughout the forum references made to "Winterising"...I assume this is making things warmer for bad weather, but what exactly can be done...
We are thinking of a few nights away, def September and maybe October...but would we need to prepare in any special way??
For reference we have a Swift Royale....Old but only done 14k...and we love it...

It can mean many things.....some like Bob has mentioned,... the other is about European Motorhomes being winterised....many of the new European Motorhomes like ours have double floors with a gap of about 12" in between, and water tanks inboard (inside the motorhome) all the pipes inside the motorhome, heater pipes running around the van to stop items freezing up....the Motorhome we have at the moment has wet central heating like in your house...these pipes run under the floor in the garage so all is warm.....But other motorhomes that do not have double floor...they will insulate the pipes and tank ..that are exterior to stop freezing......as most of the funsters will use there motorhome all year round...like we do

Mel

 

[GJH]

I always thought "winterised", in technical terms, referred to the amount and quality of insulation fitted by the manufacturer to enable usage in cold temperatures.

Having said that we used our Autoquest successfully year round, including frost and snow on the ground, without freezing up. We used to use an oil filled radiator overnight in cold conditions (obviously only when on EHU).

We intend to use the Burstner year round and, indeed, did use it in some cold conditions after we first got it in February. We left the water heater on its lower setting overnight, when necessary, to avoid the risk of the automatic dump valve opening because of the cold.

I agree with Bob regarding draining down the water system when the van is not in use and opening cupboards/lockers (plus lifting seat cushions) to help prevent condensation. One tip (thanks to Don Madge) is to remove the shower head and blow down the flexible pipe to help empty it of water.

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[vwalan]

i always think it means stocking up with those nice yhings you might like and getting off to warmer climates .
is that not winterising . even the birds do it . thought the last few months were winter ,ha ha .
go on get over to spain .free bbq,s near marbella at the moment . they tell me its toasting .

 

[Heyupluv]

What BOB has been on about is shutting/closing down the motorhome for the winter, draining off, removing bedding, cushions,food, allowing an air flow around the van..lifting bed up to allow air to circulate..this is important do not shut up air vents...always allow air movement....some put the crystal type de-humidifiers in the van...or just ordinary salt in bowls to take out the moisture in the air...DONT forget to empty the crystals and salt of water every now and again

 

[Heyupluv]

These are the crystal de-humidifiers...it needs NO electricy...just leave them to extract the moisture if the van is stood over winter.

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This is a top up bag of crystals

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Or like I said a bowl of normal salt.or a large glass jam jar.

Mel

JUST don't forget to empty them or they will overflowoh:

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[magicsurfbus]

Definitely drain the water system right down - I've lost two pumps over winter forgetting to do that properly. A service engineer suggested wrapping loft lagging around the pump over winter to make double sure.

Might I also suggest putting mouse bait boxes in your engine bay so the little buggers don't try to hibernate in there and make a nest out of your engine insulation, as they've tried to do in mine when it's in storage.

If your van is stored away from home your engine battery may go flat over winter if you don't drive the van regularly. If your leisure battery is connected to a solar panel, consider linking the leisure battery to the cab battery via a split relay charger to keep the engine battery topped up. Discharging is not a good thing for battery life and condition.

Not so long ago temperatures in our neck of the woods hit -16 and my undrained water tank inside my 'winterised' MH became solid ice. Fortunately the pipes held out. I won't be making that mistake again.

And finally, after that especially severe winter a crack was discovered in the solid brass casing of a gauge in my gas system - it wasn't there before the winter, and a lot of gas escaped before it was discovered, which was costly, and potentially not nice. One of the reason why regular habitation checks by qualified people are a good thing.

 

[Heyupluv]

It can mean many things.....some like Bob has mentioned,... the other is about European Motorhomes being winterised....many of the new European Motorhomes like ours have double floors with a gap of about 12" in between, and water tanks inboard (inside the motorhome) all the pipes inside the motorhome, heater pipes running around the van to stop items freezing up....the Motorhome we have at the moment has wet central heating like in your house...these pipes run under the floor in the garage so all is warm.....But other motorhomes that do not have double floor...they will insulate the pipes and tank ..that are exterior to stop freezing......as most of the funsters will use there motorhome all year round...like we do

Mel

Just a correction to my reply above...it should have said....many of the old and new European Motorhomes like ours have double floors with a gap of about 12" in between


Its called a age thing...well that's what I call itoh:.....others may call it going senile,senility, gaga, going Daftoh:......sorry.....Just Ahhhhh then I know you understand and you have it tooooo

Mel

 

[Chris]

We try to use ours every 2 or 3 weeks in the winter even if it's only at the site where we store it.

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[camocam1]

When van is shut down for the winter does anyone / everyone put a cover on it ???

 

[joner8888]

We started in January and used it all through the winter most weekends.
I park it inside all year so it won`t freeze.
If it goes -5 or more, we whimp out :thumb:

 

[missbusybusy]

Hi we used ours all winter at weekends even in the snow and did nothing but kept the pipes and the tanks free from water during the week between use, we left all the taps open when drained, the plastic pipes are fantastic with no issues, the only thing was the auto drain for the water heater kept opening if cold, but if we left the door open to it and let the warmer air circulate we had no more problems, either on EHU or with the blown hot air heaters, every thing was ok, just enjoy we did

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[Mavis]

Dont forget-- if you dont use the M/H through the winter-- to move it now and again or jack the wheels off the ground or the tryre walls will weaken -usually the cause of blow outs on the motorway.
Also some people store at farms and in barns so check for mice now and again as they do a lot of damage.

We use ours through out the winter though as there is always a rally to go to but we dont always fill the tank up with water and make do for a weekend with fresh water from a tap and kettles for hot water.
Often wondered if we are being silly and should fill up the tank but dont want to freeze up.

 

[missbusybusy]

as long as you leave room for expansion the plastic tank would have to be left a very long time to split due to the cold,