Caravan and motorhome club storage!!!

[bluesurf989]

Our Hymer is in storage at a c&mc site and we havent been able to go down and check on the moho since lockdown. Its getting crucial now that i check to make sure all is ok. is anybody else in this situation and concerned?

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

Ours is in isolation in storage and I'm not concerned. What will be, will be.

 

[Interceptor]

Hi blue
Can't you ring the facility and ask if it all looks fine from the outside.
I thought they offered an EHU to keep things ticking over.
As two of us
Has said?
Probably best not to dwell on it to much?

 

[Wh05apk]

Our Hymer is in storage at a c&mc site and we havent been able to go down and check on the moho since lockdown. Its getting crucial now that i check to make sure all is ok. is anybody else in this situation and concerned?

What's crucial?

 

[bigtwin]

What's crucial?

I wondered that too.

Ian

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[Stewart J]

Crucial for me if not on regular ehu would be batteries especially the vehicle one

 

[TerryL]

Ours is in "lockdown" storage too, although with solar panels and a battery master I'm not too concerned. Mind I didn't get chance to clean it properly before getting in to storage after our winter trip so it might be starting to get a bit manky!

Interestingly, had an email couple of days ago from the owner saying they're allowing access for a couple of hours a day but that his guys are doing regular walkrounds making sure everything looks alright, as well as the full CCTV cover. There's two wardens live on site so I'm happy things will be okay.

Can see, however, your concern if you cannot recharge the batteries. Get on the phone and have a word with the site wardens, I'm sure there will still be someone there even if they are closed.

 

[Interceptor]

Hi Stewart
I would imagine you drive there in your eurobox.
Can't you buy a set of good quality or lend a pair of jump leads.
When you turn the ignition on in the van if the dash lights are a bit dim context the car in particular to the van battery.
Hold the car revs up to 3000rpm by the time you have done that the glow plugs and the primer/secondary pump will be ready to go.
If it been standing for an extra long time crack it over straight away with the car connected to get the oil pressure up as well.
Hope this helps.

 

[Spawn_e_git]

Ours is in same situation. CMC will not allow access, I even tried to get the gas bottles out of it and even told them I think the bottle was left connected and mine is parked next to the warden chalet, still would not let me have access.
Mice is my only concern. had no sign of any before lockdown but if they did get in they can do a lot of damage.

 

[Eggs]

People are dying in their hundreds each day and checking on a Moho that's in secure storage is crucial?

Oh dear.

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[Spawn_e_git]

We managed to get access yesterday to get electric bikes out of MH. Wife is a key worker (so am I in a loose sense) so they let us in as we anticipated they advice to avoid public transport (well it was leaked all over the place...).

They were very helpful but would only allow foot access. The problem I had was that I was almost certain the engine battery would be dead and I need to move the MH out of the pitch to get the bikes out of the garage.

I had another small (45AH) battery in my shed from our Mazda MX5 which I quickly charged and took that. As expected, the engine battery was dead so I had to swap the battery over as I did not want to risk connecting the 45ah battery to the 99ah MH battery when it was in such a dead state.

This was a ball-ache as the battery posts are much closer together and I just about managed to get enough slack on the cables to get on the posts, then found the negative has once of these quick release clamps that needed adjusting as the new battery has larger posts.

Just as I finally managed to get it connected, the warden turned up with a jump starter pack . To be fair to them they are not the regular wardens so did not know it was there.

I then had to take a call from the Tracker company who had picked up the battery had been disconnected (shows the monitoring is working).

Finally managed to get it started and moved forward to get the bikes out.

Decicded to leave the smaller battery connected so it will keep the Tracker alive. The tracker company said once the starter battery was dead, the tracker has about 2 weeks of its own battery and will then send warnings and start to shut down.

I mentioned to the wardens that surely they must allow people access soon to keep batteries charged because once the trackers stop working, the insurance could be invalidated. The warden said they had been told from "upon high" that they have been told not to allow access for that even though the email from CMC said access for Emergencies and Key workers that would need their outfits.

The site had quite a few vans on it and when I asked they said they were all key workers or people who are "stuck", I assume these are Full Timers but not sure.

Surely if a battery is running low and the tracker will drop out which will invalidate insurance, this would be cosidered an emergency?

There must be a couple of million quids worth of units in that storage site and if insurance is going to be invalidated by the tracker becoming non-fucntional, I cannot imagine CMC underwriting this.

One thing that did settle me down was the oppotunity to see that there were no obvious signs of water ingress or more importantly.... mice.....

Once thing I need to think about is connecting the solar panels to charge the starter battery.

The wardens were very helpful, fiendly and kept their eye on us so they could shut up the gates as soon as we were out so I have no critisism of them, just the whole attitude of the CMC higherarchy to the point of access, especially if we are going to see another month or so before access can available.

 

[TerryL]

Once thing I need to think about is connecting the solar panels to charge the starter battery.

Reasonably inexpensive, quick and easy fix is a battery master - once leisure batteries reach a certain voltage they transfer a small trickle charge to the starter battery.
That is, of course, if there is no second supply connection on the solar regulator or your electrical system has a feature to charge both batteries, many modern vans do.

 

[Spawn_e_git]

Reasonably inexpensive, quick and easy fix is a battery master - once leisure batteries reach a certain voltage they transfer a small trickle charge to the starter battery.
That is, of course, if there is no second supply connection on the solar regulator or your electrical system has a feature to charge both batteries, many modern vans do.

No. Solar controller does not have the output for starter battery. Defo something I should have done. I did consider it but basically didn't do it.

A new battery is around £100 so I'll probably get a one and get the Battery Master rigged up for the future.

 

[The Wino]

No. Solar controller does not have the output for starter battery. Defo something I should have done. I did consider it but basically didn't do it.

A new battery is around £100 so I'll probably get a one and get the Battery Master rigged up for the future.

If the access to your batteries is fairly easy why not disconnect the solar from the leisure battery and connect it to the starter one?

 

[TerryL]

Don't buy a new battery yet. As you've resolved the basic problem for the moment and you have the "old" battery at home now try putting it on charge, preferably using an "intelligent" charger. Although letting a lead-acid battery go completely flat is usually a killer if it's only once you might get away with it, albeit with a reduced life. No point subjecting a new battery to "abuse" until you actually need it.

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[Spawn_e_git]

If the access to your batteries is fairly easy why not disconnect the solar from the leisure battery and connect it to the starter one?

No that would be a massive pain and would then leave the leisure batteries with no charge. I'm sure the small battery will keep the Tracker going for ages and once I have a better idea of the end of lockdown, I'll get a battery master.

 

[Brains]

We have a solar panel and a battery master
This charges both batteries on trickle charge.
In a normal MH I think this set up is essential given the amount of time they spend stationary

 

[The Wino]

We have a solar panel and a battery master
This charges both batteries on trickle charge.
In a normal MH I think this set up is essential given the amount of time they spend stationary

Not for us as we store at home on ehu and the charger does both batteries

 

[Reallyretired]

I need to check my mousetraps. If any mice did get in they will be well decomposed.

 

[Diggerdi]

We are lucky in that we can still access our storage 24/7. It has totally remote access, phone either the owner or security company, give my name and password, they can see the car on CCTV and the gate opens electronically. It's rare even in normal circumstances to see anyone else there at the same time as us. Our cab battery was getting low, so I purchased a new solar controller as advised by a very nice man on the Pilote Facebook page. He sent me instructions on how to install it and even sent me the two extra wires I needed! Being a total auto electrical novice I was surprised at how simple it was. Both batteries constantly sitting at about 12.7v now.

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[gus-lopez]

just the whole attitude of the CMC higherarchy to the point of access

Send them a registered letter stating that you hold them personally responsible for all & any items that need replacing , like batteries, & in the evnt of theft ,damage, etc. due to there policy.

Once thing I need to think about is connecting the solar panels to charge the starter battery.

Just run a length of wire either from leisure batteries to starter batt or from the solar controller output terminal to the starter battery

 

[bluesurf989]

Send them a registered letter stating that you hold them personally responsible for all & any items that need replacing , like batteries, & in the evnt of theft ,damage, etc. due to there policy.
Just run a length of wire either from leisure batteries to starter batt or from the solar controller output terminal to the starter battery

You have a good point there Gus. If there is any damage to my motorhome and nobody has been doing routine checks visually i will not be happy!!
I think it would be only right that the C&MC should allow us to bring our unit onto the site to plug it in and give it a good clean on a pitch while the site is shut..

 

[cornish boy]

You have a good point there Gus. If there is any damage to my motorhome and nobody has been doing routine checks visually i will not be happy!!
I think it would be only right that the C&MC should allow us to bring our unit onto the site to plug it in and give it a good clean on a pitch while the site is shut..

If the terms and conditions don't suit you, why not send them a notification of cancelation and remove your motorhome to somewhere else with access that suits you better?

 

[Spawn_e_git]

If the terms and conditions don't suit you, why not send them a notification of cancelation and remove your motorhome to somewhere else with access that suits you better?

Nothing in T&C's about them stopping access to the unit.

 

[cornish boy]

Nothing in T&C's about them stopping access to the unit.

And I guess the T&C's also don't state 'bringing the unit onto the site to plug it in and give it a good clean on a pitch while the site is shut' either...

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[Spawn_e_git]

And I guess the T&C's also don't state 'bringing the unit onto the site to plug it in and give it a good clean on a pitch while the site is shut' either...

lol.

No they don't but that wasn't my point was it?

 

[Gellyneck]

They'll probably get around it by refering to a clause advising changes to T&Cs can be made and they have done so and advised you by letter \ e-mail.

 

[bluesurf989]

It seems to me that the club needed to involve motorhomes into the club to survive but the club is still run by caravan people that just have to put up with us motorhomers

 

[Spawn_e_git]

It seems to me that the club needed to involve motorhomes into the club to survive but the club is still run by caravan people that just have to put up with us motorhomers

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[cornish boy]

lol.

No they don't but that wasn't my point was it?

I accept, in the same way that you also knew that my point wasn't specifically about the annual T&C's either.

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