Hook-up at home/ winter blues (1 Viewer)

[John Hinch]

Newbie again. We have been wondering if it is beneficial to leave the 240 volt hook-up on 24/7 whilst we are at home and the motorhome is parked on the driveway. We see lots of caravans and motorhomes parked up for long periods with the power connected constantly.
Also, if it is advised to leave some form of heating in the motorhome through the winter freeze what is the recommended and most economical type.
Thanks - John & Jan

 

[cranky]

I leave mine hooked up 24/7 when at home, just ensure that your charger is ok to do the same. I dont normally bother with heating but a small convector heater on low would probably be all you would need.I tend to give it a run every couple of weeks for at least 30 mins up the road and back just to keep everything working and warmed through.

 

[camcondor]

There are probably loads of overwintering threads to read through, but what we did which seemed to keep our motorhome dry and fully charged when parked up at home as to keep it on permanent hook up. The batteries maintained a good charge for years that way, and we could run a small oil filled heater (put it on a protective mat as they can leak) permanently in the worst of the winter to keep the cold and condensation out.

Now that the MH is in a CASSOA Gold storage area we don't have the luxury of the EHU but I try to visit weekly and start it, open up and spend and hour or so pottering around. I also keep a small solar panel plugged into a lighter socket (permanent live) to trickle charge the vehicle battery.

Also consider draining down the water and waste systems if it is not going to be used for a while as freezing can damage the pipework.

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[scousebird]

Leave the taps open in the kitchen & bathroom and leave the fridge door open.

We also take ours out for a run if it has been stood for more than about 2 weeks.

 

[Huffy]

Hook up at home

Newbie again. We have been wondering if it is beneficial to leave the 240 volt hook-up on 24/7 whilst we are at home and the motorhome is parked on the driveway. We see lots of caravans and motorhomes parked up for long periods with the power connected constantly.
Also, if it is advised to leave some form of heating in the motorhome through the winter freeze what is the recommended and most economical type.
Thanks - John & Jan

Most definitely yes, if you have the facility use it. We have done so for close to 40 years.
Yes to the heater if you can afford it, a small oil filled radiator is what I use max 400w.
Also good idea to keep your batteries fully charged during the winter and you can do that if you are hooked up.
All the best
Huffy

 

[Ed Excel]

Main thing to add to the previous advice is provide some ventilation. Especially if you put some heat into the van. As the air gets warmer it can hold more moisture and that will condense on the coldest surfaces inside your van if you don't open something to let it out.

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[Allanm]

Is there anything wrong with leaving the motorhomes heating on low, say, set at 10 degrees C, then at least the heater is protected.
Allan

 

[Ed Excel]

Is there anything wrong with leaving the motorhomes heating on low, say, set at 10 degrees C, then at least the heater is protected.
Allan

Don't see why not if it's on EHU. I've always understood 10C is the absolute minimum for protection of the fabric of any habitable space.

 

[ShiftZZ]

Any suggestions regarding a frost watch heater?

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[Campercaillie]

I leave mine on permanent hook-up over the winter months. I don't bother with any heating - even though it can get to minus 20 here when the winter sets in. We gave it its final end-of-season clean yesterday, drained it all down, and it's now under its Pro-Tech cover until the end of April. All I do is start the engine and run it for about 15 minutes every few weeks, and move it just enough to rotate the tyres. No problems. :thumb:

 

[jonandshell]

It is very unlikely your 1997 Drifter has a smart charger unit. It will probably have a fixed output charger.
A fixed output charger does not have the facility to identify when the batteries are fully charged and then stop charging them. What this means is that it will continually overcharge the leisure battery. I also very much doubt there is any facility to charge the starter battery also.
A good idea might be to switch off your charger and only switch it on for say 24hrs a week, monitoring the batteries to make sure they are getting topped up.
An even better idea might be switch off the vans charger and instead use a charger designed to maintain your batteries. You can leave one of these connected with no ill effects.

Leaving a fixed output charger on constantly will ensure you need new batteries when Spring comes.

 

[Allanm]

Don't see why not if it's on EHU. I've always understood 10C is the absolute minimum for protection of the fabric of any habitable space.

I might raise it to 12 then just to be on the safe side. Just checked inside and the display tells me it's 18 degrees C in there.
The insulation seems to work well
Allan

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[tonka]

Looks like I am the only one so far that goes against this..oh:

The van has a single 80w solar panel and has never been on hook up at home. Same with my last van..
Ref heating, in almost 14 years and several vans never used a heater. They dont heat them on dealer forecourts or when at the manufacturers..
Drain the water, leave taps open, lift cushions up and open cupboard doors...

Or. take it to Spain / Morocco... Now thats a better idea.. :thumb:

 

[Allanm]

I like the Morocco idea, I'll get me shorts....
Allan

 

[Peter & Elaine]

Looks like I am the only one so far that goes against this..oh:

The van has a single 80w solar panel and has never been on hook up at home. Same with my last van..
Ref heating, in almost 14 years and several vans never used a heater. They dont heat them on dealer forecourts or when at the manufacturers..
Drain the water, leave taps open, lift cushions up and open cupboard doors...

Or. take it to Spain / Morocco... Now thats a better idea.. :thumb:

Same as tonka but if we going away I just plug it day before leaving to chill fridge
500 watt oil heater just air van out
Top window open on lowist setting
Done

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[PaulyP]

I have 2 small tube heaters which are operated by a thermostatic plug. Set the temp, say 5 degrees, as as the temp drops they will switch on then switch of once it gets above the set temp.
Thermostatic plug (looks just like a plug in timer) would operate any electric heater.
Also take it out for a run each week.

 

[daisy mae]

Last year was the first year of me having a MH, drained it down and left taps open, it is on hook up when on the drive, but as it is my only vehicle it is also used a lot. didn`t use a heater in it. I didn`t have any problems will do the same to the other one I have just bought.

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

We keep ours in storage. Outside. But we use it throughout the year.
So the weekends when we aren't away and through the week whilst at work , we just drain water, open taps , open all cupboards.
We don't have copious amounts of tat ,junk , or clutter in the MH. Only quilts , a couple of waterproofs , wellies , fleeces. The rest of the stuff we need , we take with us when we pick up the MH to go off on our trip. We used to do the same thing with all the caravans we've had in the past too. So far , we've never suffered mould or damp in anything.:thumb:

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[DAVWOD]

Hook up but can't at Home

For someone who can't hook up at home (that would be me) would I have to take the batteries out and charge as you would a car battery ..

 

[DAVWOD]

For someone who can't hook up at home (that would be me) would I have to take the batteries out and charge as you would a car battery ..

Age is just a figment of one's imagination - until you look in the Mirror

 

[TheBig1]

continuous charging with a basic non sensing charger will shorten the life of your battery.
motorhome heaters are not designed for constant low temperature heating over winter months, so an oil filled radiator is better if you feel the need. a heat source inside a cold van will increase condensation issues, particularly under beds and in an overcab area.

what is VERY important is ensuring all the pipes are emptied of water, especially the boiler. extremely expensive mistake to make if the boiler splits, and they do too easily. always lift up and prop up seat cushions and mattresses to avoid cold spots. and open taps with pump switched off an always unscrew the shower head as these are weak points. if not being used, keep the fridge door open too and any high level cupboard doors for ventilation.

this winter is being touted as likely to be the coldest in over 100 years, so preparations to store vehicles is going to be critical.

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