Advice please, storing van for the winter

Sounds all good.  Have you tried winter caravanning? We love it.  Sometimes we just go away somewhere close to chill, walk, read, listen to music etc.  Heating on, food and wine, and a great relaxing weekend.

Only drain water system down and leave taps open.Again give van a good airing every now and again.

You do not say what blinds you have,I would not leave the roller blind type down.If you have roller blinds leave them up and use curtains.

Like previous poster we use our van all year.

If its going to be idle for 5/6 months then have a thought for the tyres, some put the axle on stands, some increase the tyre pressures and some move the van periodically and some don't bother but it's all to do with stopping possible flat spots or sidewall damage.

I also leave the van front or back biased away from level to stop pooling on the roof, drying out and becoming algae stained.

If you store the c'van at home you could pop in now & again and perhaps introduce some form of heat and don't forget the battery it needs to be kept to a reasonable level of charge 

Leave all taps open and  remove shower head and let shower hose dangle down. Leave boiler  drain tap open .

Even the tiniest droplet of water can cause damage.

Leave hand brake off.

Hi, 

Being a newbie I was going to ask a similar question. From what's been discussed above may I ask:

• The battery is it worth removing it and bringing it inside?
• My van is parked on gravel so I was planning to get some wooden boards for the wheels to sit on. How frequently should it be moved? Moving are we only talking one foot either way to change the wheel position?
• Is it worth removing the toilet cassette?
• As with the OP we will get a cover - is it worth leaving a window on latch to help some air circulation?

Many thanks

Phil.

When I had my caravan, I always jacked it up a bit on to wood blocks to take the load off the tyres.

Philturner.  I don't remove cassette over the winter, just give it a good clean out and ensure there is no water in it.  Yes suggest you remove the battery and keep it charged up over the winter - unless you have a solar charger.  Good idea to move caravan slightly at regular intervals over the winter.  Never had a cover.

Agree with Fozzie re blinds, saves stress on the springs.

The basic principles about winter storage are: ensure ALL water is drained down; give inside and out a really good clean and, most importantly, ensure there is plenty of ventilation to all parts of the caravan by keeping the built in ventilation slots clear and by leaving cupboard doors open and mattresses upright (or at least pull them clear of the sides to improve ventilation).  Leave the fridge door open.  Regular visits to your caravan over the winter to give it a good airing is also advisable.

Get a set of covers for the outside vents of your fridge. You should use these too if you are away in the van and the outside temperature drops below 5 C.

We use our van all year round, but in between winter trips, I make sure the heating is on all the time - set to 10 degrees, plus the charger is on. (We keep it at home) Apart from making sure all the water is drained down (which it always is), I don't do anything else. 

There is plenty of natural ventilation coming in through the floor vents etc, so no need to do anything special in that connection. Never had the slightest problem with damp or mildew etc and no sign of condensation whatsoever.

If it gets really cold, I turn the heating up for a few hours and give it a good blast. I know it costs a bit in extra electricity usage - but compared with the costs of putting any damage right, the costs pale into insignificance.