Winterise Static Caravans and drain down
Leaving your caravan over winter can be a daunting time, but fear not! Sunrise Holiday Homes are here with some sound advice so you can tuck in your holiday home for the winter without worrying what you’ll find when you get back next year!
The best and most important things to do are simple: –
- Damp in the air is unavoidable, lay out bowls/ saucers full of cooking salt in every room to absorb the moisture.
- DRAIN DOWN YOUR CARAVAN! The park will want to charge you for this service, but if you don’t drain down your caravan expect burst pipes, taps, shower fittings and probably a new boiler! If you want to do this yourself, read on to our advice below!
- If possible, remove cushions and curtains and either store them at home or stand them up in the living area and cover them with a large dust sheet to keep them dry and free of mould
- Leave all caravan doors/ cupboards open to let air circulate
- Clean & empty your refrigerator and leave it open a few inches
- De-grease the hob and oven – the jets can get clogged easily!
- Remove ALL food, you don’t want to open the door to a family of mice!
“Here, Sunrise, I’m a bit of a handy geezer, how do I drain down my caravan myself?”
- Turn off the mains water, disconnect it at the join and remove the handle just in case someone decides to turn it back on!
- Open all the drain down taps under the caravan and let the water drain out, then close them off again
- Open (and leave open) all the taps in the caravan, sinks, shower etc, if possible take off shower mixer parts too just in case
- Flush toilets and make sure the cistern is empty, use a small amount of de-icer in the toilet bowl, cistern and all sink/ plug holes.
For Gas Central Heating caravans with combi boilers: –
If you’ve got a central heating boiler it is important it’s left operational as normal during the winter (most systems have anti-freeze but it may be worth checking with your parks gas engineer). This keeps the caravan aired and dry and ensures the boiler does not seize during a long winter. Leave radiators on a timer switch so they go on for 15 minutes once an hour and leave the radiators on the FROST setting. This ensures safety even if there is a power failure it’ll reboot and do its job, whilst also using up lots of gas!
Another good overall tip is to remove batteries from clocks, smoke alarms etc as they may corrode in winter. Also, gas cylinders should be removed and stored in a cool, well-ventilated place, but preferably not in the caravan.
If there’s anything you are unsure about or you have any other caravan-related questions, we’re here to help, not just to take your money!
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