Winterising

Putting the Symbol to bed for the winter now (perhaps).  Tanks and boiler emptied, gas manifolds all off, hooked up to mains.  Is it ok to set the truma heater on a low setting (1) for the winter with no water in the system?  Otherwise, may just use a small oil-filled rad.  Thanks

I would just use a small oil filled radiator, a lot cheaper than a replacement Truma. If your toilet has its own flush tank , as opposed to using the fresh tank, don't forget to drain that as well. Remove shower head and drop the pipe to drain and leave taps open in mid mixer position.

Many use a wee oil filled radiator ( like me) others use the on board heater.
Boaby

Thanks. Must remember to leave the kitchen, bathroom and shower taps open but how to drain the toilet flush System?

Toilet doesn’t have its own flush tank, works off the fresh water tank.

Use a 240 volt plug in timer to restrict  oil filled radiator use, as this is mainly needed for prevention of damp, as opposed to frost protection, which draining deals with. Heating not needed 24/7.

IF you have a seperate flush tank, just pull down the sight glass and hold it below floor level, this drains it totally.

Clearly all water drained, all taps open, pump off, of course!.

Doors open, beds raised, that's it.

If you have solar, it'll look after the batteries for you.

Well maintained engine should be fine, if not, check the antifreeze

When using an oil filled radiator do you plug it into a socket in the camper when on mains hook up?  I have an outside socket adjacent to where I park the camper that I could use for hook up or the radiator?
  Sorry for asking another stupid question!
Sue

No such a thing as a stupid question on here........................well not often!
You could do either, both have merits.
Using the outside one means running a live 230v cable from outside to inside van, that would need some thought, don't want it trapped in a door, for example, on the other hand it could be via a timeswitch?
Using the inside one should be OK and may, not too sure re Duetto, also charge the batteries? Someone else will answer that one very soon I imagine

Not a silly question.  Ideally you would plug the radiator into a 13A socket in the van via the hook up.  If it’s an outside socket, the lead would need to come into the van via a slightly open window....which compromises the heat retention.  I think others are right in just using an oil filled rad to keep the van warmi(ish) rather than risk the van heater.  DaveS

You will need a short adaptor lead consisting of a blue EHU connector socket (with the holes) and a 13 amp plug. This allows home connection using your normal hook up cable

Evening all,

I'm a newbie having just joined this evening. Just this week I p/ex my Bessie 462 for a new Warwick XL and we're looking forward to going away this weekend for a few days to try it out.

When I'm parked up in storage for the winter there's no lecky hook up so. with the old van I just used to take out all bedding and cushion etc, open all cupboard doors and drain down of course. I assume this will be OK with with Warwick or am I wrong? 

I'm always open to any advice and suggestions and really looking forward to future chats with you guy's and probably going to ask lots of questions.

Cheers.

I've always been an advocate of leaving an oil filled radiator on a low thermostat setting over the winter, as we do like to use the van for the odd day trip and it feels more comfortable.  I always leave temperature and humidity dataloggers monitoring inside and outside the van to ensure it's not getting unnecessarily warm and using too much electricity, which I also monitor.

However this year we won't be using it for several weeks so I've not bothered to put the heater in - as many here have argued in the past, dealers don't do so on vans on their forecourts and no harm seems to occur. I have drained everything down as usual and have fitted the external Silver Screens plus all the hab area blinds and curtains are closed.  I've installed the dataloggers as usual and it will be interesting to compare with previous years results.

Roger Black makes a good point of course....dealers don’t bother with any heating measures over winter!  However, to them, vans are just a commodity “bring it back if there’s a problem”!  We don’t want problems, we love our vans.  I’ll keep mine snug and warm(ish) during the winter with an oil-filled rad.  Hope mice don’t find it too snug also!  DaveS

Sapper wrote:Evening all,

I'm a newbie having just joined this evening. Just this week I p/ex my Bessie 462 for a new Warwick XL and we're looking forward to going away this weekend for a few days to try it out.

When I'm parked up in storage for the winter there's no lecky hook up so. with the old van I just used to take out all bedding and cushion etc, open all cupboard doors and drain down of course. I assume this will be OK with with Warwick or am I wrong? 

I'm always open to any advice and suggestions and really looking forward to future chats with you guy's and probably going to ask lots of questions.

Cheers.

there will usually be two schools of though on the 'to heat or not' debate (our van is used all year round so we dont use a heater) but one thing you do need to think about as you dont have an electric hook up is keeping the batteries healthy....'for the winter' suggests months to me and many a battery has been wrecked through lack of charge..
does your new van have a solar panel? 
does it charge both vehicle and leisure batteries?
is your storage are in the open?
in the first few weeks i would be popping back to storage and checking the charge state of the batteries as some solar set ups have been known to be a bit inefficent and have failed, in winter time, to keep up with the drain things like alarms/immobiliser/tracker put on the cab battery.
some suggest isolating the cab battery but this will also disable these electrical systems, check insurance before turning off.
good luck.

I'm very much on the 'not to heat' side of the fence when it comes to winter storage. It just seems totally pointless and a waste of energy. As has been said, vans can sit on a dealer's forecourt or holding area for months if not years and cope well enough without heating. 
To me, letting the van assume outside conditions of temperature and humidity is the best way to go to prevent mildew and damp. I've had this van for ten years now and the interior has come to no harm whatsoever.
For anyone who does use an oil filled radiator, I remember there was a warning on here that some cheaper ones can dump their oil on the floor, so best to place it on a large tray.
Al.

Our van is used regularly and is always plugged in on a timer, thermal screen on and blinds pulled except the cab ones. All doors open inside.

One point though, when we go overseas in the Winter for extended periods we remove all the upholstery, bubble wrap inside the roof lights and as above but no heat. Importantly the solar alone has never been enough on any of our vans to keep the batteries topped up so always keep plugged in on the timer for an hour a night and that keeps everything charged.

But frost rarely happens down here in the far SW!

I have always kept heating and dehumidifier on in the van during winter except about four years ago when I tried just leaving the van other than regularly topping up both batteries. 

By mid November I noticed that the toilet and wardrobe doors were starting to stick due to the doors swelling then I found out the 12v lighting was not working.  On investigation, I discovered the lighting fuse was corroded, a quick clean and all was well.

That was enough for me and my heating/dehumidifying regime has been reinstated and the van always feels crisp and dry thoughout the winter.

I do however live in central Scotland where the winters are fairly cold and wet.

As Hog, we go away (sadly not this winter..) for extended periods, but don't just walk away from the van without a backward glance.
As well as all the other precautions listed in other posts, I remove the bench seat backrests, unscrew the bases, and place the four parts flat on the spare bed in our house. Every surface gets a wipe down with disinfectant, and all cupboard and cabinet doors opened.
I do the same as hog regarding the batteries, as we get snow here that can cover the solar panel for weeks.

Also, always leave the toilet cassette slide open as it can stick and ruin the seal lip.

The external thermal blind is a must in my opinion, it cuts out any condensation on the inside of the cab windows. Some say these shouldn't be left on for extended periods, but in my experience it's not a problem and I leave it in place for four months or more.
Al.

Not just 'some' that say you shouldn't leave silver screens on for extended periods but the manufacturer says so....


"We advise that any use of the 'Silver Screen' during extended periods of vehicle storage could significantly shorten the life of the product.  Remember, your 'Silver Screen' could be used on the inside of your motorhome cab by reversing the door mounting envelopes, this will help to stop fading of the upholstry and keep the cab area private."


Note- the spelling of upholstery is silver screens, not mine.

As I said Paul, 'in my experience'. I know both major thermal blind manufacturers advise against prolonged periods of use, but my Silver Screen is now eight years old and has been on the van a total of around 36 months. If it fell apart tomorrow I'd consider I'd got my moneys worth! As it is, with taking it apart every spring and giving it a good scrubbing with hot water, it looks like lasting a good few years yet.
Al.

Same for me as for Al.  
If left on for a long period they do accumulate some green algae especially around the seams but a wipe over with a mild solution of mould & mildew cleaner soon gets rid of that. Then in the spring, bring them indoors for a thorough drying out before rolling and packing in their bag ready for site use.

Dave C brings up a good point on dampness effects on fittings and corrosion. As the temperature falls, the air is capable of holding less humidity so it condenses out, especially on cool surfaces, so maybe using a small de-humidifier rather than a heater is the best answer?  We have one we bought from Aldi last year which wasn't very expensive and is cheaper to run than a heater. Might try that.

Paulmold wrote:Not just 'some' that say you shouldn't leave silver screens on for extended periods but the manufacturer says so....


"We advise that any use of the 'Silver Screen' during extended periods of vehicle storage could significantly shorten the life of the product.  Remember, your 'Silver Screen' could be used on the inside of your motorhome cab by reversing the door mounting envelopes, this will help to stop fading of the upholstry and keep the cab area private."


Note- the spelling of upholstery is silver screens, not mine.

Taylormade make a point of the fact you can leave their screens on all year. I checked before buying and current sreen is 8 years old and perfect

I've winterised my van.
I've changed the 3.5 tog duvet for a 10.5!

This subject has always generated differing opinions, sometimes expressed as being facts. 

In my personal experience of 'van ownership from September 1977 to date, my winterizing technique has been to drain the water, lock the van and check inside once a week / fortnight (never found any problems) and at the start of the new season, fill with water and use the van.

I see no point in dehumidifiers, if the 'van has a leak, fix it, otherwise why bother? Just come back from a fortnight in Yorkshire after the 'van had stood unused for three weeks and did not feel any dampness (to be damp there must be a leak, if you have a leak, fix it, otherwise just use the 'van)

I see no point in heaters, I am not in the van, so what does it matter how cold it gets?

I have a solar panel and that takes care of the batteries.

I do not remove cushions, or bedding, why bother? (they warm up very quickly on site when the heater is on)

The above is my personal experience, not my opinion, your experience may be different as may your opinions.