Winterising our Duetto

This is the first winter for our Duetto. We have no storage for the van, is it advisable to cover the van and if so does anyone know where to get a cover from. Covers advertised seem to be for motorhomes and caravans. Also I have just printed off some storage tips for the winter and it advises if possible to take the leisure battery out and also the gas bottles. Is this necessary?

We have done the necessary with the draining of the water and taken stuff out, I have even taken the curtains off which was quite easy, but it may be a different kettle of fish when putting back.

HildaB wrote:This is the first winter for our Duetto. We have no storage for the van, is it advisable to cover the van and if so does anyone know where to get a cover from. Covers advertised seem to be for motorhomes and caravans. Also I have just printed off some storage tips for the winter and it advises if possible to take the leisure battery out and also the gas bottles. Is this necessary?

We have done the necessary with the draining of the water and taken stuff out, I have even taken the curtains off which was quite easy, but it may be a different kettle of fish when putting back.

No to the bib!

I don't know of any Panel Van owners who cover their vans. Personally i think it's a bit daft unless living right by the sea where salty air (not rain) is your worst enemy. Far better to leave it uncovered. The two areas you need to keep an eye on is the rain channel which goes around the sides and rear. That's prone to holding water long after the rain has come and gone. I'm looking at reversing mine onto levelling blocks to tilt the front end of the van down so rain water doesn't gather at the back.

Another which very few Tranny owners bother about is the scuttle panel beneath the windscreen. Though the screen appears not be bonded......it is! The rubber trim only goes around the top and sides.....not the bottom. The scuttle panel hidden underneath the plastic trim is a classic Ford 'built in rust trap' and many Transit owners only discover about it when they come to have a screen replacement done and find half the damn bodywork comes away with the screen! Every time it rains, water runs down the screen and settles on this panel. Corrosion can't be seen due to the plastic trim covering it.

Getting to it is simple.

1) Remove both wiper blades.

2) Pop out the plastic caps you see on the trim and undo the screws.

3) Wipe the metal scuttle panel clean and make sure it's bone dry, then spray a liberal coating of Waxoyl (Wax Seal by Comma is much cheaper and just as good).

Once done you won't ever need to do this again and will be glad you did if ever you come to a screen replacement a few years from now.

PS......I'm talking from experience re. the screen scuttle panel!! Not with this van, but from an older Transit I once owned. The screen fitter told me they had newer Transits than mine come in where this had happened.

Thanks for that. My partner has tried to undo the screws but cannot. What do you undo the screws with, is it something special. Hope you can help?

HildaB wrote:Thanks for that. My partner has tried to undo the screws but cannot. What do you undo the screws with, is it something special. Hope you can help?

If like mine, each screw has a black plastic cap on it. Prise the cap off and there is a normal cross-point plastic screw head. The thread itself is quite coarse. Mine came out easily enough, but I've had them out twice now so not too gunged up with crud in my case.

Thanks for all your comments. As this is our first winter with the van, do we need to do anything in order to keep the van free from damp. It will be kept in our drive where it does get very windy and cold. this is why we thought of a cover.

For the UK i would leave it uncovered. if you can use it occasionally instead of your car all to the good.
I am away so mine gets left with no attention.
In Florida i cover my cars while i am in the UK. This is for heat protection.
Most people imho do not cover any vehicle anywhere.
Garaging is another story.
regards
Mike

Bulletguy wrote:.................


Getting to it is simple.

1) Remove both wiper blades.

Hi there,

Just a tip.

When parked up for a long time the windscreen wipers often stick to the windscreen either due to the sun in summer or frosts in winter.

I can't be bothered to take them off (plus I just know that I will lose them!) so to stop them sticking we prop the wipers up with a couple of wine bottle corks so that they sit about 3mm away from the screen.

Best regards,

Is it true that you have an unlimited supply of these "spaces" Ian?

SteveUK wrote:Is it true that you have an unlimited supply of these "spaces" Ian?

No, but we have much better access to wine bottle corks that places to stow windscreen wipers!!


Ian

Dutto wrote:

Bulletguy wrote:.................


Getting to it is simple.

1) Remove both wiper blades.

When parked up for a long time the windscreen wipers often stick to the windscreen either due to the sun in summer or frosts in winter.

I can't be bothered to take them off (plus I just know that I will lose them!) so to stop them sticking we prop the wipers up with a couple of wine bottle corks so that they sit about 3mm away from the screen.

Only realised from just reading through this again, the error I made in my post (though I trust folk realised it?).

I meant to say "Remove both wiper arms", which of course you have to before you can take the plastic cover off.

Hello all. I've had mine over three years now and when I'm not using it---which is more now fuel has gone up and I lost my parking where we work-----I always have a quilted screen cover on it to keep the daylight out and I plug it into the mains electric and put what I have always know as a "black heater" inside. The heater is a long tube---you can get them in various lengths and the length denotes the wattage and thus the heat output--- and it just sits on the floor of the van and keeps it cozy. It doesnt cost a packet to run, the same as a couple of lightbulbs, but saves the van from getting cold and damp inside. Otherwise usual stuff like disconnect gas bottles and drain water system.
Hope this helps. The heaters by the way are available at Argos. Regards, David

that's a good tip Dave, never heard of those black heaters.
You live and learn and never stop learning in my experience.
That' s the advantage of sharing a site.

regards

Mike

d.l.hunter wrote:-----I always have a quilted screen cover on it to keep the daylight out and I plug it into the mains electric and put what I have always know as a "black heater" inside. The heater is a long tube---you can get them in various lengths and the length denotes the wattage and thus the heat output--- and it just sits on the floor of the van and keeps it cozy. It doesnt cost a packet to run, the same as a couple of lightbulbs, but saves the van from getting cold and damp inside.

This is an interesting idea with one major flaw..........Insurance!

Leaving an electrical heating appliance switched on unattended for any length of time could well void your insurance policy in the event of a fire. In fact it most definitely would!

Hi All,
Ref Bulletguys coment on insurance, in my 10 years experience of motorhoming reading the technical sections of magazines etc an awful lot of people use a low wattage electrical heater ( oil filled radiators are common) the black heater refered to sometimes refered to as a greenhouse heater and probably available from garden centres is another item used and I have never heard of them causing a fire, a word of warning though do not use a fan heater because if the fan stops, leaving the heating element on, it could overheat and cause a fire. this is ok if you are in the van and awake but not unattened or while you are sleeping.


Brian2

Bulletguy wrote:

d.l.hunter wrote:-----I always have a quilted screen cover on it to keep the daylight out and I plug it into the mains electric and put what I have always know as a "black heater" inside. The heater is a long tube---you can get them in various lengths and the length denotes the wattage and thus the heat output--- and it just sits on the floor of the van and keeps it cozy. It doesnt cost a packet to run, the same as a couple of lightbulbs, but saves the van from getting cold and damp inside.

This is an interesting idea with one major flaw..........Insurance!

Leaving an electrical heating appliance switched on unattended for any length of time could well void your insurance policy in the event of a fire. In fact it most definitely would!

Hello all, Bullet Guy. I have read my insurance policy all the way through ( hence the delay in replying) but just to be on the safe side, I rang them and put the query to them. They came back to me and told me as the policy makes no mention of any restrictions then its ok. The only thing they did say was that they didnt think any form of open or unguarded heat was sensible
As a further precation though I will get the appliance and the 240 volt system checked and certified.
Regards, David.

d.l.hunter wrote:Hello all, Bullet Guy. I have read my insurance policy all the way through ( hence the delay in replying) but just to be on the safe side, I rang them and put the query to them. They came back to me and told me as the policy makes no mention of any restrictions then its ok. The only thing they did say was that they didnt think any form of open or unguarded heat was sensible

In their terminology you can take 'unguarded' to mean unattended rather than what we would consider 'a guard'!

Any and all Insurance companies are perfectly fine and ok...........until they are faced with a claim. Then it becomes a different story.

d.l.hunter wrote:As a further precation though I will get the appliance and the 240 volt system checked and certified.

As a further precaution i'd ask them to define 'unguarded'. If they tell you 'oh it's ok as long as the heater has a mesh grill' (it's actually illegal to sell one without), then ask them to commit what they've told you in written form. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for a reply from them.

I appreciate your comment, but as there is no mention in the small print ( and they acknowledge this ) of the policy regarding heating of the vehicle while unattended ( or unguarded ) then they cannot impose the condition should a claim be made. I know insurance companies can be a problem sometimes but in my experience if you use a quality company with a policy of being open and writing things in laymans terms then you should be ok.
Regards, David.

If i was doing a risk assessment, and i have done many,i would not worry about that heater.You will have a fuse in the circuit to the mains and if you think of a light bulb, when it fails it goes out.
regards
Mike

mikethebike wrote:If i was doing a risk assessment, and i have done many,i would not worry about that heater.

I’d agree with that. The difference between these heaters and - say fan heaters -is that they are designed to be left unattended. Provided you use one made by a reputable manufacturer they will have been extensively tested and comply with all the relevant safety regulations. It’s hard to see how an insurance company could hold the user negligent for using one of these.

Beware cheap unbranded Chinese things though (I could go into an rant here but I won’t)!

Brod

mikethebike wrote:If i was doing a risk assessment, and i have done many,i would not worry about that heater.You will have a fuse in the circuit to the mains and if you think of a light bulb, when it fails it goes out.
regards
Mike

Mike,

I agree entirely on the risk assessment for the heater; but how about the risk assessment on the insurance company?

I read last year of a man who went away on holiday and in line with all "anti-crime" advice left timers on in the house to turn lights on and off at different times. Unfortunately, one of the timers burst into flames and the house burned down.

The insurance company refused to cough up on the basis that he had left an "electric appliance" on when he left his house!

Don'tcha just love 'em?

Best regards,

Ian

Well good luck......but this is what can happen when an electrical appliance is left switched on and unattended.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Initially blamed on a fag smoking arsonist (that 'fitted' better with the potty pc lot) it was eventually found to be a vacuum cleaner left running over a weekend. Comparable to you leaving your electric heater running inside your van.

The message i'm trying to get over is treat all Insurance companies and their policies with extreme caution. They are in business to take money....not give it out. When it comes to paying a claim an Insurance company will balk at the very thought of coughing up the cash and use every trick in the book to pay as little as possible....and in many cases, nothing at all.

Here is a classic example told to me by a tyre fitter where I had gone with four new tyres i'd bought off a guy who had changed to low profiles. The fitter told me, 'no problem' he would fit them....but had I checked they were ok with my insurance? I asked the reason why and he told me they were perfectly good tyres, but were not the original 'spec' as fitted by the vehicle manufacturer and a customer he had fitted 'non OE spec' tyres for had had an accident. His insurance sent out an assessor who spotted the tyres.....and promptly voided the insurance.

After telling me this I decided to take his advice and contact my Insurance. The tyres I had were actually of a higher rated spec rating than the OE so they had no issue with it, but I still asked them to confirm in writing.

hi Bulletguy lets not get paranoid about insurance companies. i hate paying a penny more than i have to and have had many claims over the years that have been dealt fairly with.We all need some insurance for the large risks,but they dont occur very often.Accidents happen, and i believe mostly in the home. .
good luck

Mike

Hi there,

Open all of the drains, the little PSV on the water-heater and all of the taps.

Systematically open and close all of the taps whilst blowing down the pipes until they are as empty as possible; then leave all of the taps open and go for a drive around the block with plenty of left and right hand turns to get the dregs out.

As a general rule, flexible plastic pipes don't have to be completely empty as long as there are sections into which the ice can expand when it freezes.

The big danger is if a pipe is completely full and blocked off at either end.  In these circumstances even flexible plastic pipes are prone to splitting. 

Hope this helps. 

Best regards,

I leave everything in my MH drain down leave taps open, I think some are putting the wind up the op, I have a DElonghi Bambino  oil heater, perfectly safe, leave on frost setting cheap to run. Best to use van all the year round, why lay it up?.it is better if it is used, even a run out for a few hours now and again. mine is used most days.