Winterizing your caravan

Well, it is time to put ‘Florrie’ away for winter. Florrie, by the way is short for ‘Florence’. Our car is called ‘Zebedee’.

Um! I'm thinking of putting it back and actually using the caravan over winter!!

I think we have done things right but there remain questions. For example, if we have a solar charger panel on the roof, can we leave the master electrics on, the battery in place and let the battery trickle charge up during the winter off the solar panel? Do we actually switch off the master electric switch in the fuse box over winter? Will the battery still charge off the solar panel if we do?

Should we chock wheels and leave handbrake off?

Soooo many dumb questions…….. can someone answer any of these for us?

Here is what we have done……………

·        Fitted all the security devices

·        Disengaged the motor mover

·        Secured all windows and skylights

·        Left fridge off and door on open catch

·        Open cooker doors

·        Open all cupboards and lockers in side

·        Move cushions away from walls

·        Roll up carpets

·        Raise the nose and tilt van backwards so roof water drains off back

·        Keep skylight binds open

·        All taps and drain down tap open

·        Outlet pipe covers closed

·        Gas switched off

·        Toilet cassette flap open

·        Everything cleaned and polished

·        Exterior washed and cleaned

·        All rubber locker seals silicon sprayed

·        Toilet cassette flap silicon lubricated

·        All external locks silicon sprayed

·        Dehumidifiers in place

·        Swept floors

·        All rubbish removed

And how often should we go check it over winter – once a month, once a fortnight? Never?

I don’t know!! I’m new to this caravan touring malarkey!!

postscript: members of the Bailey caravan FaceBook group came to our rescue. 
'chock the wheels, leave the handbrake off'
'use your caravan over winter, it has central heating'
'protect your aqua roll tank from icing up - by packing it in cheap hi viz padded jacket and put the water pump down through the sleeve'
'keep a full kettle so you can get tea in morning if aqua roll freezes'
'put a little antifreeze in waste water tank to stop it icing up'
'put aqua roll on bricks and wood raised off the cold ground'

The Bailey caravan Facebook group - what a brilliant bunch of supportive people. Thank you all for answering our dumb questions.