November 1st, 2022 by Sarah Miles

Your beloved caravan has served you well over the spring and summer but, for many, now is the time to prepare it for storage over the winter months. As you would imagine, with anything of this nature that is packed up and stored away for a long period – especially during the coldest part of the year - there are a few things you need to incorporate into your winterising routine to keep it in good condition, ready for use again in the spring.

Here are all the areas of the caravan that need some attention before you can store it over the winter:

1. The Water System

Anything that contains water can be vulnerable when stored outside (or even undercover in a cold environment) in the winter. This is because of what happens when water freezes. When water freezes, it expands so anything that contains water can become damaged as it struggles to accommodate the larger volume. Not only can this damage things like pipes, but it could also cause flooding once the water thaws and can now escape through the breaks and splits.

This is why all water needs to be drained from the water system. Do this by opening the taps, opening drain valves, and removing drain plugs. Don’t forget to shake as much water from the shower head as you can and remove both the water filters and flush pump and store these at home over the winter.

2. The Battery

The charge in your battery won’t last the winter if left in the caravan. If you don’t have anything that needs power, such as an alarm or tracker, then you don’t need to worry too much but it makes sense to keep it at home over the winter, where you can charge it ahead of getting the van out in the spring.

If you do need power, then you have a few options:

• If stored at home, you can charge it every so often from the house
• Buy a spare battery and swap them over periodically through the winter
• Add solar panels to the van as an extra source of energy. Even over the darker winter months, it would generate enough energy to keep the battery charged or the alarm system operational.

3. The Interior

It’s good practice to give the caravan a thorough clean inside before you put it away. This isn’t just so that it makes it easily ready for use when you get it out again, it will also help minimise the risk of mould and bacteria forming from crumbs and spills left to fester over the winter.

Give everywhere a really thoroughly clean and wash all loose fabrics. Check under cushions, mats, and beds to make sure you have eradicated as much debris as possible and clean all hard surfaces with a sanitising cleaner.

It’s a good idea to pull seating and beds away from the walls as this will allow air to circulate and prevent the development of mould and mildew. Leaving damp traps in the van over winter to help remove some of the moisture from the air is also useful.

Leave the doors to the fridge and freezer ajar and if you don’t want people to be able to look inside, close the curtains but leave blinds open as keeping them closed for prolonged periods can weaken the springs.

5. The Exterior

It may seem counterproductive to wash the exterior of the caravan when you’re just going to leave it outside all winter (if that’s what you are doing), but there are a couple of valid reasons for doing so. Firstly, you will want to remove all the dirt, debris, and marks that you will no doubt have accumulated from using it over the summer. Secondly, applying an overwinter once it is clean, will add a weatherproof layer that will help to protect it against things like algae, fungus, bird droppings, acid rain, and frost.

6. The Tyres

Being stationary for long periods of time can put a lot of pressure on specific spots on the tyres, which can damage them. To avoid this, it’s useful to move the van slightly every so often so that the tyres turn to a different position. If this isn’t an option, you can use tyre savers, which will help.