Things to remember when closing down your caravan this winter
With winter approaching, there’re a number of things you must consider when closing down your caravan holiday home.
Follow this step-by-step guide and be safe in the knowledge that your caravan holiday home will be safe and secure this winter.
Winterising your caravan.
Most parks will offer a winterisation service or more commonly known as a ‘drain down’ service. This will include;
• Emptying or draining all pipework of water,
• Disconnect water from your caravan and put anti-freeze down all drains.
• Check the antifreeze levels in the central heating system.
• Disconnect the gas
• Turn off all electrical switches and lights.
Safeguard your caravan inside;
• Take the shower bar out of the caravan and store it in a suitable place
• Move all your furniture into the middle of the room, this will allow airflow and prevent mould and mildew building up on your furniture. Also, cover your furniture to ensure that direct sunlight does not fade the fabrics
• Takedown nets and curtains again to prevent mould and mildew build-up
• Place bowls of salt in all the rooms to absorb any moisture
• Ensure that vents are never obstructed – this is a vital safety precaution where gas is used.
• Remove all valuables
• Open all curtains and place a ‘no valuables are left in this caravan’ sign in the window
• Turn off all electrical switches and lights
• Dispose of any foods that are likely to go out of date over the winter
• Switch your fridge/freezer off
Tip: clean fridge/freezer with bicarbonate of soda and wedge the door open, this will allow air circulation. You may want to leave a tea towel at the bottom of the fridge to soak up any excess water.
Safeguard your caravan outside;
• Tie-down all outside furniture, this will ensure that;
a) Your outside furniture is with your static caravan when you return in the spring
b) Your caravan and furniture are undamaged if there were to be any high winds during the winter months.
• Secure; (if needed)
Storage boxes
Skirting
Decking
Fences
Plant Pots
Gas bottles
Finally;
• Lock the door. (As stupid as it seems this can easily be overlooked as people look to get away, they forget the thing that is most important).
• Inform park you have left for the winter
Once you have completed all the tasks above it is good to inform the park managers or owners of the park when you are leaving and likely to return in the spring, that way they know the caravan is empty and they can keep an eye on it for you. Of course, you will be able to visit your caravan at any time over the winter for your own peace of mind. It is essential that park staff are informed that the caravan has been closed down.
