WINTERISING A STATIC CARAVAN

With winter fast approaching, you need to think what will happen to your holiday home during these cooler months. If you don’t take the correct precautions and winterise your holiday home whilst it’s not in use, it could have a huge effect on your holiday homes life span and cause you problems

further down the line.

Make sure everywhere is clean. Give each room a good tidy and clean, remembering to wipe down all surfaces and hoover up any debris.

Make sure you empty and clean your fridge and freezer. Once the fridge and freezer are cleaned, and disinfected, leave the door ajar, propped open. It is always a good idea to use a towel to soak up any water that maybe left behind.

Whilst cleaning, place all soft furnishings in the centre of the room. Make sure they are away from walls and doors. Turning mattresses on their side

and vacuum packing duvets, sheets and pillows will also help to keep away damp and help protect them from any dust which may collect during the winter months.

Make sure to remove any valuables such as Televisions DVD players and any other high valuable items you may keep in the static caravans. Keep your

curtains open and remove from the static caravan if possible. This not only helps to keep damp from collecting but will also act as a deterrent and

discourage thieves from breaking entry into your holiday home, as you’re making it visible you have left no valuables inside.

Don’t be tempted to leave unopened food packets in the cupboards. Unopened packets of food can be an invitation for mice and other rodents. Tinned

goods. However, can be left within your static caravan, just make sure to line your cupboards with paper to avoid rust rings created from the damp and

cold.

Holiday homes can be susceptible to damp over the winter months. It is best to do as much as possible to prevent damp from taking over. The main culprit of damp is leaves and debris getting stuck in the gutters. Keeping the gutters clean and free from debris will certainly prevent water getting into

your holiday home. Another good idea is to strategically place a few bowls of salt in each room around your holiday home, regular cooking salt will do

the job as the salt acts as a deterrent and absorbs all the moisture within the air, rather than it being absorbed into your furniture. Another item you

can also use to help prevent damp is cat litter. Remember to leave all internal doors propped open. This allows the airflow to circulate, minimising your risk of damp even further.

Draining down your holiday home is advisable. Whilst a lot of parks offer a service to drain down service and charge, it is, in fact, a task which can

be undertaken yourself. Below is a list of steps which will help you do this yourself!

* Turn the water off at the stopcock

* Locate any drain down taps underneath your holiday home and open them. These can generally be found underneath bathroom and kitchen areas. However, if you are unsure your static caravan holiday home handbook will provide the location. Make sure you don’t confuse your water taps with the central heating taps. Whilst they may look the same, they do a complete different job. Check your handbook if unsure and label them for future reference.

* Inside the static caravan, turn on all taps including the shower and leave the water running until the water is no longer flowing. You can also

use a pump on the outside of the caravan to push any water through the non return valves in the taps. You could also install a Floe system

https://keepfloeing.com/ this is a simple way to drain your static caravan down.

* Once the water has stopped flowing, pour a little antifreeze into all plug holes to prevent any leftover water freezing in the system.

* Remember to remove shower hose and showerhead, as these could be damaged if any leftover water freezes within them.

* Flush your toilet, this will empty most of the water from the cistern. Any water that is left in the toilet needs to be treated with anti-freeze.

Your central heating system does not need to be drained down. We would recommend that you always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions as to how best leave the boiler over winter. If in doubt use a qualified heating engineer.

Give the outside of your holiday home a good clean. Remove all dirt and grime which may have built up on your holiday home over the open season. By

doing this it will make it a lot easier for you to clean your holiday home upon your return when the site opens for the new season.

Inspect the roof of your caravan, and also the underneath. Taking precautions such as ensuring the roof is watertight, will help you to avoid the hassle of having to carry out repairs on your return. Make sure your gutters are clean and free from debris. This will allow water to drain freely. These are simple tasks, which will take minutes to complete but will help to prevent damage over the winter.

Remember to lock all windows and doors to ensure your holiday home is secure over the winter. In addition, remove any keys from key safes.