You may be hardened caravaners who make the most of your van throughout the winter but it is still important to ensure that you safeguard your water system and ensure it is drained down when not in use. Be prepared for the frost and ensure that your toilet holding tank is empty as well as your water heater and the associated water pipes.

Give your caravan a good clean especially if it has been stored near or under trees. It is not advisable to use a high pressure hose in case you damage the joints or seams. A good cleaning detergent can be bought from your local caravan accessory shop.

Perhaps a good quality caravan and A Frame cover would be a good idea. Total Caravan Care can provide a good quality hand made cover with a 3 year guarantee that is both waterproof and breathable at a reasonable cost.

Remove your battery and check the condition and recharge iaw the manufactures instructions. It is probably better for the battery to be placed on a slow trickle charge for a longer period as opposed to delivering high amperage for a short period. It’s not good for the battery to be charged whist on a concrete floor, so whilst charging place the battery on a worktop or raise it off the concrete floor. It is a little known fact that a leisure battery will seldom achieve its full capacity using the type of chargers normally fitted in caravans and motorhomes.

It is worthwhile checking the 12n and 12s plugs as it’s not unusual for grit and damp to get inside the sockets during the winter. The contacts inside the plugs will corrode over time and therefore inspect the inside of the plugs and check the wiring is in good order. An A Frame cover will benefit your towing gear.

Ensure you check your tyre pressures on both the caravan and the towing vehicle. Remember to check the spare tyre if you have one. Your manufacturers handbook will give you the correct tyre pressure.

These are just a few examples of what needs to be carried out before the winter sets in. Why not give Total Caravan Care a call and we can carry out a pre-winter check over to ensure that your Caravan/Motorhome is well protected this winter.

Even better why not have your caravan serviced by Total Caravan Care. Just call for a quote and you’ll find that you can generally cut the cost in half of that of a franchise dealer.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

What is the difference between Butane and Propane?

Butane and Propane have slightly different properties, the most important to the
caravanner being the boiling point at atmospheric pressure. In other words, the temperature at which it changes from being a liquid to being a gas. Butane will only readily change to a gas above 0°C, so is generally suitable for the spring to autumn caravanner. Propane, on the other hand, will become a gas down to - 40°C and therefore can be used in winter, or all year round if desired. In UK Propane is generally sold in red cylinders, Butane in blue.

Thinking of buying a used caravan?

Has it been serviced and is it fit for towing? Is it damp?

We have seen many instances where unsuspecting people have bought what they thought was a little gem only to find out that the small problems can easy turn into nightmares.

It can be a daunting task trying to find the best deal and value for money so why not give us a call at Total Caravan Care and we can accompany you and give advice on buying the right caravan for you. We should be able to identify if the caravan you intend purchasing has been cared for and regularly serviced and very importantly check for damp ingress. Why not give us a call?

Preferably replace any tyre more than five years old, but never exceed seven.
They will have significantly deteriorated by then, whatever the tread depth or amount of use. Remember that generally a caravan will travel far fewer miles than an average car and therefore the car tyres are normally wear to their limits within a five year period.

MiRO (Mass in Running Order)

– This is the caravan’s weight with all factory fitted equipment, when it leaves the factory. MiRO replaces the old terms ‘ex works weight’ and ‘unladen weight’.

MTPLM (Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass)

– The maximum weight that the caravan chassis can take, as stated by the manufacturer of the chassis. It replaces Gross Vehicle Weight.

Payload

– The weight of items you could load into your caravan. It is derived by subtracting the caravan’s MiRO from its MTPLM.

Nosewight

– This is the weight applied to the towball by a caravan. It is important that the maximum noseweight is not exceeded. Both the car and tha caravan have maximum noseweight limits. The lower of the two is the legal maximum.

GTW (Gross Train Weight)

– The maximum combined weight of a car and trailer combination.

Towing limit

– The maximum weight of a trailer that a car may legally tow. It is often higher than the kerbweight.

Kerbweight – As defined by EU Directive 95/48/EC. The vehicle’s weight with its fuel tank 90% full, all necessary fluids, driver and luggage of 75KG.