At the time of purchasing we had not even considered what was required to winterise our new motorhome and when is the right time to do it. We were still mega excited with our new purchase and just thinking about where and when we were going to travel. Sadly our excitement was quickly dashed as we entered yet another Covid-19 lockdown.
In a way this began to focus our minds on what we needed to do to ‘personalise the motorhome’, more in keeping with our own specific needs and remove (in a nice way) the newness feel. (Need to hyperlink through to the Personalising Your Motorhome). As a result of the lockdown restrictions and the time taken to personalising we quickly found ourselves heading into winter.
This has been a rapid and to be honest slightly stressful learning curve as we encountered a number of problems that needed resolving. We were very happy spending time away in fantastic places, in great weather, but as we have found out you need to prepare for the winter months well in advanced. We hope the following will be helpful in your own preparation and avoid the pit falls we encountered.
Carefully winterising your motorhome is essential to avoid damage as well as ensuring it will be in perfect condition for when the better weather arrives. It is true some people live in their motorhomes all year round. Whilst they do not put their vehicle into several weeks of physical storage they constantly have to be taking measures to keep their vehicle in top condition through the winter months.
Often overlooked is the need to maintain your vehicle, especially during the winter months when it is more likely to experience damp, mould, frozen pipes etc, as it is almost certainly a requirement of your motorhome insurance policy. Most policies state that they will not cover damage caused by water freezing inside the motorhome pipework and heaters between November and March. Cold weather can also cause damage to tyres, engine, breaks, seals etc.
In this blog we are looking only at what is required to prepare your motorhome for winter storage. This simply means the shutting down of the motorhome for a couple of months.
Before you start – read your owner’s manual
This blog should be read as an addition to the processes described in your owner’s manual—not a replacement!
So, let us start by looking at when you should start to winterise. For us this is when it first starts to show signs of there being frost overnight. This does not mean you should cut your trip short and return home asap to put your motorhome into immediate storage. It is purely an indicator, the first signs that the weather is getting colder.
Once you have made the decision to shut your motorhome down for a couple of months we, if possible, bring your motorhome home and remove virtually all the lose items. Probable advisable to have cleared the spare bedroom first!
- Clearly remove all valuables – thieves do not go into storage over winter!
- Remove all food and drink – tinned food should be ok to leave, though anything that has a high liquid content should be removed, especially fizzy drink or bear cans
- Remove all packet food items, sauce mixes, herbs and spices, flour, sugar etc
- Remove all cleaning and toiletry products
- Remove all soft furnishings bed linen, clothing, towels, coats etc. We don’t remove our curtains, though we understand some people do. Same with all our seating and cushions. What we do though is remove them from touching the walls of the motorhome.
As this blog is written as we enter our first winter since purchasing the motorhome we have actually removed the two mattresses from the fixed beds. In time we may look to leave them in the motorhome over winter.
- Remove all expensive electrical equipment
- Ensure ALL your layers of security are in place at all times during storage.
It is really not practical, or necessary, to remove every single item from the motorhome. We do know people who have plenty of home storage, such as a large garage space, remove everything that is not nailed down! Personally we think that is not necessary but… So all our key essentials remain:
- Gas propane bottles – ensure they are disconnected and turned off!
- Windscreen blinds
- Hand vac and dustpan and brush
- Tools
- Camping chairs
- Pots and pans
- Cutlery
- Levellers and chocks
- Water hosepipes
- Electric hook-up cables
Once everything is removed we recommend:
- Giving the motorhome a thorough clean, inside and outside. It is also worth topping up on the water repellent wax layer.
- Wind out the awning and give it a good check and clean (remember to ensure it is dry before winding it back up.
- Remove all fridge and freezer items then clean it, leaving the main door set ajar.
- Leave all the lockers, cupboards, drawers and wardrobes doors open unless they are well ventilated
Draining Down
DISCLAIMER: This is a generic guide. Most motorhome systems are very similar, but please do check your owner’s manual before following these steps. If in doubt, ask your dealership or a local garage for advice on your specific model.
Empty ALL systems over a suitable drainage point. (If you can angle your motorhome to get as much as possible out, even better!)
Make sure you have emptied the freshwater, wastewater, water heater tank and toilet flush (if separate from freshwater)
Open all internal taps and LEAVE these open all winter.
If you have mixer taps, leave it open it in the middle so both sides are on.
If you have inline water filters, disconnect and empty these.
Leave the water pump running until taps run dry, then turn it off quickly to avoid pump burnout
Remove the showerhead and drain water from the hose. Leave the hose hanging down into the shower tray, over the bathroom drain or a bowl
Check underneath the motorhome and make sure the u-bends are as empty as possible. This is normally where the shower u-bends are
If possible, go for a quick drive to swish things and ensure everything is as clear of water as much as possible
On the point of draining down and flushing the lines it may be worth considering blowing the lines clear with system that pushes air through the pipes
Batteries
This is one area that has caused us a fair amount of grief. I personally have been very surprised how quickly both the engine and leisure batteries have lost their charge.
Leisure battery – currently our leisure battery is charged by an 80 Watt solar panel or when we are on electric hook-up. Though yet to be confirmed it is not charged when the engine is running? As a result of being in storage without electric hook-up and the lack of sun our leisure battery lost its charge in just a matter of a couple of weeks. We had it tested at the time and the battery was in good condition but simply required fully charging.
Engine battery – in a similar manner to our leisure battery the engine battery lost its charge a lot quicker than I had envisaged. Whilst in storage the only thing we can think of that is dragging the charge down (apart from the cold weather) is the alarm system. Once again we had the battery checked and it was confirmed to be in good condition but required a fully charging.
We have removed both batteries and brought them home for charging. We intend to keep them at home until we are in a position to travel. Having the motorhome with no batteries installed means that the alarm is not active but it does mean it is unlikely to stolen, certainly not driven away.
During our issues with the batteries we had the miss fortune of physically locking ourselves out of our motorhome. Without batteries it is not possible to use the central locking mechanism, plus we have additional security an all the doors so we could not gain access. Thankfully I have not put on too much weight during the Covid lockdown so I was able to access the motorhome via the outside locker, just!
NOTE: Even if stored at home, batteries will need top-up charging every 4-6 weeks to prevent problems.
Antifreeze
Personally I will look to avoid using antifreeze at all costs, certainly ‘regular’ toxic antifreeze in our fresh water supply system. We are aware of safer non-toxic antifreezes being available but if the lines a blown clear then there will be no need to use any kind of antifreeze products.
Out central heating system is a closed liquid/antifreeze system so we should not experience any burst pipes from freezing.
Storage Cover
Currently we do not have a cover for our motorhome whilst it is in storage. However, we are seriously considering investing in one for next winter. We cannot see any reason why this wouldn’t be anything but a good decision.
In addition to keeping the motorhome clean it also adds another layer of insulation and protection from the winter weather. Only negatives we can see is they are difficult to put on and good quality ones are not cheap. But we think the positives far outweigh the negatives.
If purchasing a cover then we recommend purchasing one that has dedicated access to all the doors.
Rodents and Vents
Strange that we have put these together but we feel they have a connection!
Vents in a motorhome are important, very very important; they are there for your safety. They should never being blocked off. This said this is how the mice and rats can enter your motorhome. Vents on your motorhome should have a protective mesh covering the holes, thus preventing such undesirables from entry.
Regular Checks
With your motorhome now in storage for several weeks it is important not to ignore or neglect it. As a minimum you should consider the following,
Check on your motorhome regularly, we would suggest every 2 or 3 weeks
Check for any fluid leaks, engine oil, radiator fluid, etc
Start the engine each time of visit, ideally take in on a decent run to get everything warmed up to temp
If not taking it out for a short run then at least move it from the position it has been stood in and put it back with the wheels in a different position
Avoid pulling on the hand break. Apply some resistance but place it in 1st or reverse gear
Check Tyre Pressures
Before restarting your travels check you can gain easy access to the spare tyre and it is in a condition to be removed/used if needed
SALT – Throughout the whole storage period we highly recommend placing a number of small containers holding salt. Salt absorbs moisture and works at controlling/reducing the amount of free moisture in the motorhome. Change the salt with fresh every 2 or 3 weeks. The old salt can be brought home and dried in the microwave ready for reuse
The above comments are purely our own. We hope they have been helpful. Our advice is to visit other motorhome, campervan, caravan blog sites as they will provide a great deal more information on how best to winterise your vehicle.
