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Preparing Your Static Caravan For Winter

By 30th September 2019 No Comments

Now that it’s coming to the end of September, we’ll start feeling the chill in the air and the first signs of winter. Before the rain, thunderstorms and snow hit (if they haven’t already), we must think about how you can start protecting your static caravan from the seasonal weather. Most caravan sites close for the winter months and that should be an even bigger reason to ensure your home is safe and sound and not at risk of being damaged.

Drain Down Your Caravan
This is one of the most important tasks when it comes to protecting your holiday home against frost damage. If you’re not confident with conducting the task yourself or don’t have the equipment to do so, ask staff members of your park for help. However, if you plan on doing the process yourself, then make sure you do so safely.

Turn the water off at the stopcock to minimise potential damage that could be caused by burst pipes. If you’re unsure about where things are, use your handbook to locate drain town taps beneath your home so you can open them, too. Once these tasks have been completed, turn on all taps until the water runs out, then pour a small amount of antifreeze into the plug holes to make sure leftover water doesn’t freeze in the system.

Protect the Exterior
To save yourself a heap of trouble once winter ends, give the outside of your caravan a thorough clean before it even starts. Remove any built-up dirt and grime, check all seals and seams are airtight, and examine the anchor points as well as jacks for any sign of rust. It shouldn’t take long to double check these things and will majorly help your holiday home during the wetter months. Should you find any issues or broken objects, contact your park manager and a caravan repair engineer so all problems can be solved as soon as possible before the worst of the weather arrives.

Don’t Forget About the Interior
Damp is one of the most popular sights people are greeted with after failing to properly prepare their holiday home for the winter. You can prevent this, though. As well as giving your caravan a deep clean, strategically place bowls of salt around the rooms. The salt acts as a deterrent and absorbs moisture in the air rather than letting it soak into your furniture. For your furniture, cover it with sheets and move what you can away from walls and windows, as these areas are more prone to condensation.

Check Your Insurance Policy
Depending on what insurance policy you have, there may be certain criteria you’re required to stick to, to ensure your insurance is kept valid throughout the season. Read through the documents and look for terms and conditions referring to when the park is closed or any time your holiday home is unoccupied. The last thing you want is your static caravan be damaged only for your insurance to be invalid.

Although you should be safe after these checks, it’s wise to visit your holiday home (if possible) at least twice whilst it’s unoccupied. If any incident has occurred while you’ve been away, then it will be resolved sooner rather than later.