If you’ve got a static caravan in a holiday park, you probably don’t use it much, if at all, over winter. In fact, you may not even be able to use it even if you wanted to as most holiday parks close over winter for a number of weeks or months
If this is the case, you may be wondering how to prepare a static caravan for winter or even realise it's a good thing to prepare a static caravan for winter. But it is.Either way, here’s how you can make sure your caravan survives the harsh winter months and doesn’t end up home to rats, mice or burst water pipes.
How to prepare a static caravan for winter
Drain down
Your holiday park might provide a drain down service but, if not, or you’d rather save the money and do it yourself, here’s how to drain down your static caravan for winter and prevent your caravan’s pipes from freezing and bursting.
- Turn off the water supply
- Open the drain down taps underneath your caravan
- Turn on all the taps in your caravan until fully drained
- Flush the toilet and make sure the cistern is empty
- Pour non-toxic anti-freeze down the toilet and plug holes (find non-toxic anti-freeze suitable for caravans - this isn’t necessarily the same as car anti-freeze)
Caravans can be prone to dampness in the winter, so move all the furniture to the middle of the room to let the air circulate freely around everything. It’ll also be a good idea to stand mattresses on their edge and pile up the sofa cushions in the middle of the room.
Rats, mice and other unwanted guests looking for a cosy home indoors will love your duvets, towels and blankets, so take all these home with you for the winter. Vacuum storage bags are your friend here.
Rats and mice will also try to come in looking for food, so remember to clear out the fridge, freezer and cupboards and take all your food home with you (or give to a food bank or homeless charity where possible).
When you’ve emptied your fridge, freezer and cupboards, give them a good clean and leave the doors open to prevent mould.
Another mould and damp prevention tip is to leave moisture traps or bowls of salt in every room.
Take your valuables home
Just like empty houses, empty caravans are also tempting to thieves. So take all your valuables home including the TV, games console, DVD player and anything else a burglar might take a fancy to and then leave your curtains open to show there’s nothing inside worth nicking.
Also, take home or put into storage everything from outside that’s not firmly secured to the ground, e.g. furniture, BBQ equipment or gnomes. This will stop them from flying away in windy, stormy weather and possibly damaging your caravan or a neighbouring one.
If you follow the above advice, your static caravan will be perfectly happy throughout the winter and will be in good condition for your next visit in the spring or summer.
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