Around this time of year, many campervan owners start to consider when their campervan should go back into storage.
Others have plenty of winter trips planned – and we may have more on that topic for you soon – but if you prefer to take your campervan out only in the best weather (and you’re not using our campervan hire service) then we recommend you give some thought to how you store your campervan during the colder months.
So what should you do?
Open And Check Your Pop-Up Roof
Dampness that may have worked its way in when the roof was open last (or through damage, though we hope you don’t have to deal with that) can lead to mould building up over time if it’s shut away. We recommend you open up your roof, check it, and clean it too. Then, when it’s had a chance to breathe, close the roof back down.
Clear Out Food
This should be an obvious one but the obvious steps are the most important ones to write down on a checklist because they’re overlooked far too often. Empty your fridge and any other storage area, not just to make the atmosphere more pleasant when you return but to make sure you won’t be dealing with mice.
Relocate Heavier Items
If possible, take out any movable kit you can store elsewhere – your gas bottles and the like. This is also great for those of you who use a camper as a second vehicle when it’s not your home away from home, but it’s a great way to reduce the load on tyres and suspension over their long wrest.
Check the Batteries Regularly
This step can be skipped if you’ll be driving the campervan frequently, but if not, it’s worth checking the charge for your main and leisure batteries about once a month. It does nobody any good for those to run completely flat.
If your campervan will be outside, a solar panel can help with this, but you should make sure nothing’s been left on to be a slow drain on the batteries.
Drain Lingering Fluids
If your campervan is going to be left outside, you’ll want to drain water containers and pipework so they don’t burst in prolonged cold – after all, if you’re not running the vehicle, it’ll settle to the ambient temperature. Even if you don’t, this is a great opportunity to thoroughly clean and sterilise this pipework for your own long-term benefit.
Schedule Maintenance
The perfect time to get any issues that need professional attention sorted is a long span where you know you won’t be using the vehicle anyway (and the worst time is spring, when every other campervan owner will be making their checks and booking in their maintenance!
Air it Out
If you can keep your campervan somewhere safe from the rain, opening everything up and letting it air out for a while can also really help.
Be Prepared for Spring Maintenance
Waking your vehicle up after months of rest is also important. Earlier this year we put together a guide to spring maintenance – so have that checklist ready in your head.
Look to the Future
Lastly, while your campervan is probably going to be road ready just through following these guides, bear in mind that the other reason to carry out checks before the winter breaks is for lead time in the unlikely and unhappy event that you need to buy a new converted campervan. If yours looks like it’s finally on its last wheels, consider putting in an order for a Ford, Volkswagen, or Renault campervan – we’ll have it ready for your adventures next year!
