How to winterise a caravan: a step-by-step guide

Drain down the water system before the first frost

Water expands by about 9 % when it freezes. A little left in a pipe, the pump or the water heater is enough to split a part, and you only find the leak in spring, when you refill. Drain everything down before the first frosty nights, even if the caravan is under cover: an unheated barn or shed freezes too.

• The fresh water tank: open the drain plug and leave it open all winter. Run the pump for a few seconds to clear it, then empty or remove its filter if it has one.
• The taps: open every tap and the shower head, and set the mixer taps halfway between hot and cold so both sides drain. Leave them open until spring.
• The water heater: this is the most expensive part to replace. On a Truma, open the drain valve (FrostControl). It opens by itself at about 3 °C when the heating is off, but do not rely on that alone, and it can only be closed again by hand above about 7 °C. On other makes, follow the manual: there is often a separate drain tap or plug.
• The waste water tank: empty it, rinse it with clean water and leave the valve open, with a bucket underneath if the caravan stays at home.
• The toilet: empty and rinse the cassette, let it dry, and empty the small flush tank if it is separate.

Damp and ventilation: winter's real enemy

A caravan shut up all winter suffers less from the cold than from damp: condensation on cold walls, mould in the cushions, a musty smell. The rule is simple: air must be able to move.

• Never block the vents in the floor and roof: they are also there for gas safety, and they keep condensation down.
• Leave cupboards, lockers, the wardrobe and the washroom door ajar. Stand mattresses and cushions on their edges, or take them home with the bedding and curtains if you can.
• Put out one or two moisture traps (crystal tubs), standing in a dish in case they overflow, and empty them each time you visit. On a dry, sunny day, open everything up for an hour or two.
• Outside, a breathable cover made for caravans keeps off leaves and UV without trapping moisture. An ordinary plastic tarpaulin does the opposite: it holds in condensation and rubs the bodywork in the wind.

Tyres, chassis and handbrake

Left for months on the same spot, tyres flatten and age. Three ways to protect them, from best to simplest:

• Take the weight off the wheels with axle stands under the chassis, at the points the manufacturer specifies (see the manual), as Michelin advises. Careful: corner steadies steady the caravan but are not jacks, AL-KO reminds owners, so never use them to lift it.
• Or add pressure: at least 0.5 bar above your usual pressure, according to the ANWB, the Dutch motoring club. Remember to go back to the normal pressure before you set off.
• Keep the sun off: wheel covers cut down the UV that cracks the rubber.

Level the caravan, put chocks under the wheels, then release the handbrake: the ADAC, the German motoring club, recommends this so that it does not freeze in the on position. On a slope, keep chocks on both sides. While you are there, clean the hitch head and check how old the tyres are: the manufacture date is printed on the sidewall.

The battery: charged, disconnected, kept frost-free

Even disconnected from everything, a battery slowly loses its charge, and a flat lead-acid battery can freeze and be ruined for good. Before winter:

• charge it fully, on mains hook-up or while towing;
• switch it off at the isolator, or disconnect the negative terminal: an alarm, the charger's clock or a detector is enough to drain it in a few weeks;
• top it up regularly through the winter, or leave it on a maintenance charger. If the caravan is stored away from home, the simplest answer is often to take the battery out and keep it somewhere frost-free, as the ADAC advises.

A lithium battery has its own rules: many will not accept a charge below 0 °C. Follow its manufacturer's manual for the storage charge level and temperature.

Gas: cylinders off, outside and dry

Turn off the cylinders, disconnect them and take them out of the gas locker. Store them upright in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, and never in a cellar or basement: butane and propane are heavier than air and would collect at floor level if there were a leak. At a storage site, follow the site rules: many require cylinders to be removed or kept separately because of the fire risk.

Planning to use the caravan this winter? Butane stops vaporising at around 0 °C: in cold weather, only propane works.

Fridge, cleaning and pests

• The fridge: empty it, clean it, dry it, then lock the door slightly ajar. Most caravan fridges, Dometic ones included, have a catch for exactly this; without it, mould sets in within a few weeks.
• Food: take out all food, tins included, drinks and anything that can freeze (washing-up liquid, creams, cleaning products). Crumbs attract mice.
• Cleaning: give it a thorough clean inside and out before you lock up. Bird droppings, tree sap and stuck-on leaves damage the bodywork. Dry the awning and camping furniture before putting them away.
• Seals: look at the seals around rooflights, windows and lights. A small leak over winter means a damaged wall by spring.

Outside, under cover or in storage: where to keep it

The best place is a dry garage or closed building, as both the ADAC and the Caravan and Motorhome Club point out: out of the weather, the UV and the reach of thieves. Failing that, an open shelter (barn, carport) already keeps off rain and sun. Outside, choose flat, hard ground away from trees, and add a breathable cover.

The rules on where a caravan can be kept depend on the country, and often on your local council. If you store or tour in France, this is what French law says:

• On the land of your home, or in your own buildings and outbuildings, the French Planning Code allows a caravan to be stored “pending its next use” (article R111-50). The same goes for a shared caravan storage garage or a vehicle storage yard.
• On other land that is neither a campsite nor a shared storage garage, keeping a caravan there for more than three months a year, periods added together, needs prior notice to the town hall (déclaration préalable, article R421-23).
• In the street, a vehicle left in the same place for more than seven days, or less if a local order says so, is parked unlawfully (article R417-12 of the French Highway Code): a 2nd-class fine, and it can be towed away.

In the UK or Ireland, the rules are different: check with your local council, and read your deeds or estate rules, before keeping the caravan on your drive or in the street.

Insurance: do not cancel it

A caravan standing still can catch fire, be stolen, be damaged by a storm or a falling branch, or damage a neighbour's property. In France, the law even treats a trailer, “even when not hitched”, as a vehicle that must be insured (article L211-1 of the French Insurance Code). Wherever you live, call your insurer before winter:

• are you covered for theft, fire and storm damage at the place where the caravan is stored?
• does the policy require a security device, a locked building or an approved storage site?
• at a storage site, the site's insurance does not necessarily cover your caravan: check that your own policy covers it there, as the Caravan and Motorhome Club advises.

In spring: getting it back on the road

• Damp: go round the walls, corners and cupboards, and use your nose. A stain, a warped panel or a smell of mould means water is getting in: have the caravan checked for damp by a professional before it spreads.
• Water: close the drains and taps, and the water heater valve once it is above 7 °C. Fill up, then check that no joint leaks, under the sink and at the water heater. Flush the system through before drinking the water.
• Gas: check the date printed on the flexible hose and the state of the regulator, reconnect, then check for leaks (soapy water, or a check by a professional) before lighting anything.
• Tyres and brakes: set the normal pressure, with the tyres cold, and check their age and any cracking. Test the brakes at low speed; if the caravan has not been serviced for a while, have the brakes and bearings checked.
• Battery and lights: charge it, reconnect it, then check all the lights with the car hitched up.

Fancy getting away before summer? The Open all year filter shows only the campsites that welcome you in winter. And if you spend part of the winter at one of them, tell other Nesters how access went with your caravan: you can do it on the campsite's page.

The checklist before you lock the door

Print it or keep it on your phone: everything to do, in order.