We have always overwintered our vans outside but have stored indoors for the first time this year cos we've got a new one.We were advised to leave one roof vent slightly open to allow air to circulate so the Heike is open on the first catch. FLYSCREEN ON. Your'e sure to get loads of advice from members much more ' in the know' than we are.
If you have a flyscreen it may be a good idea to open the roof vent but you don't want to give mice access. I used to seal mine up completely but I went to it regularly throughout the winter and opened it up, lit the gas fire and fridge etc; to keep things from seizing up. I also put a dish of salt either end to help soak up moisture and keep the air smelling fresh and I put citronella blocks in the loo and wardrobe to help keep out creepy crawlies. I don't know if they worked but they smelled nice.
I store my caravan in our garage and always leave the top roof vent opena fraction. I pull the cushions away from the walls and use moisture traps at either end.
if you are in a squirrel area i would advise against leaving a top vent open as they can make hell of a mess of your seats if they get in.this happened on site and a warden had to break in to get it out.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Even when closed roof vents are not sealed to allow for ventilation.Make sure items stored on the floor are not covering vents such as under the fridge.
No point keeping a dish of wet salt in the van it is just absorbing moisture in the air passing through van.
Quote: Originally posted by Mr Muffin on 08/11/2011
Even when closed roof vents are not sealed to allow for ventilation. No point keeping a dish of wet salt in the van it is just absorbing moisture in the air passing through van.
Absolutely. Vans have built in ventilation naturally (there's some legal requirement regarding ventilation on the construction of rooflights) and as Mr Muffin has alluded towards, the natural moisture in air will give the impression the salt 'trick' is working, as generally that's what the stuff is sucking up. Same applied to the 'rechargeable' type dehumidifiers too.
Quote: Originally posted by jeff juke on 09/11/2011
I would advise everybody whose got their van in storage to put their cassete toilet inside the van to stop it being stolen.
Didn't stop 'em from taking my last van. How the heck did we get on to toilets again!
P.S. Jeff: When we were at Black Horse Farm during Half Term, we were quite close to the CDP - during the week, only saw one person using rubber gloves!!
We store our van outside and have never left any additional ventilation open. Can't recall any musty smell. Never put the heating on - the un-natural fluctuation of temperature does tend to cause condensation IMHO.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: winter storage - ventilation
How the heck did we get on to toilets again! 
