We are new to caravanning and had quite a few short breaks over the summer after we took delivery of our Luna Lexon. We are hoping to continue with the odd weekend during the winter as we find the idea of cosy warm evenings quite appealing.
Do we need to take certain factors into consideration (apart from the obvious frost !!) when planning these trips ?
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Thanks.
If it's a bad winter whereby the temperature plummets then you will need to insulate your water barrel including the pump pipe that connects to the water inlet housing as ice expands and can be costly to replace any cracked parts when it thaws. In severe cases it can also do damage to the water pump so you need to go well prepared even though the last two winters have been quite mild.
We caravan all year round, the kids love it too. We are booked for Oct half term and we've just booked with 3 other families for NYE for 3 days.
Only thing to be aware of is wind and also making sure you drain all the water from your system between each use so you don't damage your pipes!
We do this by draining on site and then leaving all the taps open in the mid point so the shaking on the way back removes the remaining water onto the road.
we caravan all year round as well. Love those frosty fresh mornings and as said above, make sure your water is insulated , or use on board tank if you have one. (but dont travel with it fulll) and check the weather for strong winds, as checkley says drain off ever time you leave site, which i do all year long.
We picked our caravan up from the dealer last November, went away that night, so we could check everything was working. It was fab waking up to a frost on the ground, there was only one other caravan on the site, a CL that we booked. It was a great introduction and the couple staying there as well helped us and gave us some great tips. I can't wait to get away, got a couple of cheeky weekends away booked on the lead up to Christmas
We try to get away through-out the year and our main winter break is from Boxing Day until after New Year. The main things we do are to keep up to date with the local forecast and take all necessary precautions as to whatever the weather will throw at us. We only use a 2 metre porch during the winter, easy assemble and easy to take down if the weather becomes bad. Take care on the roads and take notice of any warnings that may have been issued. The most important thing is to enjoy the occasion, winter is a fantastic time to use your caravan.
All those tips and ides will be very helpful thanks. Will definitely give it a go this winter. Also thought about a cover for the Aqua roll although they are quite expensive .. Does anyone have one and what do you think of them.
Instead of bothering with the aqua roll, use a couple of 5 litre water bottles, the type you buy in the supermarket. We fill these from the site tap.
For a 3 night stay in winter, we don't even take the aqua roll with us nor do we bother about hot water, just boil what we need as we use it.
Filling the water system and then having to empty it again is just a hassle for short winter trips.
We've never bothered with a cover for the Aquaroll, always carry an old coat in the winter to wrap over and under it if really cold, water pipe comes out of sleeve into socket onto the side of the van. We leave a 5 litre container of water in the van just in case everything outside does freeze over night.
In prolonged periods of extreme cold it is a good idea to use a bucket for the waste water instead of the usual wastemaster or other almost closed container.
Imagine trying to empty a frozen or partially frozen wastemaster.
Buckets are usually tapered and will allow emptying of the block of ice easily.
Beware also of the possibility of the ( normally un-insulated ) shower drain flexi pipe freezing as it is outside of the of the caravan body and beyond its insulation.
Colin
------------- First outing : 6 - 8th June 2011 - Rivington nr Bolton.
27/6/11 - 15/7/11: Cornwall.
2/9/11 - 5/9/11: Tarporley, Cheshire.
08/10/11 - 13/10/11: Naburn Lock nr York.
19/3/12 - 22/3/12: Southport
Quote: Originally posted by LobeyDosser on 08/9/2015
Instead of bothering with the aqua roll, use a couple of 5 litre water bottles, the type you buy in the supermarket. We fill these from the site tap.
For a 3 night stay in winter, we don't even take the aqua roll with us nor do we bother about hot water, just boil what we need as we use it.
Filling the water system and then having to empty it again is just a hassle for short winter trips.
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Topic: Winter caravan trips
