Caravan motorhome winterisation: complete guide

Of course, we think the best thing to do with your caravan or motorhome in winter is rent it out on Camplify and make winter your earning season.

But in between those times, or if you opt to only rent your vehicle out in other seasons, it’s important to prepare properly for winter. Whether you have campervan, caravan or motorhome, read on for our vehicle winterisation tips.

10 tips for caravan and motorhome winterisation

Follow this checklist to ensure your touring caravan, motorhome or caravan is properly prepared for winter.

1. Drain all water

As with statics, water is the biggest threat to your tourer or motorhome in winter. Fully drain down any water system to protect against frost; open all taps; and open all drain valves and remove any drainage plugs. Remove any filters, clean them and store them in a safe place, to be sterilised and replaced in spring.

If you have an on-board pump, run this clear of water (check your manual for details on this).

2. Disconnect the gas

Remove any gas bottles and store safely, as above. Remember that if you’re putting your caravan into winter storage you’ll need to check the storage company’s gas cylinder policy, as many don’t allow cylinders to be stored on board for a prolonged period of time. To be fully safe, we recommend keeping the gas cylinder out of the caravan, preferably in your garden at home.

3. Check all electrics and batteries

Check any caravan-to-car connectors and hook-up leads for signs of damage, then wipe the contact points with a product like Vaseline or WD-40.

Remove any battery unit and take it home, to charge every so often over the winter season. If you’re leaving a battery in your van, either disconnect it fully or use its isolation switch to make sure it’s isolated from all appliances. Or you can turn off all electrical appliances and pull out the plugs.

As with statics, you might want to periodically run a heater or heating system on a timer powered by a battery or an electricity source.

4. Empty and clean the toilet

Whether your tourer has a vacuum-style toilet or a portable cassette one, make sure it’s fully emptied and the waste cassette properly cleaned before you put the vehicle into storage. You’ll need to use a cleaning solution suitable for cassette toilets – not bleach.

5. Protect from the elements

Clean and wax your tourer if you’re going to leave it uncovered over winter. But if you can, it’s a much better idea to get a caravan cover to put over your vehicle. This needs to be breathable, waterproof and able to let air in but keep rain and snow out. Don’t use a plastic cover where no air can get it, as this will build up condensation.

If you’re storing your caravan at home, consider building a simple porch shelter to keep it dry. There areplenty of instructions online andthis article from TruckCamper has 19 RV shelter ideas to give you inspiration.

6. Think tyres

It’s not a good idea to leave a tourer/motorhome in a static position all winter, or for any prolonged period of time – this will put pressure on one area of the tyre and make it become cracked or damaged. Move your tourer a little every month or so, so a different part of the tyre tread is used every time. Doing this also has the advantage that you’ll be checking on your tourer regularly and powering up its engine.

If you want to be completely safe, replace your tourer wheels with metal winter wheels. This will help make it more secure from theft too.

7. Tackle mould and damp

Tourers are generally a lot smaller than statics, so are quicker to damp proof for winter. Removing and storing all bedding and soft furnishings will help a great deal in preventing damp and mildew; also make sure you leave cupboard doors open and the toilet/shower door ajar.

Curtains are also much easier to remove for winter and you should certainly do this for net curtains as they attract damp easily. Remove net curtains and wash, dry and store them along with your other furnishings.

8. Fully clean the vehicle interior

Remove all perishable and packet food, clean and dry cupboard space and surfaces, hoover all parts of the floor and furniture, and remove, wash, dry and store all bedding.

9. Check the windows and blinds

The same as with statics – check all seals and make sure that blinds and fly screens are fully retracted. If you’re moving your tourer every so often to prevent tyre damage, you can do this at the same time, especially if there’s been heavy rain.

10. Storage and security

All the advice above about keeping your static caravan safe from theft and damage applies to tourers – make sure your van is locked, windows are secure, valuables are removed or out of sight and fire extinguishers are in the right place.

But there’s a bit more to think about when it comes to keeping tourers safe from theft. They’re obviously smaller and more portable than statics, therefore easier to steal, and so you should invest in the most extensive security system you can afford.

Clamp the wheels (or replace with winter wheels), use a hitch lock and window locks, attach a security post and add an alarm and tracking device, along with a notice of these on the van exterior. If you’re keeping your tourer at home, you could also consider adding a CCTV camera to your drive – and always keep your caravan keys and documents well hidden inside your home in case of burglary.

You may opt to keep your tourer on a winter storage pitch instead – if so, ask the park owners what their security measures are, and still follow as many as possible of the tips above.

Finally, remember that if you’ve installed a tracker on your van, it will need to run off a battery or other power source even when you’re not there.

A word on motorhome winterisation

Almost all the above tips apply to motorhomes, caravans and campervans.

But there’s one vital extra element to check on motorhomes when putting them into storage – the engine and other cab parts to keep the motorhome on the road come spring. The ventilation grills in the cab are where most draughts will come in, so make sure these are all closed (in the cab part only, not the grilles in the living part as these are safety devices against gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Also make sure you leave the motorhome parked in gear with the handbrake off to prevent rear drums freezing. Finally, check and double check your motorhome’s coolant system and make sure it has enough antifreeze, so there’s no engine damage in very cold temperatures.

Want some more advice? Check out the best motorhomes for winter use in the UK and how to keep warm camping on your next road trip!