Advice on Swift Bolero's winter pack effectiveness

[Jams]

Hello,

 

We have a 2011 Swift Bolero 600EK with the winter pack (heaters in fresh and grey water tanks and fridge vent covers), which is supposed to cope with temperatures to -15c. We are planning to go touring to Austria and Switzerland next Christmas and New Year for some skiing and hiking. Does anyone have any advice on whether the winter pack is sufficient to cope with winter temperatures in the Alps, or do we need to make additional modifications before we go? We have been touring on South Island in NZ in the winter with similar temperatures and the motorhome we hired coped really well - so the cold weather doesn't worry us, but we are unsure how the winterisation of the Bolero will compare.

 

Also, does anyone have any experience of how the Bolero's driving performance copes with snow chains?

 

Thanks very much for any advice or experiences you can offer.

 

Sue

[JohnP]

I have only used the system down to minus 10 and it was Ok. I take it that you will be on site with mains hookup.

A few suggestions.

1. Allow the waste water to drain continually (waste tap open) into a plastic bucket and empty it frequently.

2. Lift mains cable off ground at least daily. The slight heat generated in the cable will cause it to sink into any ice or packed snow. If left it may then freeze over and be difficult to move when you want to move off site.

3. Use an external "silver" screen.

4. Snow chains are compulsory in most parts of the Alps in winter. Practice fitting them before you leave home. Chains are quite effective but keep your speed down when they are fitted to avoid the possibility of body damage.

5. Take things like a shovel, tow-rope.

6. Keep a small container of drinking water in the van.

7. The Bolero uses a Truma Secure-motion gas regulator which have in the past caused problems. I suggest carrying a suitable spare (not necessarily the same make/type)

8. I don't think the tank heaters work on route.

[Derek Uzzell]

Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums, Sue - and Happy New Year.

 

This MotorhomeFacts thread may be helpful

 

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftoptitle-119456-swift-winter-pack.html

 

You would need to run the tank heaters while parked and, as these demand a significant amount of electrical power, you'd probably need to be on 230V hook-up to keep your Bolero's leisure battery charged.

 

Any fresh-water or waste-water pipework that's external will be vulnerable in very cold temperatures, and pipework insulation can only do so much to delay freezing. If there is water pipework in unheated lockers, or hidden behind furniture (say, a cold-water feed to a shower) this might also freeze up eventually in extremely cold conditions.

 

Genuine 'arctic weather' motorhomes are rare. The complete water system - tanks, pipework, drainage - really needs to be within the vehicle's heavily-insulated interior. A Bolero does not fit those critera, but I'm not sure what modifications you could realistically make to improve matters.

[Brian Kirby]

I agree with Derek. Few, if any, UK made vans are truly winterised. The Alps in winter, at altitude, and especially when windy, will test any degree of winterisation to the limit. Night-time temperatures can get to -25C, so add wind chill and external tanks, but especially any externally exposed water or waste pipes, will be very liable to freeze, even if a heater stops the fresh water tank freezing completely. Remember that while driving those underslung tanks are subjected to a continuous 50/60 mph blast beneath your van, so you will be liable to arrive with frozen pipes, rather than having to wait until you are parked! :-) For Alpine skiing you really do need all water/drain pipes, plus the c/w tank, to be internal. The waste tank is best dealt with as suggested above, leave the drain open, put a bucket under the drain, and never leave the bucket full overnight - unless you enjoy trying to dispose of gungy lollies the next morning!

 

Consider also gas. Many UK built vans hold only 7kg cylinders, which will last only a matter of days at such low temperatures with heating going flat-out. I'm assuming you are already aware that you cannot get UK branded gas outside the UK, and that French/German propane cylinders have different "pig-tail" attachments to UK? Don't forget the UK 7kg is a bit unique. Can't speak for Germany, but most of the small French cylinders are only 6kg, and some may not fit your locker because they are "fatter". If on EHU, and you have one of the Combi "E" models, you will get some benefit from the electric heating, but that alone will be be unlikely to maintain comfort.

 

You can compensate to some degree for the vulnerability of underslung pipes/tanks by building a snow wall around the van, to prevent the wind whistling underneath it. Not so convenient if you have to keep pottering off to replenish your gas cylinders, food, water, etc though.

 

I think you will have to head for a caravanneige site, and not expect to be able to use Alpine aires. You would need a van built for severe winter use, mainly German, a few French, plus possibly some Adria and Laika models, to get away with an extended stay on an aire in the Alps in winter. You would also need additional battery capacity plus a decent sized solar panel, a genny, or an EFOY to be sure of keeping everything working properly. On an Alpine aire in winter, no 12V = no heating = danger.

[Derek Uzzell]

I note that Sue inquired about this earlier on the Caravan Club forum and a couple of replies have recently been added there:

 

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/community/discussions/technical/motorhomes/Advice-on-Swift-Boleros-winter-pack-effectiveness/rt/323223/

 

If the tank heaters fitted as part of a Bolero's Winter Pack are not operable while the motorhome is being driven (as JohnP thinks), unless the fresh-water and waste-water tanks are emptied before travelling in very cold weather, water in those tanks will freeze and may prove very difficult to unfreeze.

 

To prevent the leisure-battery being drained, my Hobby's waste-water tank heater will only operate when the vehicle is on 230V hook-up or when its motor is running. I would hope (though not necessarily expect!) that Swift have done something similar for Bolero.

[Jams]

Thanks very much John, Derek & Brian for all your really useful advice and links. We are definitely planning to use sites with hook ups rather than aires, and we are looking into the gas problem - we saw another forum where the owners had replaced their exchangable gas bottles with refillable ones, so this might be an option. I think we will try a couple of cold weekends away over the next couple of months to see how our van copes.

 

Thanks again,

 

Sue

[Guest JudgeMental]

If your going to make a habit of winter camping you might be better changing to a proper winterised double floor van. All the tanks and pipe work are within the double floor, and this area is also heated making the interior floor warm to walk on as well which is very comfy especially in shower room....

 

But take JohnP advice and hope for the best.... but really you only have a 3 season van at best

 

if your going to be keeping van a underslung LPG tank may be the way to go,

[lennyhb]

You could with a bit of work improve the winterisation yourself. For example although our Hymer has an underslung waste tank it is enclosed in a insulated box which also has a small bore feed from the heating system. There is also a heat outlet in the cassette toilet locker to prevent the waste tank from freezing.