Fellbound Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Ok. My first MH appeaered on Monday and I'm busy playing with it on the drive. And this first timer needs lots of tips and advice before the first test out trip starts a week today. Just two nights to get to know each other. The 2 hour (nervous) drive home from the dealers was very noisy as (I think) the oven shelf rattled and clattered about which brought it home to me how our uneven roads can affect the load. I'm interested to hear how people protect stuff like plates etc from breakages on the move. I don't want to use melamine as the MH has a microwave and my chosen plates don't appear to sit tightly in installed plate rack. Also, how sensible/safe is it to drive around with, say, an open carton of juice or screw top plastic bottle of milk in the fridge? Would I just end up with sticky, wet carpets? And what about pans and stuff sliding around? In short, how much trouble goes in to packing and protecting stuff each time you set off and how is this best done? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FRANKP60 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Jiffy bags for plates ,We use a Muggi rack for Mug ,tea towel round oven racks .Brought coupler of cheap I pad covers for toast rack in oven . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HymerVan Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Good luck with your new van. It is a big adventure. Exactly how you store will depend on the layout and nature of your van and exactly what you store. You will no doubt get many tips in response to your post. Briefly though your van contents will be liable to shock and movement as your van travels so your packing needs to address that. This in general means that things should not be loose.. For example pack your fridge so that things especially bottles don't roll about. Plastic boxes may help and your van fridge may have sliding clips on door shelves. Open items will spill and make a mess and some people buy refillable plastic bottles for this reason or just buy milk that comes in a sealable carton. Rattles from oven/grill tray is a classic source of noise and many people pad the rattling parts with dishtowels. Buy "sticky" shelf lining from a caravan accessory shop (or apparently pound shops) which will stop things rolling about. A lot of packing material e.g bubblewrap can be recycled into use in your van with a bit of imagination. Velcro "Bungees" can be very useful and you could interline your plates with the shelf material then hold them together with a velcro strap. Some caravan shops have a moulded plastic plate rack which might fit/suit your particular plates and possibly cups/mugs. Pans can be nested inside each other and if you want to be really posh Lakeland sell inserts to stop the pans rubbing agains each other. We keep some accessories e.g. jump leads in their original cardboard boxes (reinforced with duck tape) For us we travel light, less to carry less to pack less to worry about. Suggest you don't go mad buying/taking stuff you MIGHT need. Build up gradually things that you DO need. A coachbuilt van will never be completely rattle free. It will always have a measure of creaks rattles and groans on the move but with good packing you can reduce these to a minimum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I remove grill pan and lie on bed with grill and pan separated. A dish towel is placed across hob and the top pulled down on top of. With respect to the plate rack, I look at new vehicles and ask if anybody actually thinks how they fit them. The rack in my MH was fitted with plates facing outwards. I turned it 90 degrees which makes is so much easier to use especially if you are short and rack is in high cupboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Get yourself some bubble wrap - it protects glasses, cups etc - and reduces rattles. You have the right idea trying things out for a few nights. Have a good trip. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Bry Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Welcome to the forum Enjoy getting to know your new vehicle and enjoy the hobby / lifestyle. On the subject of rattles, we have been quite lucky with our van. As people have said already on here, we put a tea towel over the oven rings then close the lid on top of the tea towel. Obviously after all the oven rings have cooled down!!Like wise with the oven tray we just lay a piece of foam packing under the tray. No rattles from the crockery as we have them stacked with layers of of foam packing between the plates. The occasional rattle from the cutlery tray, but this is minimal. Just try and see what works best for yourself. Happy motorhoming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtisden Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I too dislike rattles which can be difficult to trace. Coach builds seem to be more prone to this problem compared to van conversions i find. The main obvious culprits are the oven shelf and door, Sink and hob glass top and the fridge. I have overcome most after experimenting with various solutions. Simple and quick is my preferred way and I tend to shy away from bubblewrap, jiffy bags and any wrapping of items. Takes time and where do you put the wrapping when the item is in use. My solution is line cupboards and draws with good quality anti slip lining. Contain loose small items in plastic boxes in draws and cupboards. But what really works for me is blue furniture foam. The square high density cushion foam , not cheap but it works. I buy offcuts at markets for a few £s and cut them up into strips of 2" by 2" by 6" long with a band saw. Yes!. These you can use to compress items in the cupboards and draws so they don't either move about or rattle. I also keep my crockery in a plastic box with also has a foam lining in the top and it eliminates rattles completely. The advantage of foam is it bends to suit your need and all you have to do is to make sure it is in place before you travel for a silent drive. Re the glass top to the hob unit I prop up on 2 of these strips and make sure the plastic bowl is put away also held in place by a thicker bigger strip. Saucepans also can be restrained in the same way, as is the oven shelf which is jammed in place in the oven by a large square lump compressed between the shelf and the oven roof sheet. Simple to make and use and one solution for all your needs. Works for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Welcome to the wonderful world or motorhoming. Rattles can be ignored if you turn up the radio! That's what we do sometimes. Rubberised, non slip matting can be used to line the floor of your lockers/cupboards. Cheap stuff is £1 a roll, the thicker stuff is up to £5 a roll. We've always used the latter but it probably wasn't a fiver a roll when we bought it so many years ago. Something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slip-Matting-Large-Roll-120CM/dp/B00O6S1W0E/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1439457421&sr=8-16&keywords=non+slip+rubber+mat Tea towels are your best friend as well. My missus makes bags from tea towels for all our pans and pan lids. We slide a strip of tea towel [cut with sewn edge to size] between plates and dishes. One slides over and under alternate plates. Need to be cloth/towel not thin linen. Neoprene sheets are useful if you can get them. We used a folded hand towel between the hob glass and rings. Again it is thicker than a linen tea towel. We buy mugs with wider bottoms than tops so they can stand on end. We have a silica lattice that goes over the mugs and stops them from clashing. It's actually a coaster/trivet that can be opened out. Bought them from a motorhome show but can't find them on line. Any liquids, wherever stored, need to have screw tops fastened. We use large plastic clips to seal dry goods in packaging such as cereals. Buy containers that won't rattle. Initially, a lot of thought goes into packing and protecting and you soon get the hang of it. We only remove perishable products and those with historic sell-by dates from the motorhome. If you can, drive the motorhome when it is empty and see what rattles. Then you can work out whether what you subsequently add is the cause of rattles. Nothing we've added has increased the empty body rattles. Be very careful opening cupboards and be ready to catch anything that falls out - properly packed, nothing should but we all make mistakes. Think carefully what you pack above your glass hob cover - better to use that cupboard for dry goods such as bread, cereal etc than crockery or heavier objects that can crash down and mark or smash the glass hob cover. When packing, high cupboards should be for lighter items, low cupboards/lockers for heavier objects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeti Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 One of the names for the 'sticky plastic' lining is Dicem,which now has become a generic name for this material similar to Hoover and Biro for Vacuum cleaners and ballpoint pens. Also the best way to cut foam is an electric carving knife. An interim measure could be plastic bag inflated like a balloon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 When driving a quiet car one squeak or rattle gets on my nerves. Yet driving a van with a hundred squeaks and rattles doesn't bother me at all :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timabob Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 We're in the same position as you, fairly new to all this. Best advice we had was the thin rubberish non slip matting, which is available from Poundland. You will see the same stuff in caravan shops and elsewhere, but at a pound for a metre or so, you can get loads for virtually nothing. We've used it successfully between plates, pans etc. and lining the cupboards so cups don't slide around. One problem we had was our motorhome came with a sort of glass fronted display cabinet (what a stupid idea). It begged to have wine and other glasses in it. How to achieve this without a heap of broken glass at the end of each journey. Answer thin furniture foam with glass sized holes gut in it. Now the glasses sit nicely in the display cabinet and stay upright and unbroken for the journey. You could use the same technique even if your motorhome manufacturer was more sensible than ours and excluded the display cabinet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fellbound Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 Thanks to everyone for the good advice and thoughts on my query. It wasn't so much rattles I was concerned about (though no doubt that will change), but actual breakages and spillages. Although I guess if plates, cutlery etc are rattling that means they could be broken as they must be moving about to rattle. Anyway, I had a load of bubble wrap to hand so have been in the MH this morning experimenting. I also like the expanding foam idea. I'll find out how successful I've been a week today when we head out for her first test in real conditions. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 If you were bringing it back from the Dealer, then it sounds like someone has pumped the tyres up to 80 psi. Check them and find what pressure you should have in them. A lot of your rattling will disappear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timabob Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Not expanding foam, that would make a real mess. I was thinking furniture cushion foam. The thin rubber matting will prevent breakages as well as stopping rattling. Instead of melamine consider Corelle plates and bowls. This is a type of glass, feels much better than melamine and is unbreakable. You will see them in caravan shops, but as usual often cheaper elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Fellbound - 2015-08-13 11:41 AM It wasn't so much rattles I was concerned about (though no doubt that will change), but actual breakages and spillages.... Try not to put "hard" stuff in the high lockers above the glass cooker/sink lid and worktops (ie S/S tea/coffee/sugar containers etc)..if it falls out or gets dropped it can cause (unsightly, expensive to fix?) damage.. On the subject of overhead lockers, I found small, spring loaded net curtain poles were ideal for using as "retaining rails", to help stop anything from just spilling out when first opening the lockers after a drive... Also,any draws or cupboards that were being used for "hard" rattle prone stuff, I would line with panels cut from camping roll mat. ..and sections/blocks of foam, cut to fit the fridge door shelves, helped stop stuff from shuttling/clattering back and forth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonB Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 All these are good ideas and we use a lot of them. Bottles in fridge can have a dishcloth or tea towel wrapped round them, and put glass bottles on shelves next to soft items. If you have a cutlery tray/drawer try lining each section with bubblewrap big enough to fold over the top of the knives, forks or spoons when travelling. SheilaB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtisden Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Attached a photo of my furniture foam kitchen locker rattle free setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 timabob - 2015-08-13 11:40 AM We're in the same position as you, fairly new to all this. Best advice we had was the thin rubberish non slip matting, which is available from Poundland. You will see the same stuff in caravan shops and elsewhere, but at a pound for a metre or so, you can get loads for virtually nothing. We've used it successfully between plates, pans etc. and lining the cupboards so cups don't slide around. One problem we had was our motorhome came with a sort of glass fronted display cabinet (what a stupid idea). It begged to have wine and other glasses in it. How to achieve this without a heap of broken glass at the end of each journey. Answer thin furniture foam with glass sized holes gut in it. Now the glasses sit nicely in the display cabinet and stay upright and unbroken for the journey. You could use the same technique even if your motorhome manufacturer was more sensible than ours and excluded the display cabinet. Our van has a "Glass" display cupboard. Ours has clips for Glasses/wine bottles. Have had 6 wine glasses hung from clips, for 10 years (No breaks) For the small glasses (Whiskey/Gin) OH has made a rack from ply, which has holes the size of the glass , which sits on the not slip matting , again 10 years no breaks.. Van came with racks for plates, cups, which can be bought in camping shops. The only rattles in our van, come from the cooker, even though I wrap grill etc. in non slip. Have tried taking out the shelves, but did not make any difference. I think it needs to sit on some sort of cushioning , but have not attempted to do this, so have to live with small rattles. (It helps that as you get older, the hearing tends to go!!) PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timabob Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Stalwart - Our van is German, so as you probably know, German cars and vans are sold with nothing whatsoever that can be called an extra. These things (racks etc.) are all available, but at an exorbitant add on price - hence the furniture foam for the glasses!! Luckily there is a lip in the glass fronted cabinet so you cannot really see the foam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtisden Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 timabob - 2015-08-13 11:40 AM The only rattles in our van, come from the cooker, even though I wrap grill etc. in non slip. Have tried taking out the shelves, but did not make any difference. I think it needs to sit on some sort of cushioning , but have not attempted to do this, so have to live with small rattles. (It helps that as you get older, the hearing tends to go!!) PJay The reason that the full size cooker/ovens rattle is because they are basically a drum. Thin walls and as such like a drum magnifies the sound. Why Dometic don't reinforce the walls to stop their flexing that causes the rattle I don't know. But then i don't use a oven or microwave myself when away. I raised it with them at the NEC a few years ago and was told there e was no demand for a quiet oven from the converters and it would cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 One thing you will find is that a lot of the noise will subside once you load the van. The extra weight will take out some of the suspension generated noise over our uneven roads, and clothing and bedding will absorb quite a lot of the reverberation from empty cupboards. But, you are driving a vehicle, in which you may need to take some kind of emergency action, even if only a sharp stop. So, everything you load into the van needs to be located so that it cannot slide or roll about. If you can achieve that, the stuff generally won't rattle either. We have travelled miles and miles with cardboard milk cartons in the fridge and, providing the carton is re-closed by folding it back into shape and, above all, is in the fridge door with enough other stuff to prevent it toppling over, not a drop has spilt. Obviously anything that can be closed securely should be so secured, and anything else needs to be wedged into place to keep it upright and secure. Agree about opening cupboards, and fridge, with caution after driving! But you'll soon get to know which items aren't packed right. Before you set off, just check that the fridge is latched shut, and that all cupboard and other doors are securely closed. Only when you hit your first roundabout and the fridge, or a cupboard, bursts open and distributes its contents all over the floor, will you fully understand the meaning of distracting the driver! Yep, got the tee-shirt! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Take all the fittings such as plate racks out and save them to put back in when you sell the motorhome. They are an inefficient waste of space and limit the size of plates etc. use the best quality none slip matting on the shelves. If the shelves have a slippery surface as our AutoSleeper does use double sided tape fix the matting in place. Use the cheap matting cut into suitable sizes to go between plates. We have two plastic crates that I have devided into segments to carry bottles of wine and cans of beer. Don't go overboard trying to get rid of any rattles. We even used to wrap the cuttelry up to,stop it rattling. You won't succeed. Just accept that there will be a few rattles on minor roads but most will stop on motorways. Don't as someone has already said travel with heavy items in the cupboards above the glass cooker plate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tugga Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 With regard to the fridge, I pack it so tight with food that nothing can rattle around or fall over and spill. I don't put anything on our hob as it doesn't rattle. I do put a sheet of paper towel between the grill and the tray and that stops that rattling. I have lined my top cupboards with the nonslip rubber and I put my glasses on that and they stay put. I do very little in the way of padding out. My worst problem is the top cabinet in the washroom as I don't travel with enough stuff to pack it out as its quite big. I have ended up putting empty 1ltr ice cream containers on their sides to fill up the empty spaces. Enjoy the hobby, its a wonderful life. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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