Bulletguy Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Some good points highlighted on here. Forgetting to secure the fridge door before setting off was always my pet bug bear. Even now i still sometimes forget it, only to have the damn thing swing open at the first corner! Rattles are annoying too when driving so anything likely to jiggle about or make a noise i wedge some cloth round. I drive with the shower room vent open which is ok as long as you remember to angle it downwards with just the rear end up...forget to do that and you may well be saying goodbye to a roof vent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandalwood Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Hi Sharon, welcome to our exciting new world. The first thing we did was to load up, fill up with water and go to the weighing station. Front wheels on, take measurement, back wheels on take measurements, all on take measurements. Our weigh master said, empty your water, buy a four gallon plastic container, fill with water and use that! Giving morepayload. We used our council weighbridge - free. The other important thing to do, is go to the nearest campsite for the weekend to iron out your little problems, we still learning. We off to France for three weeks, heigh Ho. Good luck, let me know how you get on. One other piece of advice from our dealer, do not go crazy shopping for the van, you spend too much. !Have a few runs out, make notes of what you NEED not what you want. Happy travelling! Shirley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 I wish I'd known on our very first Caravan 35 years ago that Chlorine attacks Stainless Steel. I would not then have left a big dose of Milton Sterilising fluid in the Water System overnight, "just to be sure". Lots of people will give you many different tips on how to keep the Fresh Water fit to drink (at least boiled) and the waste smelling fresh. Just don't leave the treatment overlong!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Good point raised about how to keep your waste tank fresh as there is nothing worse than a stinky system. There are all sorts of suggestions as to what to put down the sink to clear up smells but my advice would be to avoid putting potentially smelly stuff down there in the first place. We always wipe excess food etc from plates, pots and cutlery before washing and never put solid stuff into the tank. I never leave the tank sitting full after a trip and flush it through as well. I leave the drain tap open and leave the plugs out to allow fresh air to circulate. I also put some tank fresh down the pipes every now and then. Our van is three years old and the tank is still as fresh as new (well, to my nose anyway). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monique.hubrechtsgm Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Keep you waste tank drain off valve always slightly open. And flush regularly whit clean water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clintswife Posted May 31, 2017 Author Share Posted May 31, 2017 And so the day is nearly here. We pick up our MH tomorrow at Brownhills. Totally excited. Thank you everyone for your fantastic tips. I feel like one of the family already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Enjoy the day. Take a note book with you to jot down some of the things that the dealer says that you might find useful. Also make a note of questions tou want to ask. It's highly unlikely you will remember all you are told on handover. Don't worry. You can always ask another motorhomer, this forum, or Brownhills. Best wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiesgrandad Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Welcome to the madhouse, if I had known when we bought our first van just how much we would spend over the years I would have tried to convince CG that we should buy another sailboat, but that's another story. My point is that owning and running a motorhome is not cheap, and it is probably not a great way to try to enjoy a cheap holidays. It really is all about the lifestyle and the opportunities that it gives you, we just love it. The good folk on this forum will help you in every way they can, and give you a list of all the things you will need to take or do.My advice is to carry an old bicycle innertube in the tool kit, it has lots of uses. AGD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocs Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Archiesgrandad - 2017-05-31 9:56 PM Welcome to the madhouse, if I had known when we bought our first van just how much we would spend over the years I would have tried to convince CG that we should buy another sailboat, but that's another story. My point is that owning and running a motorhome is not cheap, and it is probably not a great way to try to enjoy a cheap holidays. It really is all about the lifestyle and the opportunities that it gives you, we just love it. The good folk on this forum will help you in every way they can, and give you a list of all the things you will need to take or do.My advice is to carry an old bicycle innertube in the tool kit, it has lots of uses. AGD Is this the same Archiesgrandad that, on another thread, extols how cheaply one can motorhome? 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Archiesgrandad - 2017-05-31 9:56 PM My advice is to carry an old bicycle innertube in the tool kit, it has lots of uses. AGD Pray, do tell of all these multiple uses ??? My imagination is running riot but not in a practical way 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 monique.hubrechts@gm - 2017-05-24 4:34 PM Keep your waste tank drain off valve always slightly open..... Tut tut!! That's a bit naughty Monique and would be frowned on in UK! Even though grey water waste is harmless, people don't like it dripping out on the roads. Must admit emptying my waste tank is one job i hate as the tap is on the end of a short hose clamped to the undersill and bloody difficult to relocate it back in the clamp. It often means kneeling down on the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiesgrandad Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 Whilst I do all I can to keep the cost of running our motorhome down to the lowest practical level, it is generally an expensive pastime. If you start from the point at which you spend many thousands of pounds, or maybe tens of thousands, or maybe even in excess of one hundred thousand pounds, then you must know that this ain't gonna be cheap. They are in general not cheap to maintain, and it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the more modern ones yourself. Even the best of them are not good on fuel consumption by modern standards, so I do all I can to do something which is inherently expensive as inexpensively as I can. I am worried about where your imagination is leading you in respect of old bicycle innertubes. I always carry one in the van because you can do so many useful things with it:- for a start they are made of stretchy rubbery stuff, so you can cut slices off and use them as rubber bands, if you need something longer you can make a chain of rubber bands. a piece of an innertube will provide electrical insulation if you need to make temporary repairs to the electrics you can make waterproof gaskets or patches if you need to make temporary repairs you can use it to join two pieces of piping together if you need to extend a drain pipe, you know, like can't get close enough to the grey water drain. you can use a piece as an antichafe pad to stop something rubbing. I hope that is enough to start you thinking about this most versatile, inexpensive item that you should carry, with regard to whatever else you were thinking of, I can only recommend Bromide, it seemed to work for us when we did our National Service. AGD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 Thank you archiesgrandad for revealing the diverse uses of a bicycle inner tube. I've never needed one in over 40 years of camping but will pack one now to cover all eventualities (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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