StuartO Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 I'm fortunate in having space (and mains electricity) to store our MH alongside the house so it has been easy enough to check it from time to time. I parked it (last July, after an MOT) on level ground but on chocks to help water run off the roof with EHU connected and placed a number of mouse traps inside last October. The water tanks had been emptied and the boiler drained, I left the roof vent open slightly for ventialtion, fridge off and door ajar but otherwise I just left it. None of the mouse traps have been triggered, it's always smelled fresh and dry when I've been in there and the voltage readings of the batteries on the DT201 display have been OK at just over 13 volts. No attempt to start the engine since the MOT and it's been SORNed since January 2020 because we were going on a mega cruise, which incidentally we cancelled. I have some wheel covers somewhere but I never got around to putting them on, which I should have done. Otherwise the MH seems OK, even though at present it's covered in snow. I didn't put the Silver Screen insulation on the windscreen, there didn't seem any point. Has anyone got any better ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy mccord Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 That's pretty much the same as I have done Stuart, apart from lifting bench seat cushions to allow good airflow and also I have a small oil filled radiator in there which is well in use at the moment Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barryd999 Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Not done anything really and its not been used since last August. I had to whip the battery off and charge it the other day as it was flat when i came to move it. Probably from several starts to move it now and again. I usually disconnect the battery but forgot a couple of weeks ago and it went flat. I guess they stay on motorhome dealer forecourts most of the winter and for long spells without being used so this isnt much different really. My plan is when I get round to it and its a half decent day is just to ride it round and round a circuit here close to home for half an hour and see if anything breaks. Ive had hoses split etc in the past when its been left for long periods so something like that might be a worry. I think its due an MOT in March anyway so may just wait until then for the run out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 I bought a small oil filled radiator last autumn for a now aborted trip which we usually take about then. Tonight it is forecast minus 10 so I have put the radiator in for the first time this winter. When we are finally aloud to travel i will carry out checks to see that there has been no damage. Its been on and off hook up the last twelve months. Being a pvc I have used it to fetch stuff from garden centres etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 I'm ignoring lockdown and doing the same as we always do when we are going out almost every winter weekend i.e. not draining down and leaving the heating on 5 degrees. Screen covers on, all blinds closed, seals on all the skylights, no vents in the floor, cab vents shut off. I have a 'weather station' thingy with 3 sensors in the van and I get alerted at my bedside should the temperature drop below 1 degree on any of the sensors. So far 900w of Truma's best has been up to the job but I suspect that it may switch up to 1800w given tonight's forecast. Evidently it's not necessary to heat a van if you drain it down but this is my chosen course of action and I'm happy to pay for it ( we're using my OH's winter fuel allowance). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 I also chock the wheels and release the handbrake to avoid the brakes seizing on. I do not put baited mousetraps in the vehicle my thinking being that if I didn't have mice in the vehicle before i set them, I very well could have once mice on the outside smell the traps and make their way in to the vehicle. If I were to suspect the presence of mice i would set the traps and place them under the vehicle behind the tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niktam Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 BBC weather tells me it's going to be -9 degrees here(for 4/5 hours tonight) so that's a test for the MH. Cab battery was at 12.4v on Sunday after being in the dark for a couple of hours no mains eleccy available! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJM Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 I have a 60 watt tubular heater on a timer just to stop it freezing. I also leave the side benches raised and all cupboard doors open allowing air to circulate. A dehumidifier is run for 24 hours or so if the humidity sensor indicates raised readings. Handbrake off and wheels chocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted February 10, 2021 Author Share Posted February 10, 2021 Steve H - 2021-02-10 6:12 PM I also chock the wheels and release the handbrake to avoid the brakes seizing on. I do not put baited mousetraps in the vehicle my thinking being that if I didn't have mice in the vehicle before i set them, I very well could have once mice on the outside smell the traps and make their way in to the vehicle. If I were to suspect the presence of mice i would set the traps and place them under the vehicle behind the tyres. I set traps by TV the tyres in the garage (for the car we also store for winter) but I fear for wildlife falling foul of traps in the garden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveandlisa Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Be careful, keeping your motorhome or caravan alike warm and heated inside with very cold outside temperatures can cause condensation problems due to high humidity levels. Adequate ventilation is the key, with proper ventilation no heat is required. Provided the interior is dry and clean and well ventilated you should have no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 It’s sometimes recommended that bed mattresses and removable seat cushions be taken out of the motorhome and stored. I’ve always done this, but I have the necessary space in my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve hill Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Lots of good replies here I agree with, in particular the problem of condensation. If a van is heated it will create condensation on the inside walls if the air ( which changes always) is damp and simple heaters will not get to hidden corners, so leave the doors and cupboards open, matress lifted etc then it can dry off and evaporate if it forms. Run a dehumidifier every month for a day or 2 ( best on warm days). I think for those that don't use the van for a long time then have the brakes off and move the van to change the tyre flat spot after 2-3 months with the pressure at maximum, note the tyre pressures will drop radically in very cold weather. If on a slope this is maybe just a roll forward. Keep the batteries at least half charged note again readings will show lower in colder weather and chargers are sometimes doing so at different rates. I use a dehumidifier when home and do a drive and fulll warmup at least every 2 weeks, which I think is the best way to avoid problems, but have regularly stored vans indoor and outside for up to a year over the past 25 years. I bought vans to use when ever possible at both ends of the world and even Covid does not stop you shopping/exercising with the van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 steveandlisa - 2021-02-11 12:19 AM Be careful, keeping your motorhome or caravan alike warm and heated inside with very cold outside temperatures can cause condensation problems due to high humidity levels. Adequate ventilation is the key, with proper ventilation no heat is required. Provided the interior is dry and clean and well ventilated you should have no problems. I'm not entirely convinced by this, but it depends on whether the heater is being used merely to prevent frost/freezing, or to warm the van by several degrees. If the former, then all that is done is to keep the air in the van slightly above 0, which is extremely unlikely to be a cause of condensation. If the van is being kept appreciably warmer than this then there is some risk of condensation forming on cold internal surfaces, most probably windscreen and cab windows. However, this risk is low with an unoccupied van. Condensation can only occur when warm moist air reaches a cold surface. But, this is all about relative humidity (RH), not the actual amount of moisture in the air. The point is that air will carry more moisture (as invisible vapour) at higher temperatures than it can at low temperatures. RH is a measure of the amount of humidity the air can support at a given temperature. In winter the ambient temperatures are low, so the air carries relatively little moisture, even if its RH is high. Warming that same air a few degrees has the effect of lowering its RH, because that same amount of moisture is now a smaller proportion of what it could now support. So, for example, air that has an RH of 50% at 5C, will have an RH of only about 35% if its temperature is raised to 10C. It will now more readily absorb any moisture present in the van, which the permanent ventilation will allow to escape as colder, drier, air seeps in to replace it. With air temperatures hovering at around 0C, the air will be very dry. Raising its temperature by any amount in the van will lower its RH, unless there is a source of moisture in the van. Our problem is not that warming the van will cause condensation, but that doing so in the presence of any source of moisture may cause condensation. That is why some recommend removing seat cushions and mattresses, which may have absorbed and retained moisture, in the form of perspiration, during occupancy. The further point is ventilation. AFAIK, all vans have permanent ventilation, so the air in the van is continually (albeit slowly) being replaced with ambient air, the temperature of which fluctuates continually, consequently carrying varying amounts of moisture. There is therefore little point in trying to heat, or dehumidify, unoccupied vans on a permanent basis. All you are doing, in effect, is trying to heat, or dehumidify, the UK! It won't do any harm, so if it gives peace of mind carry on - but it will cost you! :-) The points at which condensation may become problematic are likely to be during spring and autumn, when we tend to get warmer, moister, airstreams from across the Atlantic, in conjunction with relatively cold nights. Those misty mornings and evenings! Then, if the van has chilled overnight leaving its internal surfaces cold, and the sun comes out and the air becomes warmer and moister, there is a possibility that, with that warmer, moister, air permeating the van, there might be a slight haze of condensation on non-absorbent internal surfaces - most probably a washroom mirror! Even then, providing the van is left with all cupboard doors open, and the washroom door also open, so that air can circulate freely, unless you see condensation on the washroom mirror, it is unlikely that there will be any condensation elsewhere. That might be the time to turn on a heater or dehumidifier if you want, but the van will begin to warm as the external temperature rises, so the condensation will soon dissipate. The exception to the above would be if condensation is regularly present, pointing to a possible source of moisture within the van, perhaps indicating that part of its fabric have become damp - the most probable source of which being water ingress - in which case checking around with a damp meter would be a wise precaution! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niktam Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 steveandlisa - 2021-02-11 12:19 AM Be careful, keeping your motorhome or caravan alike warm and heated inside with very cold outside temperatures can cause condensation problems due to high humidity levels. Adequate ventilation is the key, with proper ventilation no heat is required. Provided the interior is dry and clean and well ventilated you should have no problems. Did this last year took everything out but forgot the drop down bed which had black mould on it. So this year brought the lot home including the mattress from the drop down and left three of those 360 degree damp thingys in the MH. Don't leave the door open to long on a high humidity day as it condensates quite quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costaexpress Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 steveandlisa - 2021-02-11 12:19 AM Be careful, keeping your motorhome or caravan alike warm and heated inside with very cold outside temperatures can cause condensation problems due to high humidity levels. Adequate ventilation is the key, with proper ventilation no heat is required. Provided the interior is dry and clean and well ventilated you should have no problems. You major on ventilation being the answer to the OP's problem, I am interested in how you have been keeping your van well ventilated in this very cold weather. Do you leave skylights open or windows ajar? If so, how do you stop the rain coming in or the recent heavy snow from filling the van or have I misunderstood what you mean by well ventilated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 My front heki rooflight is sealed but the rear one over the bed does not have a seal as is the normal requirement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 goldi - 2021-02-11 4:39 PM My front heki rooflight is sealed but the rear one over the bed does not have a seal as is the normal requirement Quite, and the gas drops allow for through flow. The rate obviously varies with wind speed and direction, but the air in the van will change which, while it is unoccupied with nothing adding moisture inside the van, will keep it dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Brian Kirby - 2021-02-11 5:47 PM ...Quite, and the gas drops allow for through flow... I thought ‘gas drops’ were something only UK motorhome builders installed in the habitation area - my Hobby motorhome never had them, nor does my Rapido. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve hill Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 I am afraid I think you are wrong in that I have real life tested the dehumidifier action. First you must close any vents eg the front vehicle end, pull the blinds across roof vents it all helps. When the van warms a bit the dehumidifier works, a simple test is put a damp tea towel out and it will dry much more easily if the dehumidifier is on, therefore it is constantly dry any damp areas. You must also realise that in many areas the weather changes rapidly we are near the sea and can have sea mist breakwater mist etc it is often very damp when cold. We have seen mould form in different areas on vans even the plastic facias at the front, basically if it can it will. I also know and stored outside in some areas in the country where it is never been a problem winter after winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Derek Uzzell - 2021-02-11 6:13 PM Brian Kirby - 2021-02-11 5:47 PM ...Quite, and the gas drops allow for through flow... I thought ‘gas drops’ were something only UK motorhome builders installed in the habitation area - my Hobby motorhome never had them, nor does my Rapido. Interesting. I have to say I've never looked for evidence, and as it happens, I've never had a UK made van. I'm not even sure where/why I picked up on the requirement! My understanding has always been that they were a requirement because the installation is in a vehicle, and so subject to vibration, so any enclosed location in which there were appliances or pipe joints/fittings (for instance the supply cocks on the lines to the fridge, cooker, heater etc.) all needed drop outs in case the vibrations cause loosening of a/several connections. I've definitely got a drop in the gas locker - but that wouldn't assist general ventilation, as the locker is sealed from the interior - and the fridge enclosure is self ventilating via its air grilles. That just leaves the main distribution block, which shares space with the Truma, and the cupboards under the hob. I'll have to have a sniff round when it get warmer, to see if I can find any others!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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