Using your motorhome through the winter

[Kingham]

Just found this ‘winter’ post after returning from a long weekend at Seahouses and thinking about next month’s Christmas stay at Windermere.
This will be my third Christmas in a row away in the van and I’m intending it to become a tradition for me, with Seahouses firmly in the frame for next year.

I’ve also got a week’s paddling in Scotland in January planned, 4 nights at Arisaig and 3 at Tayvallich.

I’ll also be away on many impromptu paddling trips throughout the winter and unless I succumb and buy a car, I’ll also be using the van for commuting, so it will definitely be on the road throughout the entire winter period.

 

[SteveB123]

Southport for xmas the over to Chester fairoaks on the 27th until jan 1st.

I can recommend the Fisherman’s Rest a few hundreds yards from CC site on the Birkdale road.

 

[MR. FUSION]

There is a bad mud/salt trap between the front plastic wheel arches and the bodywork of my X290, I would advise anyone driving in salty conditions gets right into that section with a hose when cleaning.

 

[h1ghway1]

I'm off to Padstow this weekend.. I like to get away at least one weekend a month over winter.

 

[cliffanger]

Erkounte, Sidi Ifni, Maroc - Feb 2015
Strumming Funsters Simon & Suggy

View attachment 344866View attachment 344867

What brilliant photos Ken. Warms up a bleak Tuesday in Bath!

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[Janine]

I use my van all year round.

Last year I got caught in temperatures of minus 7 when the Beast from the East hit the country. Luckily I was at Baltic Wharf in Bristol so the roads were clear when it was time to leave and travel to the Oxford site. They had phoned to say that all of the water taps were frozen so to bring water with me.

By the time I got to Oxford, the onboard water tank was frozen so I couldn't get it out! Despite having the heater on full blast and being toasty warm inside, all the external water pipes had frozen.

No problem - I just used a 5 litre container for fresh water (there was a tap in the warden's office that was ok!) but waste water would be an issue.

I left the tap open with a bucket underneath and this is what happened

I reckon that if I can survive The Beast, I can travel all year round with no worries

 

[Wild Brambles]

I bought a Pipsqueak wood burner last year, and I used a flexible truck exhaust pipe to get rid of the smoke. I just stuck it through the window. I think I need to install it correctly with a permanent chimney for this winter.

 

[Reallyretired]

I use my van all year round.

Last year I got caught in temperatures of minus 7 when the Beast from the East hit the country. Luckily I was at Baltic Wharf in Bristol so the roads were clear when it was time to leave and travel to the Oxford site. They had phoned to say that all of the water taps were frozen so to bring water with me.

By the time I got to Oxford, the onboard water tank was frozen so I couldn't get it out! Despite having the heater on full blast and being toasty warm inside, all the external water pipes had frozen.

No problem - I just used a 5 litre container for fresh water (there was a tap in the warden's office that was ok!) but waste water would be an issue.

I left the tap open with a bucket underneath and this is what happened

View attachment 345328

I reckon that if I can survive The Beast, I can travel all year round with no worries View attachment 345329

If your van is fully winterised ie not British the advice to leave the grey drain open over a bucket is not appropriate. Because the tank and inboard valve is insulated and heated the only bit left to freeze is the bit of pipe downstream of the valve. Better to leave the valve closed so only air in this pipe, any bits of ice in the pipe will melt with the rush of relatively warm water when you dump.

 

[Bluemanc100]

We went to the Plassey last week near Wrexham... highly recommended if you have never been there!

Home - Plassey Leisure Park

www.plassey.com

Great site, great staff and some great places to snack, eat and drink

We've been there many times but this was the first time with the MH and we'll certainly go back even though its pretty local for us...

If you don't want to drive the MH there they have some superb (if a little pricey) de-luxe lodges each with hot tubs....

 

[Janine]

If your van is fully winterised ie not British the advice to leave the grey drain open over a bucket is not appropriate. Because the tank and inboard valve is insulated and heated the only bit left to freeze is the bit of pipe downstream of the valve. Better to leave the valve closed so only air in this pipe, any bits of ice in the pipe will melt with the rush of relatively warm water when you dump.

My van is an Autosleeper Nuevo so not winterised.

The grey tank already had some water in it so, rather than let it freeze, I opened the tap and put the bucket underneath.

Amazingly, everything eventually defrosted without damage!

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[Sunlovers]

We always empty our grey waste before leaving a site/aire etc, but I guess there's still a residue of sorts still remaining as the outlet pipe is not on the underside of the tank, but ported out of the sidewall, albeit low down. Surely if it were to freeze up, there's so much expansion room in the 80 litre tank that any freezing expansion will just "grow" upwards, and not sideways, as there's not any pressure on the water residue languishing in the bottom of the waste tank?

Or have I got that wrong?

 

[Janine]

We always empty our grey waste before leaving a site/aire etc, but I guess there's still a residue of sorts still remaining as the outlet pipe is not on the underside of the tank, but ported out of the sidewall, albeit low down. Surely if it were to freeze up, there's so much expansion room in the 80 litre tank that any freezing expansion will just "grow" upwards, and not sideways, as there's not any pressure on the water residue languishing in the bottom of the waste tank?

Or have I got that wrong?

You are probably absolutely right! I didn't expect the cold snap to be quite so severe!

Also, the Oxford site doesn't have a drive-over grey dump facility so I usually use a bucket to dispose of the water down the appropriate drain.

 

[Poutie57]

We we’re in Bavaria in January just after they had
a really heavy snowfall we copped the end of it. I was saying to the wife nutty the German guys were clearing their roofs of so quickly the following morning, like an idiot I left mine till the following day and learnt my lesson it had froze from the bottom up

 

[Wildbill]

This year i will probably not be using it during the winter months and will be selling her in the spring
bill

 

[scousebird]

This year i will probably not be using it during the winter months and will be selling her in the spring
bill

Sorry to hear that

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[Chuns]

As an alternative to the snow and ice winter use stories, Jim, we are going to Paris for the England 6 Nations match In February. There is a campsite just outside the Periphique to the west, it has its own bus service to a major public transport interchange (though there are bus and RER stations within walking distace). We've stayed there three times, it is a really good way to visit Paris, and being outside the Peri, there are no emission issues.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Skiing

Last year Austria. Route from Zeebrugge took us through Belgium. Luxembourg, Germany and Into Austria. Three Overnight Stops cost us a grand total of €20.First Stop, Free, second €10 inc EHU @ 16A and last one was @10, metered electric. LPG in Luxembourg was 40p litre, posh diesel 90p. Toll Free Route.

Previous year, Ferry to Bilbao and back into French Pyrenees to St. Lary Soulan. Campsite €12, are free during the day.

2017 Was Chocolate Box Village in Switzerland, Grimentz. Aire, is £20 a night. EHU 16A is Included as is all water facilities.

We have been as far up as just below the Arctic Circle in Norway, -27c with no issues.

We even head for the Sunny Shores of Med Spain too!.

Best time of year for us. And most places are not overcrowded.

This season is our 15th using the Motorhome.

I can't ski too well these days due to injury, but great to spend time with Our youngest daughter, now 29 who I taught myself 15 years ago. I say taught, gave her the basics on a mini slope. Got her to the top of a blue run in Beitostølen and said, off you go. She stayed on the skis from top-to bottom.

Trev

 

[Sunlovers]

TeeMyob When you went into Austria, do you "have" to buy a vignette or can you easily keep off the motorways? We're heading down the romantic road this Christmas aiming for the Neuschwanstein Castle and I'm tempted to dip my wheels into Austria for a couple of days if we can.

 

[EuroTrotters]

TeeMyob When you went into Austria, do you "have" to buy a vignette or can you easily keep off the motorways? We're heading down the romantic road this Christmas aiming for the Neuschwanstein Castle and I'm tempted to dip my wheels into Austria for a couple of days if we can.

Just stayed off the motorways. Very easy to do unlike Switzerland

 

[PeteH]

Ok Enlighten me please?. What the """"""" is a vignette. I thought it was a salad dressing?

NO. I`m serious?.

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[Sunlovers]

Ok Enlighten me please?. What the """"""" is a vignette. I thought it was a salad dressing?

NO. I`m serious?.

It’s what the Europeans call their “tax/toll paid” windscreen stickers which you need to display to use their motorways. So it’s window dressing PeteH, but not salad dressing

 

[Vipar]

Bit like the Dartford crossing TAG

 

[EuroTrotters]

Bit like the Dartford crossing TAG

More complicated

 

[PeteH]

Ahhh!, We had them on the Lorries for the Thames and the Severn. You can get them for the Humber Bridge now.

Why don`t they call them by a proper name?. I dont know, Talk about "confused dot com". Bloody foreigners, mutter, mutter, mutter.

Anyway we have already paid for the roads many times over with the amount of Motor taxes we pay!. Rarely ever used Tolls. the odd one in France/Spain, to avoid something, and sometimes the Humber Bridge. (Just got out of bed and still feeling Grumpy, more coffee needed)

 

[PeteH]

I bought a Pipsqueak wood burner last year, and I used a flexible truck exhaust pipe to get rid of the smoke. I just stuck it through the window. I think I need to install it correctly with a permanent chimney for this winter.

Ehh!. Now that sounds like being a real FLT.!

Seriously, I did think about it, for the first R-V. when we where living in it doing a "self Build" in the 90`s. The biggest issue was finding a Safe place to put it, where it could be insulated from the surrounding woodwork. In the end I kicked the idea into the long grass, and used big 40L Argas cylinders and an "extenda-stay" to the existing system as a cheaper way of heating.

Back in the 80`s, some "interants" scrapped a caravan in a field near us, one of the things left behind was a Cast Stove, I "salvaged" it and put it in my Garage/Workshop, --- "Toasty". Burnt all sorts in it, Oily rag, wood, bits of coal. even looked at adapting it to burn Waste oil!.

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[Wild Brambles]

I love the pipsqueak. It only takes kindling, so you get warm just chopping up the wood for it.

 

[Lanerboy]

Southdowners and the other funsters who venture into the cold places do you have winter tyres fitted on your mh's

 

[Sunlovers]

Southdowners and the other funsters who venture into the cold places do you have winter tyres fitted on your mh's

Winter tyres a legal requirement in Germany, alongside snow chains and other paraphernalia, so yup, winter tyres are on and good to go!

 

[ceejayt]

I have abiding memories of a winter in Aviemore at least 30 years ago and lying underneath our then caravan in several inches of snow with a hair dryer trying to unfreeze pipes after I forgot to keep the heating on when we went out during the day.

Been back with the motorhome and not suffered the same experience I am glad to say despite the freezing weather - also spent winter in Chamonix without a problem.

 

[Southdowners]

Southdowners and the other funsters who venture into the cold places do you have winter tyres fitted on your mh's

Yes, we have winter tyres. They’re fantastic and we keep them on all year round.

We do have snow chains but have never needed to use them. We didn’t see anyone using snow chains anywhere in Scandinavia to be honest. Some of the locals have studded tyres but we were assured that our tyres were good enough as they are.

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