When it comes to getting your touring caravan ready for winter, you have two options. Firstly, to pay someone to drain it down for you, or secondly, to do it yourself. Once you know a little more about the process, you’ll probably find you are happy to have a go. There is plenty of useful information about there, from the caravan manufacturers, helpful videos on YouTube or the guidance provided with touring caravan drainage kits. If you are wondering how to drain down a touring caravan for winter, we’ve gathered some handy information below to get you started.
When winter approaches and you know that you won’t be using your caravan for a few months, it’s time to drain down your caravan. Any liquid left inside your water system could freeze during the colder months, causing burst pipes, broken taps and damaged onboard pumps. If you don’t want the hassle of sorting this out at the start of the new season, it’s recommended you remove all of the water from the system before you store your caravan for the winter. This advice generally applies whether your caravan will be stored at home on the driveway or in designated caravan storage, either inside a barn or outbuilding or outside.
What do you need to drain your caravan?
Even after you have turned off the water and opened the taps, the system could still have water in it, and there’s no way of knowing, particularly if you are storing your caravan on an incline. The only way to be sure, is to blow air through the water system and force any remaining water out. The simplest way to do this is by using a touring caravan drainage kit. These have been designed to provide the equipment and guidance needed to quickly and efficiently get the job done.
The first thing to ensure is that you choose a caravan drainage kit suitable for the make of water system on board your caravan or motorhome. These kits often come with a DVD or notes to help guide you on what to do, but the basics of the process are listed below:
- Turn off the onboard water pump in your caravan.
- Empty the water heater and turn off the taps.
- Find a suitable air source, such as a foot pump or bicycle pump. Just make sure it has a pressure gauge.
- Connect the caravan drainage kit device to the water inlet outside your caravan.
- Connect the other end of the device to your air source and set the pressure to 15 psi.
- Switch on the air pump and build up the pressure.
- Open your first tap gently and allow the remaining water to come out. You might also get some air afterwards but this is normal as it shows you that all of the water has come out.
- Close the tap afterwards, build up the pressure again and do the next tap. Repeat for all of your hot and cold taps and shower.
Following these simple steps will not only prevent frozen pipes and broken taps, but it will ensure that you don’t have stagnant water left in your system over the winter.
If you are still wondering how to drain a touring caravan down for winter, Caravan Crazy are a leading supplier of caravan and motorhome spares and stock a range of products to help you prepare your leisure vehicle for the colder months. You can follow the link to view their range of touring caravan drainage kits or browse their website for other useful spare parts.