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Tips and
Ideas
(by Chris Sanderson) |
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This page is dedicated to useful
"Tips and Ideas"
from Suffolk Centre Members.
Special thanks go to
Suffolk Centre member
Chris Sanderson for
supporting "Tips and Ideas"
If you have any tips and
ideas you would like to share with us,
please E-mail
tips-ideas@suffolkcentre.co.uk
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Low current consumption
lighting. |
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In an attempt to have a bit
more lighting available without the worry of
draining the leisure battery, I am currently
investigating the possibles regarding the
fitting of LED based lamps to my van’s
internal 12 volt lights. I am aware that
Bailey have started to fit LED lights within
certain vans in there range and I will be
following this up shortly. There is a
plethora of LED based lamps now coming in
from China etc which are designed to replace
MR11, MR16 and G4 lamps. The majority of
these lamps are the very bright white/blue
light output type, which can appear harsh
and uninviting. They are typically
unregulated i.e. their light output varies
considerably with voltage.
More expensive (approx twice/three times the
white/blue version) warm white LEDs are
available that are advertised to have high
light output and which have a
regulated/constant light output irrespective
of battery voltage and which give a light
quality comparable to tungsten lamps.
If you have fitted any such lamps to your
van and can recommend them please get in
touch via the website Tips & Ideas link
stating the types you have used and the
suppliers details. I can then make this
information available to all via the Suffolk
Centre website. Thanks |
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Toilet Leaks – (some say no better
place?) |
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On at
least three occasions when arriving on site
water has been found on the floor adjacent
to the toilet. Trying to establish where the
water had come from was confused by the fact
that on two occasions the water appeared
clear not pink or blue. Draining out the
toilet flush tank before our last journey
and finding no spills proved the point.
On making enquiries to the manufacturers,
Thetford, I was politely directed to their
instruction leaflet for the toilet, which
clearly states that before each journey the
flush tank should be drained down to avoid
possible leaks staining flooring etc.
It appears that the flush water can splash
and leak at the point where the flush button
(electric flush) or flush handle is
positioned. This is a removable cover to
allow pump changes/maintenance and it does
not have a 100% watertight seal guarantee.
Either very lucky with our previous van but
never had a toilet leak, but the van did
have wider tyres inflated to a lower
pressure that I believe gave a smoother
ride, as opposed to the latest van which has
skinnier tyres, (Slovakian made) inflated to
58psi no less and hence I consider a bumpier
ride (that’s progress for you!). |
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Security Aid. |
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When we purchased our first van back in 2002
and entered what for us was uncharted
territory, I took the opportunity of noting
down the details of all the equipment
installed in the van by, in our case, the
Swift Group. These details included the
make, model type and serial number covering
such items as the cooker, fridge, water
heater etc right down to items like the
smoke detector. Where the information was
readily available, I also included
contact/address details for the
manufacturers.
The original idea of gathering this
information was to have a readily accessible
record should a problem or breakage occur
and a spare part be needed etc. What I now
consider I provided myself with, was a
security aid/enhancement, inasmuch that if
the van was stolen, a complete record of
items in the van would be available that
could be used to track and prove rightful
ownership. Whilst a thief might think it
profitable to grind out chassis numbers and
CRiS details on the windows, it would
perhaps prove to be too costly both in
monetary and time terms to change or modify
the equipment in the van, or the details
contained within them.
I have repeated the same exercise for our
latest van and the information has been used
to help sort a couple of problems already.
It’s a lot easier to get a sheet of paper
out of a file than start grovelling around
in the van trying to find a model or serial
number when the items manufacturer is on the
other end of the phone line waiting for the
requested info.
I have also written to The Caravan Club
suggesting that the idea could be taken a
stage further with the caravan manufacturers
encouraged to record details of the
equipment fitted down to serial number level
against the caravan model, chassis and CRiS
numbers relating to each new caravan
produced, making this information available
to the original owners, police and the CRiS
organisation as required. |
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Winterising - Draining Down Fresh
Water. |
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If it is your last rally
or site visit before laying up for your van
for the winter, remove any drain valves (red
plugs on later models) normally found on the
underside of your van and open the water
heater drain tap and the sink / shower taps
before making the journey home. The van
movement should shake the majority of water
out of the system. |
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If you are not sure all
the water is out of the pipes and you've got
a shower fitted, open the shower tap, remove
the showerhead and blow back down the pipe
as hard as you can until any gurgling noises
stop and blowing gets much easier. |
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Winterising (or any time) - Nasty
Drain Smells. |
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With the type of pipes
used and the convoluted way they are run
under your van, it is very east for pipes to
trap waster water / matter, the result of
which is a nasty smell which can all too
easily get back into your van. I have found
that Soda Crystals are excellent for
removing the "grunge" from pipes. |
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waste outlets with corks, rags etc making
sure they are as water tight as possible.
Mix up the Soda Crystals as directed on the
packet with hot water and pour the mixture
down the sink / shower wastes until the
mixture just appears at the plughole.
(Caution - on vans with interconnecting
wastes, make sure that pouring down one
waste isn't overfilling another sink or
shower tray). |
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pipes for a couple of hours or so, then
having placed a container under the waste
outlets, remove the bungs. Flush through all
the pipes with clean water. Repeat Soda
Crystals / flushing if desired. |
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Waste Water Outlet Covers. |
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How many of these have
been lost over the years because of their
design in respect of the cover hinge, which
in my experience, can fail at any time. If
your covers are still in place and you want
them to remain so, the following will help. |
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20mm key rings per cover and a 2.5 - 3mm
drill bit and drill. |
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| With the cover in place -
carefully drill two 2.5mm holes, 15mm from
each edge and just above the moulding line
(as shown in the sketch below) through the
cover and the rear plastic moulding attached
to your van. Detach the cover by pulling it
away, (the hinge section will tear easily).
Put cover back in place and then feed the
key ring through one of the cover holes and
its associated base plate hole. Repeat for
the remaining ring / holes. |
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The rings will now give
you hinges that will outlast your van ! |
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Safety - Watch your Nose-weight ! |
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A good number of 4X4 vehicles and larger
cars have nose-weight limits published that
exceed 100Kg. As an example, the Land Rover
Freelander has a specified nose-weight
maximum limit of 140Kg.
Keen to exploit the limits available, the
temptation is to pack the maximum possible
into your caravans front gas locker in the
knowledge that a high nose-weight will
normally give you the most stable of towing
conditions.
What can often be forgotten however, is the
nose-weight (or nose load) limits that apply
to your caravans hitch /stabiliser
assembly. For all AL-KO assemblies the
maximum limit is 100Kg** and it is this
figure that should be used for the maximum
nose-weight irrespective of any higher limit
your vehicle may have.
For non AL-KO assemblies i.e. Winterhoff –
please refer to your caravan handbook or
manufacturers specification sheets for
maximum nose-weight limits.
(** Figure confirmed by AL-KO 13/5/2005) |
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| Caravan security -
is it a big issue? |
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Well yes if you talk to your insurers. This
year I was surprised at the more than
expected increase in my caravan insurance
premium and made enquiries as to why.
Was it due to an increase in traffic
accidents, storm damage, etc? I asked. The
response received was that whilst these
factors still figure in claims, the highest
proportion of claims now concerns the theft
of vans. It also appears that whilst twin
axles were at one stage the choice of
thieves, single axles now figure as highly
in the statistics.
My insurer confirmed the security
requirements pertaining to my own storage
situation and the requirements when the
caravan is detached from the car on sites
etc. They also confirmed what security must
be in place when leaving the van unattended
but hitched to the car at roadside service
areas etc.
With my insurers, different requirements
exist for single axle and twin axle vans.
The simple answer, if you’re not sure what
security devices you should be applying, and
when they should be applied to your van, is
to check your policy details carefully. If
it’s still not clear, ring your insurer and
check.
Please remember that unless your insurer has
special rules – the rally field is NOT
immune from the security requirements of
your policy.
Don’t forget if you’ve made your caravan as
secure as possible, the chances are any
thieves will target those that are not or
less so. |
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Helping to prevent water
ingress/damp problems |
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Any idea to
get water away from seals and joints can in
my opinion only be good. The gutter above
the front windows on a caravan gathers a lot
of water in even light rain conditions and
due to the short protrusion of the gutter
either side of the caravan, this water has
the tendency to run down the caravan sides
or worse still, follow the awning rails/
seals all the way to the underside of the
van.
A tried and tested method
I’ve seen used to prevent this is to use a 6
to 8 inch section of garden hose pushed onto
either end of the gutter such that any water
is carried clear of the caravan sides.
Any type of half inch
garden hose will do the trick but if you can
find clear hose or pipe (aquatic suppliers)
its easier to see if any blockages are
occurring. |
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Switching off your Fridge |
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A further tip
to help prevent yet another possible cause
of dampness. Having cleared your fridge of
its contents and just prior to switching it
off, place a couple of sheets of kitchen
towel rolled up cigar style, along the
channel at the rear of the fridge that leads
to the water drain hole such that any water
is absorbed by the kitchen towel and
prevented from going down the drain hole.
Remove the kitchen towel when all traces of
water have been absorbed or dried.
(Typically Electrolux models have a metal
finned cooling assembly immediately above
drain channel and this should be checked for
dryness before removing paper)
Why – under normal fridge operation any
water that passes down the drain hole is
directed into a small plastic container,
which is clipped/ attached to the fridges
tubing. This tubing gets warm whilst the
fridge is running and as a result any water
in the container is slowly evaporated. When
you switch the fridge off the tubing cools
quickly and hence the evaporation effect is
lost. Any water created inside the fridge
after switching the power off passes down
the drain tube and the container fills up
and in certain conditions can overflow. Even
if it doesn’t overflow, the chances are the
next time you use the van any water left
will be splashed out of the container due to
the rocking motion of the van and be
absorbed into the fabric of your caravan.
If you’ve got a van with exterior fridge
vent panels that are easily removable, have
a check for yourself. And as a further tip
- don’t forget to give the drain hole a
clean from time to time. |
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Window scratches & marks |
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Although
there are a number of proprietary products
available on the market to polish out marks
& scratches on caravan/motor home plastic
windows, I’ve always found that a liquid
metal polish such as Brasso works
brilliantly. Try a small area first by
applying a little of the metal polish on a
slightly damp cloth. Using a circular motion
and avoiding too much pressure gently rub
the scratched or marked area and then polish
off with dry cloth. |
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Loose Window catches (Seitz
type windows etc) |
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If you have a
loose window catch in your van and you
cannot see any fixing screws – look for a
small hole adjacent to the catch lever. By
pushing a stout paper clip or similar into
this hole, you will release a hidden clip
and so allow the catch to be slid sideways
and expose the retaining screws. Tighten the
screws gently and slide the catch back into
place. If a catch incorporating a stay arm
needs tightening you’ll probably need help
to hold the window open whilst you slide the
catch and stay arm out of the way. |
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Al-Ko under chassis spare
wheel carrier |
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The changes
introduced in 2004 to caravan gas supply
arrangements i.e. regulators fixed to the
bulk head etc has meant, that in the
majority of cases, the spare wheel being
reassigned to be housed under the chassis.
Similarly some people have opted to have the
spare wheel located under the chassis to
reduce hitch nose weight. The spare wheel
carrier has in itself brought about a couple
of potential problems, so if your caravan
has one fitted, read on, as it may help
overcome any problems and hopefully provide
you with trouble free wheel changes.
a)
Nearside
wheel puncture
– the spare wheel carrier is basically
designed to allow correct access, lowering
and withdrawal, with the caravan chassis at
its normal height to the road surface. In
the event of a nearside puncture this
clearance is reduced considerably. As such,
the caravan should be first raised using the
jack before attempting to access the spare
wheel carrier and remove the spare wheel.
b)
Offside
wheel puncture - due to the
increased rim/tyre widths used for 14 and
15-inch wheels and the prevailing road or
ground conditions, it might prove necessary
in some circumstances to first jack up
slightly the nearside of the caravan to gain
sufficient clearance for the carrier and
spare wheel to be withdrawn. It is
therefore recommended that for any offside
wheel puncture, the spare wheel is accessed
and removed prior to utilising the caravan
jack to raise the punctured wheel.
c)
Position of
spare wheel on carrier
– the carrier is essentially made up in two
halves using a pair of tubes that
telescopically slide one inside the other.
Crimping at the end of the tubes is designed
to prevent the two halves from separating
but if the carrier half holding the spare
wheel is withdrawn too far to allow the
spare wheel to be removed, the carrier could
still come apart. This could be the case
where the spare wheel has been positioned
amidships to the caravan chassis to balance
weight etc.
To avoid
problems, the spare wheel should be fitted
to the carrier as close as possible to the
nearside chassis member just allowing enough
clearance between the tyre and chassis to
allow the carrier to be withdrawn from its
chassis locating holes prior to lowering.
The majority of the caravan manufactures now
fit the carrier supplied to them from Al-Ko
pre-assembled; this positions the wheel
relative to the width of the
chassis correctly.
Should you wish to fit one yourself, you can
purchase a carrier already assembled,
against ALKO part No.1287 180*, This covers
chassis widths of 1410 -1715 mm.
Information above as discussed and verified
with Al-Ko representative at Earls Court
Caravan & Leisure show (Nov 2005) and
confirmed by recent e-mail.
It is recommended that if you are unfamiliar
with the operation of the spare wheel
carrier on your caravan, that you make
yourself so in dry and relatively
comfortable conditions that an unfortunate
puncture might not give you.
Safety First - Don’t forget to apply hand
brakes to both tow car and caravan and to
chock the non-punctured wheel before
attempting any wheel changing operation.
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Gas leaks |
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A number of reports of gas bottles
prematurely emptying due to leaks around the
regulator has prompted this tip. A simple
but effective leak detector is to mix up a
solution of half water and half washing up
liquid or soap solution and to brush this
around the relevant gas connection point.
Better and more convenient still is to use a
hand sprayer bottle filled with the soap
solution.
Any leaks will quickly appear as
bubbles that would probably get missed using
a “sniff test”. Wipe surplus solution dry
after the test to prevent any corrosion
problems. Propane bottles using 37mbar
regulators appear the worst offenders due to
the metal-to-metal seal used between bottle
and regulator. Caravans produced 2004
onwards, which now use the new 30mbar
standard have potentially a greater leak
opportunity due to the fact that very much
higher unregulated full gas bottle pressure
is presented to the rubber hose connecting
the bottle to the bulk head mounted
regulator. |
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Gas Heater
chimney |
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Winterising
tip – cover the chimney cowl on the caravan
roof with a small plastic bag to prevent
rain, sleet or snow from entering and
causing damage. Secure bag with either
a plastic tie or wire strap. (Rubber bands
work ok but they easily perish and fail).
Using a brightly coloured bag is a visible
reminder BUT always attach a note to the
fire to remind yourself to remove the bag
before putting the heater back into
operation. |
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The “small”
details or are they? |
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Checking
out what each of the caravan manufacturers
were offering at last years Earls Court show
it soon became clear that many of the
caravans now had larger fridges, microwave
ovens, more lights, larger wheels etc etc
the list goes on. Wonderful you might say
but this all comes at a price, not
necessarily more expensive than last year’s
models but certainly a lot heavier. As an
example, in three years the Swift Challenger
480SE two berth has grown to the extent that
it’s MTPLM is now 1410kg an increase of
125kg over its 2002-year predecessor.
Considering the towing aspect, the maximum
weight now takes this caravan over the 85%
kerb weight figure of a Land Rover
Freelander Td4, which to the competent
driver shouldn’t necessarily be a problem
but it’s still weight that has to be moved
and your tow cars fuel consumption that will
suffer.
For me one key aspect of a caravan design is
practicality, for example checking to see if
all the gas taps are placed in one
convenient place. For what can only be cost
cutting requirements some manufacturers
still see the most practical approach is to
site their taps a various points around the
van, unlabelled and of the same colour. Good
for their costs but not so good for “poor
aunty” who has to be hauled from her seat
from under which numerous items then have to
be removed before the forgotten gas tap to
the water heater can be located and turned
on. Perhaps the most noticeable aspect
concerning gas was the fact that Hymer had
chosen to ignore the revised gas
installation arrangements now used by
British manufacturers and instead had
retained the “regulator on the bottle”
approach. Not only did this allow them to
retain the spare wheel within the front
locker but they had also provided storage
for water and waste carriers as well as a
clips for the jack and wheel brace. Common
sense approach?
We all want different things in and from our
vans - we pays our money, the choice is down
to us. |
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Our thanks go
to Chris Sanderson for supporting "Tips and
Ideas"
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If you have any tips and ideas you would
like to share with us,
please E-mail
tips-ideas@suffolkcentre.co.uk
Insurance Disclaimer
Readers are asked to note that neither
The Caravan Club nor the Suffolk Centre can
accept responsibility for the quality,
reliability, safe delivery, satisfactory
operation or effectiveness of any product or
services advertised.
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