Hi all. Question for all you motorhomers out there. we've just come over from the other side (caravan) and was wondering if, when wintering up, should I remove both batteries (engine & leisure) and take them home to keep them warm and charged. Any info on this or any other useful tips/hints on motorhoming would be much appreciated.
Many thanks
Rick ( motorhome virgin)
If there is a alarm on your m/home, will the back up battery last out the time that you are not useing it, I think they last around 3 months in sleep mode. Plus is there a tracker.Dont post back saying y/no, just a thing to think about if there are no batterys on board.
Dont forget, You will lose the radio codes as well.
Myself I think i just take the leisure battery off.
------------- Roughing it in style at Calloose caravan and camping holiday park nr St Ives.(seasonal pitch)
Its not a hangover, its wine flu!
i park mine in the warm in spain or morocco for the winter . they get charged up by the sun or riding around .hee hee . but yes you could do a regular boost might help. plus they dont get nicked from in a caravan storage place.
I have a MH and don't winter up, I just go away less often (I'm a northerner too and its colder up here)
I think that's one of the advantages over a caravan having a motorhome is that going away in the cold is still possible.
In winter we go away about once every 3-4 weeks and just go local. Sometimes we simply do a Brit stop (stay in a pub car park for free) and have a meal in the pub.
------------- On the internet you can be anything you want. It`s strange so many people choose to be rude and stupid.
Why not fit a decent solar panel, ie an 80 watts would do the job ie, it will keep both batteries topped up, if you wire it so the charge goes from one to the other and viceversa, I have got one fitted but I do use my camper a lot even in winter so my batteries never get a chance of going dead flat because of lack of use.
This is more down to where you keep your van in the winter & if your going to leave it for months.
As we know we're not all the same but for me I keep my van at my home & it has a small solar panel from Maplins which I put in the front windscreen to keep the batteries topped up.
But i'm also like bestyman & use my van all year round all be it less in the winter. You maybe surprised to find that a van is easier to use & live with than a caravan (sorry caravaners don't burn my house down) but you can pull up in a lot more places like pubs etc. so a short nip out for a weekend is so easy & of course your topping your batteries as you go
Yep..another vote here for using it all year 'round...
Besides,they don't like being stood..you'd be surprised how quickly "Sleepy van syndrome" can knacker up stuff that was working perfectly okay when you put it away!
Also by leaving it standing, you won't be doing the base vehicle side of things any favours either.....
Off Topic..You're probably aware of this already but also make sure you fully drain down the water system during winter months(..tanks,boiler and leaving taps open in mid position etc)
I was out in my van over the weekend & met up with one of my mates. I asked him what he does because he parks his van away from his house for a couple of months in the winter.
He said he makes sure he charges his batteries up with a mains charger so they are fully topped up before he parks his van up. He does'unt have an alarm etc so there is no drain on the batteries & where he parks it is very secure. But like I said everyone is different.
I know we all try to get the most from a battery but if its on the way out a bad cold winter will kill it regardless.