hi Susieeff....do not know about your question but welcome to UKCS....may I direct you to the Welcome newbies thread on Life in general where you will get all the invaluable advice Hippychick can give on being a member of UKCS.....my advice to you is to read it before it is too late!!!!!!
Hi welcome to the Funny Farm,please find a comfy chair as you'll be stuck on here for weeks.
As for a heater try one of those oilfilled radiator things with thermostat so as it only comes on when needed. Don't know much about touring caravans but they used to work in my late parents static.
If there is really damp, it is matter of water ingress, which cannot be remedied just by a heater. One had to check the seals from time to time.
As to storage, at home or elswhere, ventilation is the most important aspect. Caravans normally have provisions for that. The top roof e.g. allows for a certtain quantity of ventilation even of closed, dame for the toilet top roof (even more). My caravan also has a specific small vent in the roof, above the fixed bed.
Be sure that the ventilation openings of the cupboards are not blocked etc.
We use an ordinary fan heater with a 24 hour timer plugged into one of the sockets in the van.OH sets it to run for a short time every night, seems to keep the van aired. We also leave all the cupboard doors open to allow the air to circulate
Wow, what a welcome! Thanks to you all for the quick responses Looks like I have a lot of reading to get through on here, so much advice. Have only been an owner of a caravan since last May, but been out at every opportunity and LOVE it!!! No damp at the moment wlee, just want to try and avoid it. Again, many thanks for the friendly welcome.
Don't know about a heater, but I use bowls of salt, just the ordinary table salt, and it absorbs the damp. If the weather is really damp and cold, check it every few weeks in case the salt has gone really hard. You may need to change it during the winter - but usually it lasts.
I've always done this and never had any damp problems.
If you have enough space in a spare bedroom or closet, take the cushions/matresses out of the caravan and store them in the house. I always take the curtains in the house too & replace them with old cut up curtains hung by just a few hooks to keep any winter sunlight out (but it doesn't matter if the sun fades the odd bits of curtain).
Put a tray of (white) cat litter on the floor with a sheet of cardboard under it - that will soak up any moisture from the air and keep the caravan smelling sweet too. Alternatively, you can buy moisture absorbent crystals from most camping/DIY shops.
If you leave heating on it can make it more likely to have condensation. In our caravan we had an the one my parents had we used dished of salt and never had any problems. The day before using it a spot of heat gets rid of the damp feel.