For many years caravanning has been a favourite for young Australian families and also for the older generation of retirees. Getting on the road in your caravan or campervan allows you to have a sense of freedom and to enjoy many fun and enjoyable experiences. We all understand that a caravan is a long-term investment and one that you hope to maintain in the best possible condition for you and your family’s safety and also for other road users. By doing so will also allow you to have a better resale value should you wish to upgrade your van.
There are a few tips you can follow to keep the battery life of the van for as long as possible and remain pest and odour free, ready to leave on a trip with short notice.
Don’t drain your caravan or camper trailer’s battery.
When storing the caravan or camp trailer, make sure when you lock up you have turned off all lights, clocks GPS and tracking systems. This will allow the battery to rest and not drain unnecessarily. This needs to be done when it comes to lithium batteries. To make sure that the battery does not go flat, you can utilise a 240-volt power source, use portable solar panels or you can install a failsafe device that will trigger if the battery ever becomes slow.
Allow the tyres to have a break.
When storing the caravan or camper trailer, it’s good to ease the tyre pressure on the tyres. If you have not got an independent trailing arm suspension system for your caravan, you can always lift it off the ground using your jack and place wood blocks under the axles. The life span of a caravan or camper trailer is approximately 5 years, after the rubber tends to deteriorate if the van is stored out in the sun for long periods of time. Finding a nice shady place and keeping a cover over the van and tyres will greatly assist to keep your tyres as long as possible.
Keep your caravan covered and out of the weather.
Let’s face it, most caravans are not small so in reality it will not fit in a garage. This being the case you will need to come up with caravan storage ideas. Some people make the choice of visiting a caravan services store, at Bars N Racks we can assist you with the purchase of a cover to suit the size of your van. By using a cover or portable carport to store the caravan under will stop the leaves and tree branches and even paint damage from bird poo falling onto the caravan. In the long run you will benefit from spending the money, they are not too expensive, and it will additionally save you making a repair to your caravan from damage from the sun cracking window seals.
Remove all food and clean out the fridge.
Before packing away your caravan till the next adventure, make sure you have removed all food from fridges and benches and give them both a good wipe. If you forget to do this you risk having some annoying little surprises of cockroaches, rats/mice or other pests, when you go to use it next! Additionally, it is recommended that you leave your fridge door ajar slightly to avoid odours or mould from developing.
Empty any unused water. Don’t leave any water in the caravan while it isn’t being used as it will go stale. It can also become potentially dangerous so the best thing is to remove it all. This includes any water from your cassette toilet, flush tank or reservoirs. It is recommended that you leave these outsides to air for a few hours but always remember to replace the caps before storing them to avoid little nasty bugs from making a surprise entrance.
Ensure you take care of the outside of the caravan also.
Don’t forget about the outside of the caravan. Once you have cleaned and packed away everything on the inside you need to remember to tackle the outside. To protect your caravan or camp trailer you can apply a wax to the surface, lubricant to the hitches and corner jacks and a rust proofer to prevent your investment from rusting out in the elements. This will not only extend the life of your caravan but also allows you to have a better resale value if you decide it’s time to upgrade.
Your caravan or camp trailer are an expensive investment and one that you will want to protect for the long term. When looking to upgrade any caravan towing equipment we suggest you come into us at Bars N Racks and have a look at all the amazing options we have available. You may be surprised at how things have changed even over short periods of time, there are always new things out for the avid caravanning family. We look forward to seeing you soon.