STAY WARM ON TOUR THIS WINTER
You’ve decided to use your vehicle in the colder months, but how to keep warm? John Sootheran outlines ways to take the chill off, whatever the weather
Insulation
Motorcaravanning during the winter is a unique experience, and with a little preparation, a hugely positive one.
For starters, it really helps if you have a motorhome or campervan with the best insulation possible. Those hardy folk who decide to head out on tour in the worst weather conditions will benefit from looking for a motorhome or camper boasting Grade 3 insulation.
This is the official accreditation for four-season use, otherwise known as BS EN 1645-1 accreditation.
The NCC manages this accreditation, and all accredited vehicles are embossed with a special ‘Approved’ badge.
It makes hundreds of British and EU standard compliance checks on leisure vehicles. One section of BS EN 1645-1 covers levels of thermal insulation.
Each model is chilled to -15°C in a cold chamber. The doors and windows are then closed and the ’van heating turned on. All of the heating vents are opened to allow heat from the boiler to circulate throughout, and solely for the purposes of the test, features that are included as standard in the production model are permitted inside.
Experts measure the time it takes for the interior of the ’van to reach 20°C. The power required to keep the internal temperature at 20°C is also measured.
Most manufacturers include BS EN 1645-1 thermal insulation grading in their technical specs.
Motorhomes hold their heat quite well – to find out more about vehicle cold-chamber testing, see Practical Motorhome issue 262.
If you have a coachbuilt, you could find that a large amount of heat is lost through the cab, which doesn’t have the same insulation properties as the rest of the vehicle.
Exterior silver screens can help (and mean you’ll be less likely to have to scrape ice off the windscreen in the morning), and a curtain drawn around the cab insulates it to some extent.
If you’re buying a new motorhome, you might find that one of the optional extras is a Winter Pack. If you plan to tour off-season (or you think that any subsequent owners might), it’s worth ticking the box. This can get you water tank insulation, tank heaters and more.
Heating
There’s an excellent choice of heating systems in motorhomes. Most function on gas and electricity, and combine the two for maximum output. Truma and Whale both make blown-air heating systems. These pipe hot air through ducting and around the vehicle.
Alde, meanwhile, uses a wet system. Like domestic central heating, hot water is pumped around the ’van to radiators, which are hidden behind the furniture, to warm the interior.
Both systems have their devotees. Some motorhome owners believe that blown-air heating can leave cold spots around the interior, so they prefer the ‘all-encompassing’ heat from the Alde radiator system.
I’ve never found this myself, though, and I rather like the speed with which blown-air heats up a leisure vehicle.
Alde needs more maintenance, has a potential risk of leaking, is heavier and costs more, but it is quieter, and you also get heated towel rails with this system, which is a real bonus.
Winter motorcaravanners should check that their motorhome has no exposed heating ducts underneath, because this will greatly affect the performance of the heater in very cold weather. Internal ducting is best and can be further insulated to raise the system’s performance levels.
All three of these systems will also provide the hot water supply and have
‘For starters, it really helps if you have a motorhome or campervan with the best insulation possible’
LED control panels fitted in accessible positions inside the motorhome.
Cleverly, Truma and Alde systems can also be controlled remotely, using an app on a digital device.
So long as you can get a Wi-Fi or 4G signal, you can turn on the heating or hot water in the ’van from anywhere, using Truma’s iNet or Alde’s Smart Control. This way, you get back to a lovely warm motorhome, with plenty of hot water for a reviving shower.
Motorhome heating systems are, of course, very much a matter of personal preference, so it probably makes most sense to research them all, then sound out friends who tour.
Gas supplies
For motorcaravanning in the winter months, it makes sense to choose propane gas, rather than butane.
Propane vaporises (that is, turns from a liquid to a gas) at temperatures down to -42°C, whereas butane stops ‘gassing’ at -2°C.
Whichever you decide to use, don’t underestimate winter consumption levels, and consider carrying a spare bottle. For more on gas, see p104.
Water system
In a cold snap, frozen water and waste pipes are common problems. Some motorhomes (particularly those from Continental manufacturers) have heated fresh- and waste-water tanks, but if yours doesn’t, you’ll need to keep an eye on the system to check that it doesn’t freeze.
One option is to use a low-wattage aquarium heater, which can help to prevent the water in your tank from freezing in the winter.
Either way, we always keep a large canister full of drinking water in the motorhome, just in case.
One way of ensuring that you won’t be left with a frozen waste-water tank is to keep the tap open, with a bucket placed underneath.
You will need to keep an eye on it to check that it doesn’t overflow, but this will help to keep the water in the ’van system moving as it should.
Leisure batteries
You’re almost certainly going to be consuming more power when you tour in the winter, thanks to the combination of lower temperatures, shorter days and more time indoors.
Low-season motorcaravanners should consider upgrading their leisure battery to allow for this, particularly if you like to go off-grid, staying at sites without electric hook-up.
A 100Ah leisure battery would be ideal, always remembering that batteries are not going to perform as well in cold temperatures.
There’s little point insulating your battery, because it will have no effect during extended cold periods. It might also take longer for it to warm back up when the sun comes out.
Bear in mind that shorter winter days and the low angle of the sun will make solar panels significantly less effective.
Useful accessories
A drive-away awning will be handy if you tour a lot in winter – especially if you enjoy outdoor pursuits.
Awnings create an ‘airlock’, where you can remove your wet gear and dirty boots, without letting too much of that precious heat escape.
A compact, sturdy air or pole awning should suffice, making sure that it is pegged down securely. On a frozen pitch, a cordless drill with a long, 4mm-diameter masonry bit can be used to make a guide hole for pegs.
Be prepared, and take extra clothes: thick socks, your warmest pyjamas and a sweater. A winter duvet (12 tog) and a hot-water bottle are good ideas, too.
Snow chains can be useful, and are essential if you plan to tour elsewhere in Europe. Most importantly, be safe – make sure you have fitted a carbon monoxide detector and a smoke alarm.
‘Be prepared, and take extra clothes: thick socks, your warmest pyjamas and a sweater. A winter duvet and a hot-water bottle are good ideas, too’