campervan as a second vehicle

[PJfamilyguy]

Hi all,

hopefully in a few short/long weeks we should get our newly converted van, but that has got my thinking, as its a second vehicle there could be times when it might not move for a week or so and even then will be doing short journeys. Its a modern vehicle so this should not be a problem.

But what about the leisure battery and general damp during the winter months, should I leave it plugged in to the mains to keep the leisure battery topped up (it will have solar) what about damp and condensation, should I get some kind of fan/dehumidifier in it.

Anyone else in a similar situation ? am I over thinking it ?

TIA

Paul

 

[Tourershine]

I've got a 2015 Motorhome as a '2nd' vehicle and other than it's trips into Europe several times a year, it sits in our storage compound for most it's life. I've never had any issues with damp or condensation, but then it's covered most of the time. Yes, the leisure battery goes flat sometimes, but it's never caused an issue in the time i've owned it from new. (if I kept it at home, i'd keep it hooked up)
We find that some people that use heaters, or dehumidifiers in their Caravans or Motorhomes can sometimes introduce issues like damp, so i've always avoided them.
Ok, it's not a VW camper, but the principal is similar.

 

[Davenjo]

No - you are not over thinking it at all.

Ours regularly sits on the drive for a week or two without moving (we have made a point of using it as a camper at least once every month since getting it a year ago). So long as you make sure the pop top is dry, etc. after last use there should be no problems. If not using for an extended period of time over winter its always a good idea to drain your water system down (we always tend to empty between trips anyway).

The only time we ever plug our van in at home is to give the leisure battery a boost before a relatively short trip to somewhere with no EHU. A decent solar panel should keep your battery topped up nicely without the need to plug in (we had our fridge running all summer between trips on the drive without issue) - hoping it will do the same all winter though one thing to be aware of is that when the ambient temperature drops below a certain level (5c I think) the compressor on some fridges (ours is a Waeco CRX65) will not run - this is by design and not a problem for the fridge/contents as it will sit at/below the ambient temperature but you may find your ice box defrosting overnight (as mine did with temps getting down to around 0c last night!) - what I tend to do when not using is leave some kitchen roll in the ice box to soak up any resultant melt water. Alternatively, just switch your fridge off between trips (with kitchen roll in ice box to soak up the melt water).

If you are worried about damp just get a couple of crystal dehumidifiers and leave in the van when not using - we bought a couple last year and left one in the van all winter but it didn't seem to collect an awful lot of water - didn't have problems with damp though.

 

[Tony&Dawn]

Totally agree with @Davenjo , this is very similar to what we did with our T4 when we were not using it and had no issues what so ever so expecting the T6 to be better.

We used a crystal dehumidifier also but turned the fridge off and left vented on the latch.

Never had any issues with damp when the van was left stood for a week or two.

 

[PJfamilyguy]

thanks all very useful, tips/comments

 

[Roadrunner]

I just make sure I take mine out for a drive every couple of weeks.

 

[andys]

Yes this is what I do. I've had various campervans and motorhomes over the years and they'll often not turn a wheel for weeks, sometimes up to 3 months over the winter. I always pump the tyres up to the max if I know it'll be standing a while and I'm able to keep them on mains hookup all the time. Other than that, as others have said a dehumidifier stops damp problems (remember to check it needs emptying periodically) and I also make sure the fridge door is propped open and put silica gel sachets in it and all drawers and cupboards. The T6 fits in my garage which is obviously even better, but none of the others have and I've never had a problem.
Don't be tempted to just start the engine for 30 secs every so often without going for a drive to properly warm the engine up, it does more harm than good.

Edit: Also watch out for mice, got in through the water drain pipe in our old motorhome and nested under the fridge! Wire mesh over holes stops this.