During the UK lockdown, your holiday caravan has been left unused for many months so it’s important to carry out some simple steps to make sure your future holidays go smoothly.
Check for damage
Check your seams and seals for any damage or damp and have a good look around to make sure you don’t have any panel damage. If you have had any damage then decided whether it’s significant enough to contact your holiday caravan insurance provider to make a claim or can be repaired cheaply.
Take a look around skylights or windows for any signs of damp. Now is a good time to take a look at your caravan’s chassis too to check you don’t have any rust or corrosion.
Unwelcome visitors
Check to make sure you’ve not had any unwelcome visitors, such as vermin, underneath your caravan, or in the cupboards or furniture.
Open the windows and doors
Whilst you’re doing all these checks fling open the doors, skylights and windows to let some fresh air through and get rid of any musty smells from being out of use. Whilst doing this you could check all blinds and curtains and make sure the windows are still operating smoothly.
Run water through the pipes
Whilst your holiday park might have reconnected the water and flushed water through the system, you want to make sure there hasn’t been any water left standing in the pipework.
Turn on all taps (cold and hot) and allow them to run for a few minutes, as well as the shower. It’s also worth descaling the showerhead and kettle, ready for your stay ahead.
Run your dishwasher and washing machine for a full cycle to flush water through the pipes and flush all toilets twice.
Run any external taps for a few minutes too.
Clean your holiday caravan
Your holiday caravan is probably in need of a good clean, both inside and out to freshen it up. Don’t forget to clean the decking too and if it’s wooden see if it might need re-treating.
Check out our video on how to clean your static caravan, ready for your holidays.
Check the gas
Check the gas is running through your cooking appliances by turning on for a few minutes. Make sure the flame is blue and not orange and that any gas hoses leading to gas bottles are still in date. Generally the hose will have a month and year of manufacture stamped on the side and it’s usually advised to get a new one when it reaches five years old. For peace of mind, get your gas appliances serviced annually to make sure they’re working safely and have an annual gas check. If you let out your caravan then you are required by law to do this. Your park should have a recommended gas engineer to help you get such checks done.
Alarm tests
Check the dates on any carbon monoxide alarms and fire extinguishers, as well as the batteries on any smoke alarms. Replace any items that are out of date.
Food dates
If you’ve left any food in your holiday caravan cupboards or freezer, check that it’s not out of date.
Is your holiday caravan still insured?
Most importantly, is your static caravan insurance up-to-date? If you don’t already have cover, why not call us for a quote or see more about our holiday caravan insurance here.
Finally, make yourself a drink and have a wonderfully safe and enjoyable staycation in your holiday caravan.
I DON’T BEEN IN MINE FOR10 YEARS NOW