Spinney’s Helpful Holiday Tips Checklist

With the weather getting warmer, the caravan or motorhome now comes out of storage and you start to go on holidays. We have given you a low-down on things to consider before you go away, some little helpful tips to remember before you get going!

See a list of helpful tips to help get you on and off the road below:

1. Check the tyre condition- your motorhome or caravan may well have been sat in the same spot for the whole of winter, this can create a flat spot in the tyre. The best thing to do it turn the wheels over with a small forward movement and check for any flat spots on all the tyres. At this point it is also worth checking the PSI in each and every tyre (including the spare tyre if fitted!) We also advise to check the tyre for depth and the walls of the tyres for cracking; tyres are such a huge area that can make your motorhome or caravan unsafe and therefore this is certainly the first part to check before getting back on the road.

2. Fully run your water system up both on cold water and hot water. Although you may have done your very best in winterising your motorhome or caravan water can be held in any of the connection and with frost there can be damage! Close all your drain taps and run the system up fully running the water through all the taps (bathroom and kitchen) Whilst the system is running up work your way around the motorhome and caravan checking in bed boxes and along as much of the pipework as possible for any suspect leaks. These are easy to fix but a pain if not caught before you are fully packed up! ALDE heating system do have an antifreeze within them however we would advise at this point to check the levels of the antifreeze and also run the heating/hot water system up.

3. Gas Fittings- time to close those gas safety valves and run the gas system back up to full strength! First thing to do is check the gas pipe work and reconnect your bottles; whilst doing this just double check the age of your gas pipe and the condition as these can have hairline cracks which can leak gas. Changing this gas pipe is a small job but worth re-doing each season for safety. Once this is given the all clear run you oven and gas hob up to full whack- you may find the gas rings are inconsistent heat or the oven is not firing as strong as last season, this will simply be down to grease and will need a quick wipe around to remove the residue.Check all your fixtures on gas from hob and oven to heating and hot water. Each system works alone and you need to know you can fall back on these should the sites electric be weak!

4. Lights- we mainly the external lights for safety aspects obviously! just because they were working all last year does not mean the bulb has not failed or a fuse will not pop when you first stick them on. Work through all the lights from brake to indicators and also your awning lights.

5. Awning- lets get the awning back out and hopefully it wont smell too much! The awning may have been put away slightly damp and it could well be slightly smelly on the firs touting. We suggest either rolling it out if its a suncanopy or getting any porch or caravan awnings out for a good airing session; maybe save for a nice hot day and give it a once over with some fairy liquid!

6. Cleaning your pride of joy- now comes the hard work! We do suggest a good clean of your motorhome or caravan from top to bottom. Open all the rooflights and windows and clean all the seals as these can be stuck to the window if they have been left for a period of time. A little tip to keep them supple is to use some Vaseline on the rooflight and window seals! A good clean will allow you to do a in depth visual inspection and to ensure yours is not the green machine on the campsite! We have a selection of cleaning products in all three of our shops which will help make this easier along with a nice new brush to reach those higher places!

Rememeber we are here to help from service to shops we have experienced teams on all three of our sites who can help you get back on the road for what should be a fantastic summer! Do not hesitate to contact us if you are worried about anything and we will do our very best to help. We are sure you all have a ritual to the start of the summer however the above list is there to offer some little tips to getting you back on the road!

If you would prefer to get the experts to check over your caravan or motorhome we offer fantastic rates for general servicing which will put your mind at rest that your caravan or motorhome is safe and ready to go!

Cheshire- 01477 535808

North Staffs: 01782622581

Flintshire: 01244 830438