Arriving on site

Pitching up for the first time can be daunting. Campervan, caravan and motorhome owners are a nosy lot and you will find people having a good look at the new arrivals. It’s a pretty sure thing though, that if you ask for help, they’ll be there in a flash. Don’t be afraid to ask if you’re feeling a bit confused or overwhelmed, fellow motorhome owners are the best source of expert advice you can find. On arrival, you’ll be given the details of your pitch at reception. If you want to fill your fresh water tank, now is the time to do so, before you get settled, unless you’re lucky enough to be on a pitch with fresh water. Make your way to your pitch and work out where the sun is, so you can park accordingly there is no ‘correct’ way but some people prefer evening sun and others the sunrise. It can nerve-wracking parking a large vehicle, especially if you need to reverse, keep calm and ask for help if you need it. This is where a motorhome reversing camera is invaluable! Check whether you are level. Some people use a small spirit level or just do it by eye and feel. It really depends on how un-level you are and what you can sleep with. Campsites for motorhomes often have level hard-standing, which can be a better option, particularly if the ground and surrounding land is wet. If you’re chocks, there is a bit of an art to making them work.

Camp site etiquette

• Follow the site rules around silent times and be respectful of others around you, be good neighbours.

• Be friendly …motorhomers and caravaners love a good chat. Sharing knowledge and tips with your campsite neighbours is the best way to learn!

• Dispose of your waste correctly and recycle as much as you can.

• Don’t dispose of grey waste on your pitch unless into a soil pipe, it smells and will attract vermin and bugs.

• Don’t hog the tap that’s designed to service more than one pitch.

• Don’t leave engines and generators running for any longer than you have to, ideally not at all.

• Make sure your kids and pets don’t disturb others.

• Try and park your vehicle in a way that gives your neighbours privacy.

• Don’t get up too early and trundle your toilet cassette around the site waking up the inhabitants of every motorhome you pass!

How do motorhomes work?

Awnings & Privacy Rooms : This is the perfect time to test your awning. Some awnings are electric but the vast majority wind out. The awning has a slotted hole, usually at the rear end of the housing. There will be a winding pole (often in two parts) which you fix together and one end is designed to fit the slotted hole, it can only fit one way. Use the handle to twist the pole and your awning will start to slide out. Once it is low enough, release the legs which are tucked into the front edge of the awning housing and pull them down. They are adjustable on a spring basis and as the awning is fully extended you can make them taller or shorter. Tilt your awning slightly so that any rain water will run off. If it’s at all breezy or you’re going to leave the awning out overnight, you must use awning straps. Your awning acts like a kite in wind and can be ripped from the side of your van in only moderate winds and they’re expensive to replace. Most awnings can also have side and front panels to make them into privacy or safari rooms. These do take up quite a lot of storage space and are complicated to erect and dismantle, so only really suitable if you are spending more than a few days on a site, but ideal if you need more room when travelling as a family.

Gas Motorhomes use gas : (LPG – liquid propane gas, but just to be contrary, it can actually be butane or propane or a mix of the two depending on where you are) to cool fridges when EHU is not available. They also use gas for cooking, heating and hot water. Most motorhome heating and hot water systems can also run on electric or a mix of the two, but it is less effective and in winter, it will take much longer for your motorhome to warm up. In some European campsites, the power will not be enough to operate your boiler effectively and you will be constantly tripping the switch at the campsite socket, not ideal if you’re touring in January! Gas is a super-efficient fuel and not very expensive, particularly on the continent. Your motorhome will have a gas locker where your bottle(s) are stored and connected to your motorhome supply system, feeding gas to your hob, oven, fridge, boiler and external gas point if you have one. If you are travelling in Europe, the systems come with a set of adaptors meaning you can fill in any European country and not have to carry different fittings and regulators for your UK supplied bottles or carry empty bottles around that cannot be exchanged. The cost of filling at the pump compared to exchanging bottles is around 70% cheaper, but you do have to pay the upfront cost of the cylinders and fitting which in our view, is a worthwhile investment.

Water & Waste

If your pitch has fresh water, you can fill easily whenever you need to with a hose pipe. We recommend at least a 30m pipe so you can also access water near to, but not on, your pitch. If the site has one service point, then you either have to drive the motorhome there when you need water, or use a manual collection method. Many people carry a large watering can for this purpose or you can buy a water carrier, but they can be difficult to empty into your tank. You may see the odd touring caravan or trailer with a holding barrel by the fresh water inlet, filling from a tap and pumping into the van. Motorhome water tanks don’t work in the same way as caravan water tanks and this system is not usually or easily possible with a motorhome. Grey water waste (everything but black water, which is your toilet waste) is collected in an underslung waste tank, usually around the same size as your fresh water tank. Your motorhome may have a control panel where an indicator will tell you how much waste water you’re carrying. All sites provide a drive over grid, where you position your outlet pipe over the grid and drop your grey waste by opening a lever – open slowly or you’ll get splashed! You will get to know your van after a while, some need to be on a slight incline to empty fully. Be considerate and sluice down the grey waste area after dropping your tank, the water can be quite smelly. If there is a waste point on your pitch, it will be a soil pipe with a cap on; remove the cap and feed a hose from your outlet pipe into the soil pipe and open the lever. We have found that often these points don’t work well or have not been designed correctly, in that they are higher than the rest of the pitch and so your waste water sits in the pipe. Depending on your motorhomes outlet pipe arrangements, you may need to buy a specific length of hose or pipe to make this work. The other method is to leave your lever open and position a bucket under your outlet pipe and dispose of the waste manually on a regular basis. Do not dispose of this waste on your pitch unless it is into the soil pipe, take it to the correct grey waste point. How often you need to do this depends on whether you choose to wash-up and shower in your motorhome or use site facilities.

The dreaded motorhome toilet!

All sites provide a chemical toilet emptying point, usually behind or close to the site sanitary facilities. Emptying the motorhome cassette toilet tends to be a morning ritual for many, so expect a queue if you go early. Some toilet systems have a light to tell you when the cassette is getting full. Don’t wait for the light to turn red. Occasionally, the toilet emptying point is in the same place as the grey water and fresh water services. If you’re not using your own fresh water hose, make sure that the supplied fresh water hose is not being used to clean out toilet cassettes before you stick it in your tank and contaminate your whole water system.

Motorhome electrics

If you are hooked up, your 240v sockets (as you have at home) will be working, your fridge will be running from the sites electric and your leisure battery will be charging. In the UK, it’s likely that the site electric will be 16amp, meaning you can use a hairdryer, toaster and so on as normal. In Europe, lots of sites only provide 6 or 10amps, meaning this equipment may struggle if the site is busy or at certain times of the day. If you are intending to spend time in Europe on sites, you may want to look at low voltage electrical equipment before your trip.

Now is a good time to test that your leisure battery (and solar panel if you have one fitted) is doing its job. Unplug your motorhome and turn the fridge to gas (it sounds extravagant but the fridge works very efficiently on gas and uses very little). Check that your tv works and that the water pump operates as it should. Any other fitted electrics such as a step, satellite dish, roof lights or drop down bed should also work. If you have any 12v appliances test them in your 12v sockets which you may need adapters for, depending on the make and age of your van.

If you have a solar panel fitted, somewhere in your motorhome will be a regulator that makes sure the ebb and flow of charge is kept at the right level. There should be a light indicating the panel is charging the leisure battery, sometimes called ‘bulk’, which tends to happen in the morning as the battery is being newly charged from overnight depletion. ‘Absorption’ is the next phase as your battery reaches it’s fully charged capacity. When on ‘float’, your solar panel is generating a trickle charge. All these stages are normal and mean your regulator is operating as it should. Don’t panic if none of these lights show after dark, your solar panel does not generate any power unless the sun is shining!

What to do if something goes wrong

Motorhomes can be fickle and things do sometimes go wrong. That’s why you need to have this first trip shake-out so that if something does happen, you can get home and get it sorted. Before you panic, take the following steps;

After your trip

So now you know the basics of how to motorhome. All trips have to end sometime, but hopefully you’ll have learnt a bit about your van, how to live in a motorhome and any motorhome downsides you may not have thought about before. There are a few things to do when you get home

• If you’re not planning another motorhome holiday within the next couple of weeks you should empty your water tank to stop the build up of any bacteria.

• Remove bedding and towels and prop up cushions and mattresses to ensure a flow of air around them.

• Empty your fridge and prop the door open to stop any smells.

• Turn off your gas at the cylinder and turn off your heating and hot water.

• Remove all your valuables and close your windows, blinds and roof lights.

If you get issues on the road, call our team now and our mobile motorhome mechanics will be along to help you in no time.