PREPARING FOR A NEW SEASON If your caravan is used regularly all year round then preparations for a new season will be minimal. However if your van has lain unused for several months it's vital to make sure everything is in shipshape order before setting off. Don't forget that an annual service is vital to ensure the proper and safe operation of your caravan. Also if your caravan is under guarantee it's essential to get it serviced at the appropriate time otherwise your warranty may be voided.

Book your service early
If your van is under warranty you will need to have your service undertaken by a recognised Swift dealer and within the time frames specified by the warranty. As workshops are always very busy during the spring and early summer it is always advisable to book quite a few weeks in advance if you need to have your service during this time. Even if you’re not tied by warranty constraints it’s important to ensure that all is sorted before your first outing so early booking is highly advisable. Depending on the type of service you book with your dealer you may find that many of the following items are covered. (See Time for a Service article) However they are well within the scope of the average caravan owner.

Flush the water system
This will help flush through any debris including extraneous carbon particles from any new filter. It's a good idea to use a proprietary cleansing agent such as Milton Fluid.  This will help to sterilise the system and remove any deposits. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully. Do not be tempted to use domestic bleach for sterilising your water system as it may contain traces of heavy metals and other undesirables. If your van has a water filter then do not change it until  you have completed the sterilising process. This is because the filter will absorb the sterilising agents, shortening its life and preventing downstream cleansing.

Now is a good time to clean and de-scale shower heads and any spray type tap heads. When finished leave the water system drained until all danger of frost has passed.

Replace water filter (if fitted)
If you have a water filter then it is important to change it each spring and possibly more frequently, according to use. Don't risk damaging your filter by leaving it on the van during frosty weather. I was and, even though the system had been drained, its innards disintegrated, discharging carbon particles into the system and causing mayhem.  Remember that once a filter has had water inside it, it is unlikely to dry out, making it susceptible to frost damage.

Remove vent cover from Truma water heaters
The Truma water heaters come with an external vent cover for the balanced flu. This cover is meant to be in place whenever the heater is not being used and provides excellent protection for the innards of the heater. However it's all too easy to forget it's there before firing up on gas. Beware though that failure to remove it could result in a loud bang and the cover being blown off with some force!

Check battery electrolyte and charge levels
Modern caravans will not function without a 12-volt supply and the more recent the van the more current it is likely to require. The condition of your battery is therefore of paramount importance to trouble-free caravanning. Hopefully you kept it charged up over the winter. Check the level of the electrolyte and top up with distilled or de-ionised water if necessary. After charging check the specific gravity of the electrolyte with a hydrometer. Take care not to spill any as it is highly acidic. If all is well the reading should be in the range 1.25 – 1.30. Make sure you are using a leisure type battery. Car batteries are unsuited to the deep cycling required by leisure use.

Re-instate the gas cylinders
Check the condition of any butane threaded regulator couplings – they have a sealing washer that should be replaced periodically. Don’t make the mistake of re-using the washer from the black screw on cap that comes with a new cylinder. It is not made of the right material to provide a good seal in this application. Check the date printed on the low pressure flexible hose used to connect to your cylinder. It should be replaced within 3 years after being brought into use. From the 2004 model year onwards the connection from the cylinder to the van's gas system is via a reinforced high pressure hose. This too has finite life and needs to be replaced at regular intervals. Industry experts put this at 3-5 years.

Make sure all couplings are free from debris, dead insects etc. Ensure that the breather holes on regulators are unobstructed. Obstruction can cause diaphragms to fail – a condition that leads to high appliance pressures or “over gassing”. Freezing winter rain is a common culprit for this condition.

Stage a dummy run on all systems
There’s nothing worse than getting to site only to find that a key item of equipment will not work. It’s amazing how insects have a habit of blocking gas jets or flue pipes. I don’t know if it’s because we live in the country but we seem to be affected by this problem most years. A couple of years ago I checked everything out and found no apparent problems. However a couple of hours or so after arriving at the rally the van filled with choking fumes. The culprit turned out to be the fridge gas burner. We were unable to use it for the rest of the rally and of course, for once, the weather was unseasonably warm! If only I had given the fridge a decent test on gas instead of merely checking that it lit!

Check the loo blade
Make sure your blade has not stuck. You should have left it open when you winterised your van and this should have prevented sticking. If you do have problems you may use olive oil as a lubricant. Alternatively Thetford produce a maintenance spray that your local dealer should stock. Do not be tempted to use other fluids as these may damage the rubber seals or plastic casing.

Carry out a lighting check – inside and out
Winter weather plays havoc with contacts and moss has an amazing capacity to penetrate external light fittings. I clean our lenses with soapy water with a little bleach added. It’s also worth giving internal fluorescent lights a few minutes run. One of mine failed (and began issuing smoke before it fused) within the first five minutes of use after the winter. Check the condition of the 12S and N plugs and sockets. If you greased them before winter all should be well. Simply wipe off any excess grease. Be careful if you use dewatering  fluids such as WD40 as certain plastics can be attacked by them.

Confirm smoke alarms are working
Swift have been fitting smoke alarms as standard equipment for some years now. Make sure yours works. Most are fitted with a test button but for absolute certainty you may wish to use the real thing. Smokers have a ready source of this material but for the rest of us the easiest way may be to burn the toast on the first outing! Alternatively cans of aerosol spray, specially made for the job, are available from some accessory shops

Check all vents
A caravan’s vents are all that stand between you and suffocation. It is therefore vital to ensure that they are free from obstructions. Prior to 1999 caravan venting was to a standard designed to cope with gas lighting. From the 1999 model year onwards this standard was replaced by a new one which carried a lower level of ventilation. On these vans the condition of the vents is therefore even more critical. If you have an older van do not be tempted to cover some vents on the basis that you have no gas lighting. To do so would be to invalidate the type approval for your van and possiblyy render it illegal to use.

Check all tyres
Your workshop should check these as part of the annual service. However I do know of one case where they were missed with potentially disastrous results. If there is any sidewall damage or bulging the tyre should be changed immediately. Based on members’ experiences the Caravan Club recommends that tyres should be changed every five years regardless of their apparent condition. Experience within our own Club bears this out. This is sound advice especially if you have a heavy, single axle van. Don't forget to check the condition of the spare tyre. Make sure that the tyres are inflated to the correct pressure as shown in the caravan's handbook (or in the case of more recent Swift caravans the service booklet).

Grease the slides on any under-slung spare wheel carrier

Being underslung this type of spare wheel carrier is subjected to everything the roads can throw at it. Mine seized to the point where I had to remove the whole carrier to free it off.