1. 12N & 12S PLUG PROTECTORS COST: Free / few £ DIFFICULTY: 1, Easy
Use the old type plastic cylinder shaped film cannisters to slot into the 12N and 12S sockets on your caravan. Remove the lid (and film!) and holding upturned, gently slide into place. This reduces the risk of corrosion to the all important metal parts of the plug, ensuring that next time you tow the caravan, the lights and car 12v electric circuit will work. You can find these cannisters lying about the house and if you don't have any then you may be able to blag a couple from a specialist printing/photographic shop. At worst you may have to pay £2 or so from a shop or internet site such as eBay. You can go one step further by adding oil based preservatives to the cannisters before placing on the sockets. Use lubricant gel, grease and even brown source is rumoured to work well. It is up to you, personally I have never used these as they have to be cleaned off before towing.
2. WHEEL PROTECTION FROM UV LIGHT COST: free - £15 DIFFICULTY: 1, Easy
Caravan tyres suffer long term more so than car tyres due to the long periods which a caravan remains static. This makes them prone to plat spots, cracking, deterioration and sidewall damage. This can lead to poor stability from the caravan during towing and in worst cases tyre blow outs. The condition can be affected by what ground the caravan is stood on. Grass is worst due to it constantly becoming damp and then drying out, causing the tyre to deteriorate. Hard standing ground such as tarmac and gravel can lead to flat spots. But where ever you store your caravan, all tyres are at risk from UV rays or sunlight to you and me. To prevent damage, cover up the tyres. You can use something basic such as cardboard or for extra protection try wheel covers (pictured below). These covers not only do the job well but look very tidy too. You can pick one up from caravan dealers and online from around £8-15 depending on the quality.
When your caravan is in storage, chock the wheels and lower the corner steadies and you can release the handbrake. This reduces wear on the brake cable and stops the brakes ceasing on. You can only do this once the caravan has the corner steadies down and the wheels are chocked. This will also retain the previous brake adjustments from last time they were adjusted.
4. MOISTURE ABSORBER COST: free DIFFICULTY: 1, Easy
When leaving your caravan in storage, places such as bathrooms and fridges can be prone to mould and damp in the right conditions. You can prevent this by using salt; fill a cup half full of salt flakes (preferably not granulated salt as this doesn't work as well) and leave the cup in the areas prone to damp. The salt flakes will absorb moisture in the air, and water will collect in the cup. It's an effective low cost solution to using specialist moisture traps.
5. LEVELLING DEVICE COST: free / few £ DIFFICULTY: 1, Easy
Fed up of not being able to level your caravan on site? You should know that you should not use the caravan's corner steadies to lift the caravan as this may cause damage (see Safety page) and you may be using a jack to lift the caravan. You can buy levelling ramps from caravan dealers for around £20 but you can make your own from wood just as easily. Use thin pieces of wood and layer them up so that the caravan can easily be manoeuvred onto the ramp. Make sure that the ramp is at least two inches wider than the caravan's wheel to prevent the tyre sliding off the ramp. You can screw the pieces of wood together to form a strong and rigid ramp.
6. HITCHING UP AID COST: free / few £ DIFFICULTY: 1, Easy
Ever had to hitch up on your own or find it difficult to maneuver the car so that the tow ball is directly under the tow hitch? Anyone that has tried to do this will know that you cannot see where the tow hitch is at all and unless you have someone to help, guess work or giving up and moving the caravan instead is the only option. Here's a novel tip; create a flag using a piece of dowelling and a bright piece of material. The dowelling should be cut to a sensible length depending on where you can see the top of it from your towing vehicle. Cut the material to size and either stitch it or simply staple it to the dowelling. Once finished, the flag will easily sit in the hole on the tow hitch directly at the front of the tow hitch handle (tow hitch manufacturer and design permitting) and then when reversing you should have a much better idea of where the tow hitch is.
7. CLEAN FRIDGE COST: free DIFFICULTY: 1, Easy
When leaving your caravan in storage for a while, you may find that due to moisture in the air the fridge can be prone to mildew and mould. When leaving your caravan unused, leave the fridge door ajar - you can hold it open by wedging something such as a tea-towel in the top of the door. This allows air to circulate around the fridge and prevents a hefty cleaning job before you can use it next time you come to use it!
