Hobby Siesta - 12.6 Winter Lay Up for the Motor home

12. Maintenance and Care198
12.6 Winter Lay Up for the Motor home
The following applies for the external structure
• Washthemobilehomethoroughly(see 12.5).
• Checkthevehiclefordamagestothevarnishandother
damages. If necessary, repair these damages and carry
out any other necessary repairs.
For many people, the camping season ends when the tem-
perature starts to fall. Your mobile home must be properly
prepared for its winter lay up.
The following general rules apply
• Onlyleaveyourmobilehomeinaclosedspaceifitisdry
and well-aired. Otherwise, it is better to leave your motor
home in the open.
• Toprotectthetyres,jackupthemobilehomeormoveit
slightly to a new position every two months.
• Closeallgasbottlesandemergencyshutovalves.
• Disconnect(or,ideally,remove)thebatteryandstoreit
safefromfrost.Checkitaboutonceamonthtoseeifitis
still charged; if not, charge it.
• Checktheantifreezeinthecoolingsystemand,ifneces-
sary, top it up.
• Leavespacebetweentarpaulinsandthecampersoasnot
to hamper ventilation.
• Theexteriorshouldbetreatedwithwaxoraspecialpolish
for varnish.
• Useaprotectiveagenttoprotectthemetalpartsofthe
chassis against rust.
• Checkthechassisfordamageand,ifnecessary,repairit.
• Ensurethatnowatercangetintotheventingontheoor,
heating system and refrigerator venting (mount winter
covers
*).
The following applies for tanks and containers:
• Clean,disinfect,descaleandcompletelyemptyallwater
pipes and faucets. Leave faucets open.
• Cleanandemptythefreshwatertank(seeChapter8Water).
• Cleanandemptythewastewatertank.
• Cleanandemptythetoiletushingtankandtheexcre-
menttank.Cleanthetoiletvalve,applyalubricantfor
seals and leave it open.
• Completelyemptythetherme/boiler.
• Ifyourmotorhomeisequippedwithahot-waterheater:
rinse the water heater thoroughly and empty all of the
water.