How to Store a Caravan Over Winter: Drain-Down, Tyres & Covers — An Honest UK Guide

One honest point before anything else: your caravan will not fit inside a 20ft storage container, and this guide does not pretend otherwise. What this guide does, for anyone storing a caravan over winter, is the winter job properly — drain-down, battery, tyres, covers and security for the van itself — plus what genuinely does fit in a container at Swift Secure Self Storage Containers in Salford: the awning, the aquaroll, the chairs, the barbecue and everything else that comes out of the van for winter. Get the van right, and get the kit out of the spare room.

Winter is when caravans get hurt. Not by being towed, but by standing still: water left in a pipe freezes and splits it, a battery left flat all winter never really comes back, tyres take a flat spot where they have stood for five months, and a van left looking forgotten is the one thieves notice. Adrian Flux puts UK caravan theft at around 1,400 caravans a year, with a large proportion disappearing while laid up for winter. The Caravan Club’s claims data puts the average cost of a caravan theft claim at £18,000 in 2025. Winterising is not fussiness — it is the lowest-cost protection you will buy all year.

When should you winterise a caravan?

Winterise before the first hard frost, which in most of the UK means October, and drain the water system every time you leave the van in autumn rather than waiting for one big end-of-season job. Swift Secure Self Storage Containers in Salford sees the same pattern yearly: burst pipes belong to owners who meant to drain down ‘next weekend’.

If you are still using the van into autumn, do a quick drain-down after each trip: tanks empty, taps open, toilet cassette rinsed. The full winter job — the one below — happens once, before the van stands for months. Do it on a dry day if you can, because you will have lockers open, cushions out and the van aired, and none of that works well in rain. Today, Monday 26 October, is a washout in Salford, so this is a plan-it-today, do-it-on-the-first-dry-day job, not a rush-out-in-the-rain job.

How do you drain down a caravan water system?

Empty the fresh and waste tanks, drain the water heater, leave every tap open in the middle position, drain the shower hose, remove the filter cartridge, and empty and rinse the toilet cassette and flush tank. A drained system needs no antifreeze in the fresh-water side; the exception is an Alde or wet central-heating circuit, which stays full of glycol.

Work through it in order so you do not trap water somewhere: aquaroll and waste container disconnected first, then the drain valves, then the heater, then each tap in turn, hot and cold, with the pump run briefly dry or blown through if your handbook allows it. Leave the drain valves open all winter and the taps open at mid position, so any last trace of water has somewhere to expand instead of splitting a pipe. Check your handbook for drain-point positions — there is usually more than one, and the one people miss is the shower or the toilet flush. When spring comes, flush and sanitise before anyone drinks from the system again.

What should you do inside the caravan for winter?

Take all food out, clean the fridge and leave it propped open, stand cushions on edge, take bedding home, open lockers and wardrobe doors for airflow, and put moisture traps at both ends of the van. Swift Secure Self Storage Containers in Salford recommends this routine because a closed-up van over winter is a damp trap.

Clean properly first — crumbs in a cupboard will attract mice, and a fridge left shut with a spill in it will smell by Christmas. Wipe windows and glass dry, check the seals around doors and windows for cracks while you are at it, and note any small repair for spring rather than discovering it in March. Cushions and bedding are better at home or in a container than left flat in a cold van all winter; the van itself stays drier with less soft furnishing inside it. If you use moisture traps, remember they need checking and refilling — a full trap that nobody empties stops helping.

Should you take the leisure battery home for winter?

Yes, if you can: a fully charged leisure battery (around 12.7V or more) kept on a maintainer, or stored at home and recharged every five to six weeks, will survive winter far better than one left flat in a cold van. Swift Secure Self Storage Containers in Salford sees flat batteries as one of the commonest spring disappointments.

Disconnect the battery, clean the terminals, and store it somewhere cool and dry — not on a freezing concrete floor if you can help it. If the battery has to stay in the van, a maintainer or a regular recharge visit does the same job; what kills batteries is months of slow self-discharge with nobody checking. Tell your insurer the storage address if the van moves, and note the MOT and service dates while you are thinking about paperwork. A battery that comes back to life in spring is one less bill in a season that already has enough of them.

How do you protect caravan tyres over winter?

Inflate tyres to the correct pressure, park on hardstanding where possible, and either move the van occasionally to change where the tyre meets the ground or take the weight off with supports, because a tyre standing in one spot for months can develop a flat spot. Swift Secure Self Storage Containers in Salford flags this every autumn.

Check for cracks, cuts and wear while you are down there, and check the age of the tyres too — caravan tyres often age out before they wear out. Release the handbrake where your storage site allows it and chock the wheels instead, since a handbrake left on all winter can seize. Lubricate the hitch, steadies and moving parts, and keep the wheel clamp and hitch lock fitted — your insurer may require them. Do not remove wheels without checking your policy first; some insurers insist on a wheel clamp being fitted.

How do you keep a stored caravan secure over winter?

Fit a wheel clamp and hitch lock, use an alarm and tracker if you have them, remove all valuables, keep the van out of sight of the road where possible, and tell your insurer exactly where it is stored. Swift Secure Self Storage Containers in Salford stresses this because winter lay-up is peak theft season.

Layer the deterrents rather than relying on one: a clamp slows a thief, a hitch lock slows them more, an alarm and tracker change the maths again, and a cover that hides the make and model helps too — though a cover must be breathable, or you trade theft risk for trapped moisture. The Caravan Club’s claims data shows a large proportion of stolen vans were taken while stored on farms and farmland, and that accredited storage sites are usually the most secure — so ask what security a site actually has, and check it is working, before you trust it with the van. Photograph the van, note the CRiS number, and keep the paperwork somewhere other than inside the van.

What caravan kit actually fits in a storage container?

The van itself does not fit in a container, but everything that comes out of it does: awnings and groundsheets, aquarolls and waste containers, chairs and tables, barbecues, cushions, bedding, levelling ramps, tools and spares. Swift Secure Self Storage Containers in Salford stores this kit in 10ft containers from £25/week or 20ft containers from £40/week.

This is the honest split: winterise the van where it stands, and put the bulky kit somewhere dry and out of the house. Awnings in particular are a win — folded, dry and off the garage floor, instead of draped over everything all winter. Dry everything before it goes in: an awning put away wet will smell in spring whatever box it is in. If you are unsure what size you need, our size guide runs through 10ft versus 20ft in plain terms, and our caravan storage page covers the kit side in more detail. The van gets winterised; the kit gets a steel box; the spare room gets its life back.

The winter checklist, in one place

• Drain down fully: tanks, heater, taps at mid position, shower, toilet cassette, filter out, drain valves left open.
• Inside: food out, fridge cleaned and propped open, cushions on edge, bedding home, lockers open, moisture traps in.
• Battery: fully charged, on a maintainer or at home, recharged every five to six weeks.
• Tyres and brakes: correct pressure, move occasionally or support the weight, handbrake off where allowed, clamp and hitch lock on.
• Security: alarm and tracker on, valuables out, insurer told the storage address, CRiS details noted.
• Kit: awning, chairs, aquaroll and the rest dried and boxed in a container, not left in the spare room.

Do it once, properly, before the first hard frost, and spring starts with a van that works instead of a list of repairs. If the kit side is the part you want help with, DM us or call 07375 063637 — Swift Secure Self Storage Containers Ltd, 21 Cheltenham Street, Salford M6 6WY.

Sources and further reading: Adrian Flux, “How to keep your caravan safe while it’s laid-up for winter” (around 1,400 caravans stolen in the UK each year, a large proportion while laid up for winter) — https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/blog/2019/09/keep-your-caravan-safe-nine-tips/ · The Caravan Club, “Managing your caravan cover claims” (average theft claim £18,000 in 2025; large proportion of stolen vans taken while stored on farms and farmland) — https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/blog/practical-tips-and-ideas/safety-and-security/managing-your-caravan-cover-claims/ · Beda Leisure, “How to winterise a caravan or motorhome” (winterise before the first hard frost, in most of the UK that means October; leisure battery fully charged at 12.7V+ and on a maintainer) — https://bedamleisure.co.uk/blogs/news/caravan-winter-storage-layup-guide