The cold came and everything in the motorhome froze solid... but we finally solved the problem!

Writer: Helena Bergström

Yes, we know, winter comes every year, so it shouldn't come as a surprise. But we had been travelling and were about to take the motorhome to the winter garage. The cold weather arrived a few days before we had booked winter storage, and all the water in the motorhome's tanks froze. Suddenly, we couldn't use the heating system, and the motorhome wouldn't start either...

Suddenly, the cold arrived, and it arrived with a vengeance!

It's not unusual for it to get cold in mid-November, but we had hoped that temperatures would stay above zero until the day we booked winter storage... but that's how it turned out. notShortly after we got home from Bratislava, we realised that it was seven (!) degrees below zero outside, and we hadn't even emptied the motorhome of water... bad!

We couldn't get the heating system to work...

We went out to the motorhome and were met by a vehicle that was completely frozen. The cold weather generally takes its toll on the vehicle, but the worst thing is, of course, having water in the tanks. When the water freezes, there is a risk that the connections will freeze and break. It was obviously unfortunate that we had neglected to fix this in good time (it has been so intensely lately!), but now it was what it was... What to do?

We needed to turn on the heating in the motorhome, but we have a water-based heating system from Alde, and this could not be started because the system (as a safety measure!) drains the water when it gets cold. You then have to refill the water from the motorhome's fresh water tank, but everything was frozen and the water system could not be used...

Update: As some have pointed out, the heating system uses glycol and should, of course, be able to function despite frozen water. However, we also had battery problems. On the first day, we couldn't open the gas locker either because a car was parked right next to us and our car wouldn't start...

How would we heat the motorhome? We have an electric fan heater, but we don't have access to electricity at the car park where we live. We picked up the small portable power station which we had just tested, and with its help we were able to run the fan for a few hours.

The ice disappeared from the windows and it became a little less cold in the car, but it wasn't enough... It felt like the whole motorhome was deep-frozen.

The motorhome wouldn't start...

Could we perhaps drive somewhere with the motorhome, both to start the engine and to maybe find electricity somewhere? We started by fetching lukewarm and hot water in thermos flasks to pour into various water tanks. Among other things, we only had regular water instead of coolant (not good, we know, we should have fixed it!), so now that had frozen too...

Then the next problem arose. The motorhome wouldn't start... When Peter turned the key, absolutely nothing happened... Fortunately, we have a Noco Boost jump start at home, and this proved invaluable. With its help, the motorhome started up almost immediately!

We needed electricity …

We realised that we needed a lot of electricity, so we called Peter's eldest son Robin and asked if we could come and stay with them for a few hours during the day. They have bought a house, so it is possible to run an electricity cable.

No sooner said than done. We went to their house for a few hours during the day, had lunch together, and then worked on our computers, each in a different part of the house.

Apart from it being great to have electricity, it was of course nice to get together. Robin and Alexandra are working hard on renovating, repainting various rooms and fixing up the garden, so we also got to see how the work is progressing!

Time to empty the water and get the motorhome ready

Finally, the motorhome was warm enough for us to turn on the gas heating. Then we drove home and kept the heating on all night. The next day, it was time to take the motorhome into winter storage! On the way, we stopped at a rest area where we emptied the chemical toilet, water, rubbish and other things.

Winter storage

It was really bad that we let water freeze in tanks and taps, but that seems not like something frozen and broken. We can't be completely sure until we take the car out and use it in the spring.

Now it's in the garage, all the water has been drained and the taps are open. After all this hassle, it feels good... In the spring, it will of course be wonderful to pick up FREEDOM again!

If you have a motorhome, have you also parked it in the garage now?, or do you go on winter camps, like Marlene??