Leaving island bed upright for the winter

[sarahc_]

Hi,

We've recently upgraded our caravan and it has an island bed which we didn't have before, with storage underneath. As usual in the winter we'll be removing bedding, taking cushions off and all the usual stuff to make sure the vents can do their job to improve ventilation. The caravan is in storage this time as it couldn't fit on our driveway but I can visit fairly regularly as it's only 5 mins down the road.

I just wanted to ask, what people usually do with island beds? Should they be left in the upright position on the struts (I think this is the correct term!), or will this put strain on them? I don't want to damage the hydraulics part of that lift mechanism or anything, so asking for some advice on what others do!

Thanks

PS. We do plan on using the van a little bit over the winter anyway so it won't be stored for 2/3 months without any use at all.

 

[ProfJohnL]

When storing your caravan it is always best to maximise the the free air movement into all the nooks and crannies to reduce or avoid the possibility of condensation leading to mould, so if you can give the storage space free access to air all the better. Incidentally if the the struts ( good name) are the pneumatic types, then it makes no difference if they are extended or compressed when in storage.

 

[toad a caravan]

Standing the mattress as you are considering doing is what my cousin does when on a storage site in Cornwall,never had any issues

 

[sarahc_]

Thanks... I will leave it in the upright position then and see how it goes.

 

[borderbilly]

Yes leave it upright, after all you don't relax the spring/suspension on your car when parking up 👍

 

[GUMPY]

We just remove the bedding and that's it.
Cushions get left in position.
Never felt the need to do anything else.
It may help that it's milder down here in North Devon we may see a frost if we are unlucky.

 

[RogerL]

We don't remove anything for winter or move cushions, anything perishable is removed after each trip.

Many people confuse damp and cold when testing by touch.

 

[Buckman]

We have had caravans with island beds for over 20 years and never bot0ehred with leaving bed upright. As long as the vents are not blocked, there should not be any issues.

 

[Dustydog]

Last 20,years never stored with bed up.

Why?
The gas struts are not that strong nor are their mounting points on the frame.
Plenty of natural air circulation underneath in the sleep position .

 

[Buckman]

Not sure why people look for a solution to a problem that does not exist? LOL!

 

[sarahc_]

Not really, I'm trying to think ahead... I've had mould issues before in my last caravan because I forgot to do certain things during winter. Nothing wrong with trying to prevent an issue in the first place especially when I've just spent a lot of money on upgrading.

 

[RogerL]

Not really, I'm trying to think ahead... I've had mould issues before in my last caravan because I forgot to do certain things during winter. Nothing wrong with trying to prevent an issue in the first place especially when I've just spent a lot of money on upgrading.

The most important thing to do is an annual damp test and fix any issues that arise - dry caravans don't get mould.

 

[sarahc_]

The most important thing to do is an annual damp test and fix any issues that arise - dry caravans don't get mould.

Agreed, I get a service every year.

 

[borderbilly]

Agreed, I get a service every year.

I could respond to that, but better not as I will get banned 😄

 

[sarahc_]

I could respond to that, but better not as I will get banned 😄

I walked right into that one didn’t I…

 

[borderbilly]

I walked right into that one didn’t I…

Apologies Sarah, but i couldnt resist. Great to see you can take a bit of banter

 

[sarahc_]

Apologies Sarah, but i couldnt resist. Great to see you can take a bit of banter

All good, I’ve got a blokes sense of humour!

 

[ProfJohnL]

I am passionate about discouraging caravanners from buying products that simply waste money and offer no value what-so-ever, the classic one being the Tyre bands, but also caravan dehumidifiers for storage are another.

The best practice for keeping a caravan's humidity under control is free ventilation. The only time a dehumidifier might serve a practical purpose is in the few days after the caravan was last used, or if the caravan has a water leak, in which specific case a dehumidifier is only resolving the symptom not the cause.

Essentially the decision is yours, fortunately as there is no cost to the action of lifting the bed, your not losing anything by doing it. ry it both ways an see if you may benefit.

 

[otherclive]

During periods when the caravan was not being used in winter we would lift the seating and mattress and have all cupboard, locker and wardrobe doors open to ensure good through ventilation. One thing we did not do was to clean hard wooden surfaces with things like Pledge as the waxes encouraged mildew. So just a clean down with a general surface cleaner. Over our time caravanning we never had internal moulds or fustiness.

 

[Beachball]

During periods when the caravan was not being used in winter we would lift the seating and mattress and have all cupboard, locker and wardrobe doors open to ensure good through ventilation. One thing we did not do was to clean hard wooden surfaces with things like Pledge as the waxes encouraged mildew. So just a clean down with a general surface cleaner. Over our time caravanning we never had internal moulds or fustiness.

+1 exactly the same to ensure good ventilation through the caravan