New member - and lots of help needed haha

[paulinemarley]

Hi all thanks for letting me join After around a 20 year break from caravanning due to personal issues, I have decided to start again. I have purchased an old van to get me going again (Award Goldstar Mk 1 1998 I believe) which is in pretty good condition for the age. Most things seem to work so far (but need to get gas checked and work out how to do the water - my memory has failed after so many years), but the caravan has no keys whatsoever!
There is a locker near the door that is locked and I'm not sure what the purpose of it is, and cant open it. The main door also has no key - is there any way of getting replacements do you think, or am I looking at getting the barrels drilled out and new locks put in?

Any advice for my goldstar would be appreciated and I look forward to reading through all the posts as I go along

 

[Anseo]

Welcome paulinemarley

 

[LizziePope]

Hi, Pauline! Welcome to the Practical Caravan forum and back to caravanning. Thanks for introducing yourself.

 

[Raywood]

Not sure what the locker is but I assume it is just a storage one. If you cannot find the battery box though it could be that and you will need a key to get in.
If the caravan does not have an on board pump it will be a drop in one, which just pushes onto the side of the caravan, but you need to check what fitting it needs to get another. Other than that the water comes through when the tap is turned on with a switch inside also on.
The lock should take a standard key and will available at most dealers, but you need the key number. If you do not have this then I think it will need replacement. The lock will normally just be screwed onto the back of the door and replacement is straight forward and again most dealers will have them in stock and should be able to advise you how to fit it if you have a problem. Possibly take it with you when you go.

 

[paulinemarley]

thank you so much all for the warm welcome and advice. I have been having a bit of fun today, seeing what works, and what on earth various things are !

Yup the locker does appear to be a store only (I sneakily unscrewed the wood panel under the seat and looked in from the back - that's where the spare wheel lives), so I shall leave that well alone for now

Found out most of the electrics work well, the gas appears to work (albeit not necessarily safely haha), the water pump works - thanks for that tip too, haven't tried the water heater yet because ............. when running the kitchen taps, I discovered a waterfall under the sink. The taps appear to be held in place only by plumbers tape, and that's just not working at all!

So, I think I need to replace the tap set - do all tap sets fit all models of caravans ? that's probably a daft question but I just don't know

If I can find out how to add a photo I shall do that

 

[Craigyoung]

There is a locker near the door that is locked and I'm not sure what the purpose of it is, and cant open it. The main door also has no key - is there any way of getting replacements do you think, or am I looking at getting the barrels drilled out and new locks put in?

Pauline , hi ,
Just wondering but ; why did you purchase a caravan with no keys ?

 

[Hutch]

Welcome , Paulinemarly, PM, looks like we shall have you visiting the forum with questions on your Caravan, that will keep the forum members scratching our heads. :cheer:

 

[paulinemarley]

Because I'm a fool ? The guy who sold it wasn't there when we picked it up, and another chap who was very unpleasant just gave us the aqualroll etc. then when I asked for the keys said there weren't any - to be honest, I was too intimidated by him to do much else other than hitch up and leave! I was a very cheap van bought from what a thought was a reputable static/touring place, but I shant be returning there again

 

[Parksy]

Hi Pauline, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your return to caravanning.
It's a shame that you felt intimidated when you collected your caravan but we all learn by our mistakes and there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy using your caravan when you find out how everything works.
It's possible to buy used parts such as locks, locker doors etc; via mail order which will fit your caravan, Caravan Breakers keep lots of stock from dismantled caravans.

 

[audiorob]

If you can get into the locker from inside then can you reach the back of the lock to dismantle and remove it? Perhaps held in place by a sprung circlip that would allow the lock barrel to be removed externally. You can buy keys on the internet, but you do need to know the code. Or you can replace the whole mechanism (eg for a gas locker) complete with barrel, or just a barrel and 2 keys for between 5 and 10 pounds. Might be worth a browse entering in 'caravan keys' on ebay and see if you get inspiration! It may be that all the exterior locks use the same key code which would be a help. Usually the keys are WDxxx (three numbers) and even for the main door lock you can replace the barrel. If it comes to that you should be able to ask for matched sets. Pity about the gruffness of the salesman as it is in both your interests for him to 'keep the customer satisfied' and you might have expected some handbooks and at least a cursory handover. Many handbooks can be downloaded from manufacturer websites, or maybe other forum users could supply photocopies on request. Also if the water barrels have been hanging about you could try 'Milton' rinsed out thoroughly before using water via the 'van.
Good luck and enjoy your new found freedom while the sun (briefly!) shines!

 

[Craigyoung]

Sounds like the bloke that you bought it off sounds like a bit of a you know what so I wish you good luck and getting it all sorted out but if no handover was done properly how do you know how long the aqua roll has been there for ? It might be worth buying a new one so it's fresh .

Craig .