Every October I have the same conversation with someone who has just discovered a problem in their motorhome that started in March and got progressively worse for six months without anyone noticing. Motorhome winter storage is treated as an afterthought by a lot of owners, and it is one of the few jobs where being lazy for a single weekend costs you real money in the spring.
The van does not care that you are not using it. Damp keeps creeping, batteries keep discharging, tyres keep developing a flat spot, and a gap the width of a pencil is enough for something to move in and set up home in your locker. None of this is complicated to prevent. It just needs doing before you walk away for the winter, not after you notice the smell in April.
Where you actually store it matters more than people think
A secure storage yard with a CaSSOA rating will usually beat a driveway on security and often on insurance premium too, which I covered properly in my post on motorhome insurance and what you actually need. But a storage yard does nothing for damp or condensation on its own, and a driveway with decent ventilation and a breathable cover can outperform a badly run yard.
What matters is airflow and drainage, not the postcode. A van parked on grass that never dries out will suffer more than one on a well drained hardstanding, even if the second one is sitting on someone's driveway rather than behind a fence. If you are storing at home, check the ground does not pool water anywhere near the tyres over winter.
Damp is the thing that actually ruins motorhomes
Structural damp is the single biggest cause of expensive motorhome repairs, full stop. It is also almost entirely preventable with basic habits before you lay the van up. Leave roof vents cracked open rather than fully sealed, because a sealed van with no airflow generates condensation on the inside of every locker and cupboard.
Take everything soft out of the van before storage. Bedding, cushions and towels hold moisture and give mould somewhere to start. Leave cupboard doors and the fridge door open so air can circulate, and put a couple of moisture absorber tubs in the worst affected corners, usually anywhere near an outside wall or a window seal that is not perfect.
Water systems need to be properly emptied, not just drained
Draining the fresh water tank is not the same as winterising the system. Water sitting in the boiler, the pump, the pipework and the low points of the system will freeze the first hard frost of the year and crack whatever it is sitting in. That is an expensive repair that only reveals itself the following spring when you fill up and water starts coming out somewhere it should not.
Use the low point drains properly, run the pump briefly to clear residual water from the lines, and if your van has one, open the boiler drain valve fully. If you are not confident doing this yourself, get it done as part of a proper service. I wrote about what that should actually cover in my guide to motorhome habitation checks, and the same logic applies to a pre winter service. It is far cheaper than a cracked water heater.
Batteries, tyres and the jobs everyone forgets
A leisure battery left connected and unused over winter will discharge itself flat, and a battery that has been fully discharged repeatedly loses capacity permanently. Either disconnect it, or better, fit a smart trickle charger that keeps it topped up without overcharging. The same applies to the vehicle's starter battery if the van is sitting for months.
Tyres develop flat spots when a heavy vehicle sits in one position for a long time, particularly in cold weather when the rubber is less flexible. Move the van a little if you can every few weeks, or use levelling ramps to shift the contact point slightly. Check tyre pressures are slightly higher than normal running pressure before storage, since a van that is not moving benefits from a firmer tyre.
Security does not take a winter break
Storage yards get targeted specifically because everyone assumes nobody is checking on a van that will not move for months. Wheel clamps, trackers and a decent alarm all still matter over winter, and arguably matter more because you are not there to notice anything wrong for weeks at a time. I went through this properly in my post on motorhome security and theft prevention, and none of the advice in there stops applying just because the van is parked up rather than on the road.
If your storage yard offers CCTV coverage, use it. If it does not, at minimum get a rough visual check from someone on a semi regular basis rather than assuming everything is fine because nobody has called you.
What I actually do with the Swift KonTiki 774
My current van is a Swift KonTiki 774, and the routine has not really changed from the smaller Elddis Autoquest 196 I had before it. Habitation service in September or October, water system properly drained, battery on a smart charger, vents cracked, soft furnishings out, and a check on the tyres every few weeks over winter if I am not touring.
The only real difference with a bigger coachbuilt van is there is more to check, more lockers, more seals, more surface area for damp to find a way in. It takes an extra hour compared to the smaller van, and that hour has never once felt like wasted time when I have opened the door again in spring to a dry, healthy motorhome rather than a nasty surprise.
The mistake that costs people the most
The single biggest mistake is doing none of this and assuming the van will be fine because it was fine last year. Damp and battery damage are cumulative. A van that got away with being neglected for one winter is not proof the same approach will work forever, it just means the damage has not become visible yet.
None of this takes specialist skill. It takes an afternoon, a checklist, and the discipline to do it before the first frost rather than after you have already noticed a problem. If you would rather have someone else run through the whole process properly, most dealers and specialist workshops offer a pre winter service, and it is worth every penny compared to the alternative.
