On holiday last year, the cover that stops insects and leaves falling into our Aquaroll got torn. As the site was home to an army of ants, we didn't want them falling into our fresh water. We had one of those rubber cups you use for opening stiff jars lids, so we cut a hole just smaller than the diameter of the submersible pump's hose, and stretched it over the pump. When we worked it up to the right height, it sat really neatly above the neck of the Aquaroll and worked a treat.
Clare Booth, Doncaster

My 4x4 has an eyelet for the breakaway cable but it's so far under the car that it is useless, so I have made one which works a treat (see below). I took two lengths of steel, each 4mm thick by 35mm wide, and 120mm long. I bent them so there was a ‘V' in the middle, drilled two holes and used two 6mm bolts to make them into a clamp that goes round the neck part of my swan-neck towbar. On one side, I added another piece of metal which I bent to form a useful eye, which is clamped tight by the bolts and I made it big enough so that the cable could pass through it entirely and loop back on itself. You could weld this on, too, if you have the tools and the know-how. It's very solid and there's no chance of it moving in the event the cable has to snatch and pull the brakes on.
Thomas Stickroth, Broad Green, Liverpool
 • Sounds like a great idea but get any of your own work checked by your local dealer before you set off – Ed

My awning got caught in a terrible squall, and one of the poles was badly damaged. When I contacted the manufacturer, they tried to sell me a complete new set of poles at a price just short of my mortgage! So I took it to my local blacksmith who bent it back into shape. It cost me £10 – rather less than my mortgage.
David Narey, Diss, Norfolk

I've had problems with bad smells in my waste water system, so I took the opportunity to block the waste ports with large corks and fill the pipes with a strong bicarbonate of soda and water system. I let the air in the system bubble out and then topped up with solution as required until the level in the pipes brimmed over into the caravan sinks. I then left it for a few hours, before repeating the operation with sterilising fluid – a stronger solution, and left for longer. I've had no problems since. I reckon if you do this once a year, after the season, it'll prevent a regular build up of waste and prevent you having to replace the piping.
Ronald Hill, Edinburgh

As a new caravanner, but an old boater, I have fitted a boat-type shower head to our shower unit (i.e. a trigger on the shower head requires pressing to allow the water to flow). This reduces the amount of water required when showering, thus reducing the number of times the Aquaroll needs filling – it's also environmentally friendly.
Ann Bettison, Sutton-Under-Brailes, Oxon

In our five-berth caravan, we have some annoying gaps that constantly trap crumbs and dirt. The first is between the edge of the seat and the wardrobe, the second is between the edge of the front seats and the kitchen, and the third, at the back, is between the end of the seats and the washroom wall. All are less than an inch wide and are too narrow to allow the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner in. I borrowed an old, stiff, paintbrush and stuck the cardboard insert from an old roll of Christmas wrapping paper onto its handle, flattened it out a bit, and now use it to brush out these infuriating gaps. By the end of the season, I had found £3.72, one of my long-lost earrings, my husband's expensive pen and the previous owner's necklace!
Kirsteen Stewart, Derwentwater

A really great tip for dog owners is to drag the sole of a trainer shoe over the carpet to get dog hairs up. We found this out by accident – but it really works!
Christine Hoyland Rotherham

When putting your awning away, don't just do it any old way. Lay the awning out flat. Fold the side panels onto the main area. Then take the edge at the side and fold it into the centre of the awning. Repeat for the other side. Continue until the awning is roughly the same width as your bag, then fold in half – this way, it's a lot easier to get the air out of the folded awning.
Joseph Duddington, Doncaster

Before we go away on holiday, we leave the caravan fridge on for a good number of hours before we depart so that it's nice and cold when we put things into it (as 12v operation is only really effective once the fridge is cold). We also try to put things into the fridge that are already cold, which helps increase efficiency, too.
Sam Bayliss, Colchester