Most tourers spend long periods standing idle and because many of us don’t have the space at home to park our vans on our driveways, a lot of them pass that time in caravan storage facilities, often in fairly remote rural locations.
The problem is, those locations are home to lots of wildlife, and your caravan represents a safe, warm environment that is ideal for them.
Sometimes you get lucky and they only do minimal damage, although they always leave their droppings behind.
Other vans aren’t so fortunate and can suffer all kinds of damage, ranging from slightly chewed soft furnishings to wiring being bitten right through. All of this is very annoying, and over many years in the industry, I’ve seen all sorts of rodent damage.
So what can be done to deter them? Start by carefully considering where you will be storing your caravan when you are not using it.
Try to avoid farms, because they are rife with the furry devils, mostly owing to the fact that there is always an abundance of food for them and their offspring.
Don’t leave any foodstuffs in the van unless it is stored in tins – even a plastic tub of cornflakes will attract hungry rodents.
Make sure gas dropout holes in the floor have a fine metal mesh cover, but do not block them off altogether, because they are there for a very important reason.
Finally, there are plenty of ultrasonic pest repellers on the market at reasonable prices. Just make sure that you have an adequate power supply, whether that be AA batteries or the van’s 12V system. If the latter, ensure you have a means of charging the leisure batteries.
- As we approach the start of the new season, take a look at our guide to the pre-tour checks you should be carrying out to make sure your van is ready to go.
Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of Practical Caravan, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances and their own skill level. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.
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