Johnaldo

I’ve had 3 sets of Hankooks, all showing no signs of cracking at 7 years. I’ll get the same next time. Excellent price and service from Tyres On The Drive by the way. John

Scott. You may need to give us more details about your electric set up in the van. Is there a main electric control unit/ zig unit? Is it switched on? Have you got trip switches and are they on? Have you checked all the fuses? Do you know the state of the battery? Do the mains sockets work? And so on. The water pump will be 12v off the battery, but if the battery charge is low it won’t work. John

Pattojones, have you looked at CT’s own listing and also the CaSSOA website? John

I’d totally agree BOAC. I did see this pic on the web which I think is the wrong way of doing things. If the wind slackened the spring would probably drop off the little hook. On mine the spring has a large circular end-fitting which goes over the top of the peg and under the hook, which I always place on the side away from the awning. This also puts less strain on the weld. John

As you never-ever see electrics in a gas locker (unless an ill-advised after-sales addition) we must assume that caravan manufacturers have decided it’s unsafe and, for all I know, ‘illegal’ to do so. If there’s a place really in need of a light to see what’s going on it’s in there - but zilch. The nearest I’ve seen was a little rear facing bulb fitment on the A-frame fairing, and that was useless. So I’d agree with AJG in not recommending it. Though having said that, did he mean the gas locker or an inside front locker? John

I never have a problem lifting my “click-click-click” window stays - but I have great difficulty when I come to put them back down again. You’re supposed to lift them about an inch, then they’ll drop all the way down - but I’ll often spend 10 minutes or so (until my arms ache)trying to get it to work until it suddenly decides to go. Is there a knack to it? John (Apologies for the slight thread drift, Pippsy, but it may actually be the same issue)

If you’re asking why I disconnect in the winter - now I think about it I’m not really sure, it’s just something I started doing and now can’t break the habit. A bit like disconnecting the shower hose during the winter too. Come to think of it I also turn off all the taps at the manifold, even though the gas isn’t connected! I won’t do either this winter and we’ll see if anything bad happens 😁. John

Can’t speak for anyone else, Gavin, but I just turn it off at the bottle. But I completely disconnect during the 3 winter months when the van’s laid up. John

Just to double-check - when Brecon says ‘isolation valve’ he’s not referring to the one on the bottle, but the separate manifold with 3 or 4 valves controlling each item - it’s usually tucked away under the kitchen sink and can therefore easily get knocked (apologies if you already knew this). I’ve had the manifold problem, and also the ‘forgot about the flue cowl’ problem, in the past - and my brother had the ‘spider in the gas pipe’ scenario - and it’s a relief when you discover it’s something simple and inexpensive. What about electrics? I don’t know the specifics, but I assume there’s either a 12v or AA battery supply to the igniter - have you checked this out? Good luck, John.

Or even tidier - like this. John

LF, fairly certain they’re available, but from what I remember it may set you back about £130! Hinges and stays are readily available on-line if your carpentry skills are up to it. John

Hi Denise and . As you seem to be getting some charge when connected to the car, the first thing I’d be looking at is the van’s battery charger. 4 things to check - does it have a switch or button and is it definitely on? Secondly, is the mains cable into the charger secure - often there’s a kettle-type plug at the back and they can vibrate lose. While you’re behind the charger look for and check a large fuse near the battery. Lastly, has the trip switch supplying power to the charger tripped? Check these things out and let us know the results. John

Pippsy, not sure what type of aerial you have, but you say it’s ‘fixed’ so I can only assume it’s the circular ‘mushroom’ type, as other pointy types (directional) are definitely moveable. If it is the ‘mushroom’, then it’s omni-directional, which back in the old analogue days was a bad thing. But, since everything went digital, they seem to do a good job. Is there an aerial booster (often in the wardrobe or a locker) - and is it switched on? Also, is it not picking up any programmes at all, or just a few or fuzzy reception, as this may point to other problems eg the TV itself or wiring or connectors? So if you could post a pic or give us the aerial make and type, we may be able to help more. John

Out of interest, Griff, how do you change the cable if you need to?

John, I’m fairly certain that when they say “breakaway cable” they mean the complete item including the end fitments - so therefore “itself” refers to the whole item, not just the cable itself. And, do we know the technical credentials of Caravanguard - aren’t they just an insurance company? Quite a large number of members have admitted over the years to either becoming separated from their van on leaving site, or driving the car away whilst the cable was still attached - it would be good to hear from all of them as to which bit gave way. Regards removing the ring at the brake lever end of the cable (assuming it’s not the key-ring type) - forget the hacksaw business - I’ve found that the sideways-twist method works much, much easier than attempting to open in-line, ie from a O-shape to a C-shape. John