Tips for Motorhomers (3)
The best ideas and practical projects are those which have been tried and tested by enthusiasts with their own motorhomes. This is your chance to pass on your Top Tips to others, saving them time and money, and helping them get even more from their motorcaravans.
Send your tips to: Top Tips, Practical Motorhome, Teddington Studios, Teddington Lock, Broom Road, Teddington TW11 9BE. Or email practical.motorhome@haymarket.com

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A CARTON MAKES A USEFUL FUNNEL

I find filling the header tank of my Thetford toilet a real pain: the aperture is so narrow and my filter funnel is too shallow to stay in while I fill it. So, I have made a better one using a short length of hose and an old one-litre plastic milk carton. I cut the milk bottle at 45°, about 5in from the top, attached the hose (about 6in) to the cap end, and inserted it into the hole. It never falls out and I can get a steady flow into the bottle without it spilling all over the place.
Paul Chalmers,
Dunstable, Beds

EVERYTHING BUT .....

Once on site, why not utilise your kitchen sink covers? Ours have a groove which runs along the underside of the straight edge and slot nicely onto an aluminium extrusion.
We position this on the opposite side of the sink, above the front-facing seating to make an extra worktop.
Roy Pearce
Email

SHAKE RATTLE & ROLL

Putting rubber bands around your jars and tins is a good way of cutting down on rattling as you drive, but a lot of noise is also caused by items bouncing around in your motorhome’s storage lockers. “A cheap way to solve alleviate this is to cut small pieces of cheap carpet to line each cupboard – e.g. foam-backed cord, or industrial carpet, is very cheap and ideal for the job. The strips can be removed and cleaned if necessary, or simply thrown away and new ones made. “Another alternative is Astroturf mats. Cut them to size and drop them into the cupboards. These, too, are cheap, and easy to cut. Use them with the bristles upwards to prevent items sliding about.
Geoffrey Oakshett
Email

A CARTON MAKES A USEFUL FUNNEL

"Once on site, why not utilise your kitchen sink covers? Ours have a groove which runs along the underside of the straight edge and slot nicely onto an aluminium extrusion. We position this on the opposite side of the sink, above the front-facing seating to make an extra worktop."
Roy Pearce
Email

STAY COOL INSIDE

When we visited France during last summer's heatwave, the inside of our Ace Novella used to become unbearably hot. We noticed that most of the other vans on site had their windows fully open during the day, and that sun blinds had been fitted to the outside of the windows. This kept the vans cool inside.
So, when we arrived home, we set about making our own version of these blinds, using sheets of dining table protector. Ours are white, and the geometric pattern embossed on the front made measuring and cutting easy.
We allowed for plenty of overhang, and cut a decorative, wavy edge to give the blind more weight so it wouldn't flap in the breeze. The table protector material is water-proof and reflective on the outside, while the underside is fleecy so it will protect acrylic windows from scratches.
Finally, we bought a quantity of A4 slide-on plastic binders from a stationery shop and used these to clip the blinds over the window edges, making fitting and removal a cinch.
Steve and Jan Jackson
Sheffield, Yorkshire

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