FAQs for Those New to Motor-Homing

There are so many different living layouts and designs – how can I know which is best?

There are an incredibly vast amount of different living set ups, each offering various advantages and disadvantages. Things to consider are -

• different bed times – if you and your partner/children keep different hours then a lounge area which converts to a bed won’t be the ideal set-up
• dining area – this will need to be comfortable and practical if you intend to prepare your own meals and/or dining times are an occasion for you
• bed size – some of the set ups in motor-homes are a little uncomfortable if you are taller or wider than the average person. Fixed beds in particular can have smaller dimensions. Overhead cab beds can be very claustrophobic. Most other living set-ups can be compromised on but if you are uncomfortable in bed then everything else will seem wrong.
• storage space – this may not seem very important initially but unless you have somewhere to put everything away, living in a motor-home can get cramped very quickly
• kitchen area – these vary significantly – it won’t matter if you don’t intend to do much cooking in your motor-home but otherwise consider in depth
• bathroom – again these vary greatly. A shower in your motor-home may seem like a great idea for example but will you have the means to keep topping up the water it will use? Do you intend to stay on camp-sites with full facilities or will you be roughing it more and need better self contained facilities? Does your size and the bathroom’s size mean you have to be a contortionist to sit on the loo/use the sink etc? On the other hand, is that spacious bathroom (that you may not need) taking up other valuable van space which would be more useful?

If at all possible, have a week in a hired motor-home before you buy to decide what is and isn’t important. Your ideas at the end of a week or two in a van may be very different from your initial perceptions.

What is the difference between butane and propane gas bottles

Both butane (usually sold in blue cylinders )and propane (red cylinders) are liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and both are widely available. The biggest difference is that propane will continue to work when it gets colder and in freezing temperatures. If you intend to motor home outside of the summer months or are travelling to cooler climates then propane is the better option.

How does a motor home toilet work and what do I have to do to maintain it?

This is one of those questions that everyone new to motor-homing wants to know but often feel embarrassed to ask.  So here we go – your human waste will drop down into a contained box through an opening, the ‘door’ of which has to be manually opened and closed by the person using the toilet. This is usually operated with a switch/knob/handle located beside it. You can flush your toilet by turning a knob/pressing a button which releases water from a tank. This tank will have to be topped up by you periodically and a special toilet chemical can be added to keep everything fresh.

When the box is full, a door on the outside of your motor-home can be accessed and the toilet ‘cassette’ taken out in its sealed entirety to be emptied. Specialised toilet chemicals can be added to the cassette to help reduce odour and help break down the matter it holds. You can also buy special toilet roll which breaks down quicker but this isn’t necessary.

Because motor-home toilets are made of plastic you will need to be very careful what you clean it with to avoid scratching the surface.

What equipment do I need in my motor-home to live comfortably?

That completely depends on your own levels of what you consider ‘comfortable’ and personal preferences of what constitutes essential. To some people, holidaying without a TV and satellite dish, microwave or state of the art barbecue is unthinkable while others are looking to escape modern trappings. There are a huge range of gizmos, gadgets and innovative ideas on the market, designed with the motor-home user in mind. These added extras are usually about space saving, time saving or supplying home-from-home luxuries.

One thing to bear in mind, before you start throwing in electrical equipment galore, attaching bikes to racks and cramming cupboards and lockers with just-in-case items, is your weight. Overloading a motor-home is both illegal and may seriously compromise your road stability and safe handling.

All the living systems – gas, water, electrics, toilet – seem so complicated, how long will it take to get to know what I’m doing?

At the risk of sounding trite, none of the systems are complicated at all and you will be surprised how quickly you learn what is what. It does all seem quite daunting initially, every new motor-homer feels the same and then wonders what on earth they were so confused about.

Have a good read of your motor-home’s handbook and have a little play with everything while the motor-home is still in the safety of your own drive. Join new member forums on-line and don’t be afraid to ask what may seem the stupidest question – it will have been asked before by scores of apprehensive new motor-home owners.