Preparing the camper for winter

Light frost has begun to be a regular feature of our life this week. As I write it is minus 2 outside. In our cold climate we need to take away all the water from the living area of the camper to avoid frost damage when the real chill arrives. Today I opened the drain cocks for the water tank, water heater and the grey water tank and let the last few drops run out. Then I removed the water pump, which will go into a warm place until we need it next spring. Roll up a sleeve and clean the inside of the 100L water tank before drying it thoroughly with an old towel.  Half-open the bathroom and kitchen taps and blow down them to push out most of the water there, first on warm, then on cold. Leave the taps open, between warm and cold, so when the last few drops freeze they don't do damage. The green object in the photo is a balloon; inflated and fitted over the tap it provides just the right amount of puff. Finally I replaced the plastic, and wooden, hatch and put the bed back in place over the tank.
Now we are ready for action again, using bottles of water and warming water on the gas stove.  The heating of the van doesn't involve water so we can carry on camping if we wish!
This is the second autumn with the van and it all went a lot more easily than the first time we did this.  It's good to still be learning new tricks!