Summer cabins; Boats, Vans, Motorhomes and Classic vehicle enthusiasts – twice a year, around the solar equinox, it’s time for half the world to take the wraps off their hobbies, and the other half to put them back on. How do you ensure that from the moment the winter cover goes on to the moment it comes off your pride and joy will remain in tip-top condition – no mice, mildew, burst pipes or flat battery? Perhaps you have a winterising tip to share?

Do you leave your boat unattended over the winter, for example, with an automatic bilge pump – and then worry what will happen if the battery dies?

Well, with these neat ideas you won’t have to wait until spring to find out if it’s still afloat or the ravishes of winter have spoiled your summer plans.

First of all let’s hear from Tom Alderdice. Tom is so enthusiastic about van life that he converted his van to both  a home and an office, from where he runs his company – Tiny Build Electrics – in the summer …sharing his skills with others. Here’s what he has to say:

The Ruuvi sensors Tom refers to are supported by Victron Energy when connected to a Cerbo GX device – instruction for this simple installation can be found here. The supported data is for temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure. Enthusiasts will find it is also possible to connect Ruuvi sensors to other devices.

Next let’s hear from Torstein Kvamme who has a Facebook page in which he generously provides support to Victron Installation DIYers in the Swedish language. Forty years ago, Torstein’s father built a stunning summer cabin amid the filmic scenery of Lofoten, Norway, within the arctic circle. These days he and his family spend precious time there in the summer. When he’s not there he can stay in touch with his power installation using our free-to-use Victron Remote Management platform VRM. That way the family knows everything will be working perfectly when they arrive after their 2000km drive.

A moment ago we mentioned boats left afloat and relying on automatic bilge pumps – for remote installations, did you know you can install an IoT cell net device such as the GlobalLink 520, connect it to a battery monitor or solar charge controller, for example *, from where it will send status information to our VRM  platform. In VRM you can set up email alerts to be informed the moment there’s a problem …such as a low battery voltage alarm for example.

*(The full list of Victron products compatible with the GlobalLink 520 can be found here.)

Let’s hear from Simon Ytterbom, N.America Sales Manager, about how to set up alarms and receive email notifications in VRM:

You’ll find plenty more advice about using the hundreds of features of our products by viewing our YouTube channel.

And finally – let’s enjoy a short video about how things should work, now that summer beckons. Henrik has a passion for classic motorcycling, and also lives in Sweden. For readers in the tropics it’s worth pointing out that Sweden is not noted for its mild winters.

Also – If you have a winterising/dewinterising tip to share we’d love to hear it – please post it as a comment on our Facebook page!