Swift Group 2013 Holiday Home User manual

Swift Group
Dunswell Road
Cottingham
East Yorkshire HU16 4JX
Tel [phone]
Fax [phone]
email [e-mail]
For more information visit
www.swiftgroup.co.uk
Issued July 2012
1714002

Holiday Home
Owner's Handbook

CONTENTS
Introduction ............................................... 3
Warranty and After Sales ......................... 7
Siting ........................................................ 11
Safety ....................................................... 19
Heating and Cooking ............................. 29
General Care, Maintenance
and Winterisation .................................... 33
Technical Information ............................ 53
Index ...................................................... 102

INTRODUCTION
Introduction .............................................................................. 4
Owner’s Certificate ................................................................. 5

Introduction
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for deciding to buy a new Swift caravan holiday home.
We are sure you and your family will enjoy many happy hours of comfort and relaxation and
hope the information in this handbook will improve your enjoyment. It has been designed to
give you a general guide to the care, safe use and maintenance of your caravan holiday home
and help protect your investment.
The information contained will answer most of your queries, but if there are any aspects which
are not covered please consult your park owner, distributor or dealer for further advice.
A dedicated customer care team supports them and, together, we aim to give you many years
of pleasure.
Please note that caravan holiday homes are designed for holiday accommodation and not for
permanent residential all year round use.
4

Introduction
OWNER’S CERTIFICATE
Please complete all details on form below for reference at a later date.
This certificate identifies your Caravan Holiday Home accurately. Please produce this whenever you require a service, repairs or when ordering
additional accessories.
5
Manufacturer: Swift Group Ltd Owner's Name:
Model: Home Address:
Identification Marking: SG
Key Number:
CO Alarm
(Date of Manufacture)
Smoke Alarm
(Date of Maunfacture)
Tel No.
Supplied and fully inspected
before delivery by:
Dealer: Dealer Stamp:
Address:
Tel No.

WARRANTY
AND
AFTER SALES
SUPPORT
Warranty ................................................................................... 8
Aftersales Support and Service ........................................... 10

Warranty/After Sales
WARRANTY
All the illustrations and descriptive matter in
this handbook are intended to give a general
idea of the holiday home. Changing market
and supply situations and our policy of
continuous product development may
prevent us from maintaining the exact
specifications detailed in this handbook.
We therefore reserve the right to alter
specifications as materials and conditions
demand.
Your holiday home is manufactured by Swift
Group Limited ("Swift"). Dealers and/or park
operators are not agents of Swift and have
absolutely no authority to bind the
manufacturer by any express or implied
undertaking or representation.
Your holiday home has a 1 year SuperSure
manufacturer’s warranty ("Warranty"). During
the Warranty Period, subject to the
conditions, terms and exclusions set out in
this section of the handbook, Swift will repair
(or at its option, replace) any defective parts
of the holiday home. Warranty Period means
12 months from the date of transfer of a new
holiday home from an approved Swift Group
Dealer or Park Operator to its first owner.
Conditions
1. You must transport and site your holiday
home in accordance with either Swift's
recommendations or the Code of Practice
for the Transportation, Siting and
Commissioning of Caravan Holiday
Homes. Your Dealer or Park Operator can
provide you with more information this
code of practice. Swift will not be liable
under this warranty for any damage or
defect that arises from your failure to site
your holiday home in accordance with
Swift's recommendations or the Code of
Practice for the Transportation, Siting and
Commissioning of Caravan Holiday
Homes.
2. This warranty only applies to holiday
homes purchased and sited in the UK.
3. You must keep your holiday home in a
good state of maintenance and repair.
Swift will not be liable for any defect
caused by any negligence, misuse or
modification of the holiday home.
4. All new holiday homes must be registered
with Swift within 6 weeks of purchase as
new.
5. The Holiday Home must not be used for
permanent or residential use.
6. The unit must be sited correctly on a
recognised holiday site pitch.
7. The cost of transporting or moving the
holiday home by any means to or from
the place of repair is the responsibility of
the owner.
8. Swift shall not be liable under this
warranty for any defect related to or
arising from the following:
• The failure of a component for reasons of
fair wear and tear;
• Damage resulting from freezing, fire, over
heating or accidents (whether caused by
the user or a third party);
• Damage as a result of failure to carry out
normal or specific maintenance including,
but not specific too, not draining down
and winterizing the Holiday home.
• Defect due to condensation, fungus,
mildew and damp (other than as a result
of a failure of a permanent seal or joint).
• Misuse of any component;
• Normal deterioration, corrosion, intrusion
of foreign or harmful bodies, lack of
servicing or negligence of any person
other than Swift which causes stoppage
of or impairment to the function of any
component of the holiday home;
• Replacement of parts which have
reached the end of their effective working
life because of age and/or usage;
8

9
• Cleaning or adjustment of any
assemblies;
• Cosmetic finishes to kitchen sinks,
sealants, cooker tops, vanity units,
shower trays;
• Routine maintenance items including
lubricants, rubber gas hose, the cleaning
of the heater and fridge flues, the
replacement of gas jets, the resealing
and/ or replacement of shower room
sealant, the adjustment and lubrication of
locks;
• Any breakage or failure of any windows,
glass, tyres, fluorescent tubes,
replacement light bulbs, spotlights, tap
washers or thermocouples;
• Any failure resulting from the use of a part
or component in the holiday home which
is not approved by Swift.
Failure of any part or component, which is
not original equipment, or a defect caused
as a result of an unauthorized modification
to the Holiday home.
• Swift shall not be liable under this
Warranty if the holiday home has been
neglected, misused, modified or used for
hire or reward or if the identification
marks (chassis/VIN numbers) have been
removed or defaced. The holiday home
will be deemed to have been neglected if
it has not been maintained as stated in
this handbook.
You have legal rights under UK law
governing the sale of consumer goods.
This Warranty does not affect your legal
rights.
The name and address of the Warranty
provider is:
Swift Group Limited, Dunswell Road,
Cottingham, East Yorkshire, HU16 4JX
To make a claim under this Warranty, contact
the dealer or park operator which supplied
your holiday home. If this is not possible
then contact the Swift Group Customer Care
Department on 01482 875740, or enquire on
the website www.swiftgroup.co.uk
Warranty/After Sales

10
Warranty/After Sales
AFTERSALES SUPPORT AND
SERVICE
Please note that all after sales enquiries
must be directed through your supplying
Dealer or Park Operator. The After Sales
service at the factory is geared to supporting
our Dealer/Park Operator network, as is the
service provided by the appliance
manufacturers.
In the interests of safety, replacement parts
for an appliance must conform to the
appliance manufacturer’s specifications and
should be fitted by them or their authorised
agents.
Note: please remember to quote the chassis
number when ordering any items from your
Dealer/Park Operator.

SITING
Craning ................................................................................... 12
Siting ....................................................................................... 12
Supportingbthe chassis ........................................................ 12
Jacking ................................................................................... 13
Anchors .................................................................................. 15
Snow Loading ........................................................................ 16
Chassis Specification ........................................................... 17
typical support and holding down points ........................... 18

Siting
CRANING
Given the high risk involved in craning
operations, the legal requirements are
particularly strict. Therefore, it is
recommended that when a crane is to be
used for lifting a caravan holiday home, then
a specialist craning contractor is employed to
undertake a ‘Contract Lift’.
The contract lift must be organised through a
reputable company which holds adequate
insurance for all their operations, including
liability cover for the caravan holiday home
being lifted. If a specialist craning contractor
is employed to undertake a ‘Contract Lift’,
the park/ distributor is nevertheless obliged
to have in place documented craning
procedures and ensure that all persons
involved with the instigating or the
supervision of any craning work are fully
conversant with such procedures.
Procedure
Selection of Nominated Contractor: – It is
strongly recommended that the following
information is obtained before any work can
commence:-
A copy of the Craning company’s Health and
Safety Policy
Detailed, technical risk assessments relevant
to lifting caravans and to that specific lift
(including wind loading, load spread,
appropriate slinging method, etc.
A copy of method statements as to how the
work will be undertaken
Copies of training records for all competent
persons
Copies of all test certificates received
Copy of segregation procedures received
Signed agreement from the nominated
contractor to adhere to the hiring company’s
Contractor Code of Conduct
Copy of Public Liability insurance (Minimum
cover £5 million and in date)
SITING
Your caravan holiday home should be sited
on a correctly prepared standing of suitable
material, which must provide adequate
support for the caravan holiday home placed
upon it.
Methods of siting vary and are dependent
upon the ground conditions and specific
requirements set by the local authority site
licence.
SUPPORTING THE CHASSIS
Holiday homes up to 12.2m long should
have a minimum of twelve supports. Each
chassis longitudinal should have one support
either side of the axle(s) and two forward and
two rearward of the axle(s).
Holiday homes over 12.2m long should have
a minimum of 20 supports. Each chassis
longitudinal should have one support either
side of the axle(s) and three forward and
three rearward of the axle(s). The jacking
support points either side of the axle(s) are
identified by a red label and the other
support points by a yellow label. (See
diagram on page 15)
It is recommended that suitable load bearing
blocks are used under the jacking/support
points (red labels) and adjustable axle stands
as shown in Fig. 1 are used under the
chassis support points (yellow labels).
12

Siting
13
Hardwood packing should be used between
the load bearing blocks and the chassis to to
cushion the weight and reduce the
transmission of vibration.
Concrete blocks should not be in direct
contact with the steel chassis.
JACKING
Selection of Jack
It is essential to ensure an appropriate jack is
selected for any lifting operation. All jacks
must have their maximum lifting capacity
(safe working load) clearly and legibly marked
with a permanent label or painted sign. Care
must be taken to ensure the marked lifting
capacity of the jack(s) is not exceeded. The
jack(s) selected should be capable of lifting
more than half the weight of the caravan; the
distribution of the load and the nature of the
terrain should be taken into account.
Jacking Procedure
• Most jacking accidents occur when lifting
on an uneven surface when the jack slips
out from under the caravan holiday home.
Therefore care is necessary to ensure the
jack is sitting on an even surface that is
capable of taking the full-imposed weight
at that jacking point, as indicated by the
caravan manufacturer. Spreader plates
should be used on uneven and/or soft
surfaces;
• Before raising the caravan holiday
home, the wheel(s) remaining on the
ground should be chocked;
• Wherever possible, consideration should
be given to lifting the caravan holiday
home whilst still hitched to the towing
vehicle to take advantage of the
additional stability this can provide;
• The jack(s) should be placed under the
defined jacking point(s)
• Jacking should be undertaken, one side
at a time, using an appropriately rated
jack(s);
• The caravan holiday home should not be
jacked up to its final height and then
supported. Rather, the caravan holiday
home should be lifted up to a height
whereby the support stand is barely
extended to allow the earliest possible
supporting of the caravan holiday home.
The jacking should be slow and gradual
and the caravan holiday home should be
continually supported throughout the
jacking operation;
• It may be necessary to lower the caravan
holiday home onto the support stands
and to reposition the jack at another
designated jacking point to gain more
height;
• While jacking at other points, it is
important to check and recheck all
support stands to make sure they remain
in the correct position.

14
Siting
Given the risks of working beneath a
caravan, it is recommended that at least
one other person who has been trained
in how to deal with an emergency is
present and able to respond to any
incident. One member of the team must
remain outside the underside of the
caravan at all times.
Wheel Chocks
The danger of movement whilst the caravan
holiday home is being raised/levelled cannot
be overstated. The wheels of the caravan
holiday home (those still in contact with the
ground) should always be braced with wheel
chocks at the front and rear. These prevent
the caravan holiday home shifting forwards
or backwards (the most likely direction of
movement).
Better quality wheel chocks are fabricated
from steel or thick aluminium and are wedge-
shaped so that they can be pushed into
close contact with the wheel and tyre. For a
caravan holiday home, the wheel chock
should be at least 150mm high.
Spreader Plates
Spreader plates are a means of distributing a
load over a wider area, and must always be
used under jacks or support stands where
ground conditions are uncertain. It may be
necessary to double up spreader plates or
lay them side by side where support is
required over a large area, such as under a
larger trolley jack. It is important to place
jacks in the centre of any spreader plate or
combination of plates.
SITING THE CARAVAN HOLIDAY
HOME
Methods of siting vary, dependent upon the
ground conditions and specific requirements
set by the local authority site licence. The
method of siting a caravan holiday home in a
flood risk area must be considered carefully.
In some instances, insurers impose risk
management controls in order to continue
their provision of flood cover.
Care is required to position the caravan
holiday home squarely on the pitch. The
wheels should then be chocked in front and
behind to resist movement.
Where practicable, the caravan holiday home
should remain securely attached to the
towing vehicle until the caravan holiday
home is jacked and supported.
Where this is not possible, the towing vehicle
should be disconnected ensuring the jockey
wheel is left in a locked position and on a
firm base or spreader plate.
The towing vehicle can then be removed
from the siting operational area.
All the corner steadies should be wound
down in contact with the base;
PLAN TO STAY SAFE
Use the most appropriate type of jack for
the job.
Before raising the caravan holiday home,
make sure the wheel(s) remaining on the
ground are chocked.
Where possible, leave the caravan holiday
home coupled to the towing vehicle.
Make sure the jack is on a hard level
surface or use robust metallic spreader
plates.
Locate the designated jacking point(s) on
the chassis.
Jack the caravan holiday home slowly and
check continually to ensure the jack is
sitting squarely on and beneath the
chassis jacking point.
As soon as the tyre is clear of the ground,
the supports should be put in place.
No one should be under the caravan
whilst it is being lifted or lowered by
means of a jack.
No part of the body should ever be
under the main chassis beams of a
caravan holiday home that is supported
only on a jack.

15
Siting
When the caravan holiday home is level in all
directions, the corner steadies may be
retracted into their stored position. They
should not be used as additiona supports
and if they are to remain extended, they
should be at least 6mm off the ground;
First external and then internal doors should
be checked to ensure that they close and
lock correctly. If there is misalignment
between the door and frame, the caravan
holiday home may not be level. This should
be checked and adjusted as appropriate.
Only minor misalignment can be corrected
via the hinges and/or lock keeps;
An alignment check should be carried out
four weeks after siting as settlement
usually occurs. If the caravan holiday
home has settled, the level should be
adjusted as required. The classic signs of a
caravan holiday home being out of level are
doors not closing properly, locks not locking
properly, cupboard doors out of line,
windows binding, or floors creaking.
ANCHORS
It is good practice to anchor the caravan
holiday home to the ground. Some insurance
companies require that caravan holiday
homes are anchored and specify minimum
requirements.
The anchor points are rated at 10kN in
tension. The ground anchors should be
The caravan holiday home should be
carefully jacked up in accordance with
jacking instructions.
When one side of the caravan holiday home
has been raised sufficiently to enable the
wheel(s) to spin freely, solid concrete blocks
should be placed under the main longitudinal
chassis beams either side of the axle (in four
positions - see diagram on page 15). The
other side of the caravan holiday home can
then be raised and supported in the same
way. Suitable packing material should be
placed between the top of the concrete
block and the underside of the chassis to
cushion the weight and reduce the
transmission of vibration.
Concrete blocks should not be in direct
contact with the steel chassis;
The corner steadies should now be extended
on either side to ensure that the caravan
holiday home is stable. At this point,
intermediate supports should be carefully
placed between the supports either side of
the chassis and the corner steadies;
A spirit level should be used to check that
the caravan holiday home is absolutely level
across its width. The internal floor should be
used for levelling purposes across both the
width and the length of the unit.
Alternatively, a spirit level can be used by
placing it under the floor joists by straddling
several joists at a time, repeating this
process at appropriate intervals throughout
the length of the home. Levelling the caravan
holiday home is one of the most important
aspects of siting a caravan holiday home.
Without the correct level, much time may be
wasted trying to rectify what originally may
be thought of as poorly fitted doors,
windows or furniture. Laser levels can be
used as an alternative to spirit levels for
levelling caravan holiday homes;
When the caravan holiday home is levelled
correctly, the intermediate heavy duty
support stands underneath the chassis
should be placed and adjusted under all
identified support points between the
supports either side of the chassis and the
corner steadies. (figure 1 below illustrates
the correct position)
Figure 1. Intermediate supports

16
Siting
SNOW LOADING
To comply with the requirements of EN1647
Section 2 for snow loading, the following
method of supporting the caravan holiday
home when sited must be carried out.
The main longitudinal chassis beams should
be supported by concrete blocks where
cross braced on either side of the axle. An
axle stand should be placed underneath the
cross bracing between the concrete blocks
and the corner steadies in four positions as
shown on the diagram.
Great caution should be used when cleaning
snow from the roof of the holiday home.
All Swift models comply with snow loading
Grade B.
Guide to Snow Loading Grades
Grade A - Only in parts of the UK
Grade B - All of the UK + France and
Germany
Grade C - Higher European Ground
Grade D - Scandinavia and Northern
Europe
capable of withstanding a minimum of 10kN.
See Fig 2 for illustration of anchor points.
Swift caravan holiday homes have specific
holding down points, which are located
approximately 1m from the ends of the main
longitudinal chassis member at each corner
(see figure 2). These anchors should not be
over-tightened, which can stress the chassis.
It is important to note that both the chain and
turnbuckles should be suitably rated.
The preferred turnbuckle is the type which
has an ‘eyelet’ at both ends (as opposed to
hooks) and should be used with suitable ‘D’
shackles.
Fig 2. Anchor Points