Another heated water hose question
Ok this question isn’t as much about the hose as what do you do to keep the filter from freezing? We are thinking of going camping the first weekend in march in north west Tennessee.the average temper...
Forum Discussion
This is how I did my (outside) water filters when we lived in an RV thru a few TN winters (Chattanooga & Elizabethton with single digit temps) as well as NM winters (negative temps).Or as long as the electric is on.
I put my two water filters (a spin down sediment filter plus a standard 2"x10" filter housing) inside a 5 gallon bucket and used two water hoses:
First, I built two heated water hoses from a single long potable water safe garden hose (garden hoses have thicker walls than the crappy RV drinking water hoses and can handle the heat from heat tape for years). The hoses were cut into shorter lengths and had plastic hose mender/quick connects on each of the ends.
I used two (residential) heat tapes that were a few feet longer than the cut hoses. Each hose had heat tape that extended at least 18" past each end of the hose. The heat tape was secured to the garden hose with electrical tape every foot in a straight line (do not spiral wrap) to hold it in place.
Then I insulated each of the hoses with (residential) foam pipe insulation (needs to be the next pipe size up from the garden hose outside diameter). The foam pipe insulation is wrapped with black Gorilla Tape to protect the insulation and keep it closed.
This is really a two person job and requires the hose to be laid out on the ground in a straight line. Wrapping it is a PITA. Luckily the tape doesn't have to be one single continuous piece but does need to overlap by at least 1/4 of the tape's width.
I used a hole saw to cut the holes needed to thread the water hose (plus insulation) into the bucket. Hole position is determined by the water filter configuration. Because I used two filters connected in a "U" shape, both in in and out water hoses were on the same side of the bucket. Some 1/4" holes are drilled into the bottom of the bucket to allow any water leakage to drain out.Then a piece of reflectix is cut to lay in the bottom of the bucket. A piece is cut to wrap around the interior sides of the bucket. The holes for the water hoses is cut thru the reflectix.
Both hoses attach to the filters with plastic quick connects. Plastic doesn't freeze as fast as metal does. The 18" excess on the non-plug end on each of the hoses gets wrapped around each of the filters (just laid loosely, no need to tape it down or wrap tightly - the reflectix will keep the heat in).
The plug end on the camper side gets plugged into an electrical outlet near the "city" water connection. The thermometer disc is NOT secured to the hose or anything else. It will sense ambient temps. The extra 18" of heat tape is used to wrap around the "city" water connection before insulating it with some reflectix.
On the park's pipe stand, the excess 18" gets wrapped around the hose bibb and plugged into the nearby(?) power post (in the 15/20 amp duplex outlet). If you need to use an extension cord, use one of the thick heavy duty short cords and make sure the connection is waterproofed.
I make an "envelope" from reflectix that is big enough to fit over the pipe stand and reach all the way to the ground even after the envelope is tied onto the pipe stand so it is closed at the ground level. I do not use tape for this, I use bungie cords, rope or old ratchet straps. The envelope needs to be removable but not blow off in a winter storm. It might be a good idea to use a screw-in-the-ground dog tie-out and attach the bucket to the tie-out so the winter winds don't blow it away.
I put my two water filters (a spin down sediment filter plus a standard 2"x10" filter housing) inside a 5 gallon bucket and used two water hoses:
First, I built two heated water hoses from a single long potable water safe garden hose (garden hoses have thicker walls than the crappy RV drinking water hoses and can handle the heat from heat tape for years). The hoses were cut into shorter lengths and had plastic hose mender/quick connects on each of the ends.
I used two (residential) heat tapes that were a few feet longer than the cut hoses. Each hose had heat tape that extended at least 18" past each end of the hose. The heat tape was secured to the garden hose with electrical tape every foot in a straight line (do not spiral wrap) to hold it in place.
Then I insulated each of the hoses with (residential) foam pipe insulation (needs to be the next pipe size up from the garden hose outside diameter). The foam pipe insulation is wrapped with black Gorilla Tape to protect the insulation and keep it closed.
This is really a two person job and requires the hose to be laid out on the ground in a straight line. Wrapping it is a PITA. Luckily the tape doesn't have to be one single continuous piece but does need to overlap by at least 1/4 of the tape's width.
I used a hole saw to cut the holes needed to thread the water hose (plus insulation) into the bucket. Hole position is determined by the water filter configuration. Because I used two filters connected in a "U" shape, both in in and out water hoses were on the same side of the bucket. Some 1/4" holes are drilled into the bottom of the bucket to allow any water leakage to drain out.Then a piece of reflectix is cut to lay in the bottom of the bucket. A piece is cut to wrap around the interior sides of the bucket. The holes for the water hoses is cut thru the reflectix.
Both hoses attach to the filters with plastic quick connects. Plastic doesn't freeze as fast as metal does. The 18" excess on the non-plug end on each of the hoses gets wrapped around each of the filters (just laid loosely, no need to tape it down or wrap tightly - the reflectix will keep the heat in).
The plug end on the camper side gets plugged into an electrical outlet near the "city" water connection. The thermometer disc is NOT secured to the hose or anything else. It will sense ambient temps. The extra 18" of heat tape is used to wrap around the "city" water connection before insulating it with some reflectix.
On the park's pipe stand, the excess 18" gets wrapped around the hose bibb and plugged into the nearby(?) power post (in the 15/20 amp duplex outlet). If you need to use an extension cord, use one of the thick heavy duty short cords and make sure the connection is waterproofed.
I make an "envelope" from reflectix that is big enough to fit over the pipe stand and reach all the way to the ground even after the envelope is tied onto the pipe stand so it is closed at the ground level. I do not use tape for this, I use bungie cords, rope or old ratchet straps. The envelope needs to be removable but not blow off in a winter storm. It might be a good idea to use a screw-in-the-ground dog tie-out and attach the bucket to the tie-out so the winter winds don't blow it away.
