Heated hose

Heat tape is meant for use on metal pipes. Those pipes conduct heat and prevent freezing. Plastic pipe and hose materials do not conduct heat and may actually be damaged by heat tape.

pitch wrote:
...
Many parks will ask you to fill your tanks and disconnect city water if they expect a freeze.

This is what they do around here at the state parks, so a heated hose wouldn't help.

If its going to be cold enough, then make everyone unhook at x time and turn off the water.

We just make sure the tank is full and have no problems, but we have never had to deal with temps where they have the water off all day.

Latest we camp is for Thanksgiving.

OP, might help to call where you plan to camp for Christmas and see if they turn the water off. Could save you some money on that hose!

Oh on a trailer... (In case my sig file was not a hint I was in a motor home)
A couple of 5 gallon jerry cans INSIDE may work too, plus you can refill as needed.

If you are camping at xmas, and just for a weekend, skip the water line. Especially if it is going to be near zero

Swiddis and SDcampowner

That's how I ended up doing it. Fill on board, disconnect and drain.

No problems.

Lwiddis wrote:
Leaving any hose hooked up when freezing temperatures are expected isn’t a wise idea. Fill the tank and use the pump.

X2!

I agree with pitch:

" I use a piece of heat tape for frozen pipes. Run it along with my hose inside foam pipe insulation. Get long enough so you can also wrap the hydrant."

I used that method for 2 KCMO winters (07 and 08), worked well with temps to Zero with no problems.

Tom

Two lower cost suggestions
ONE: For reasons other than cold I took to filling the on board tank and using on board water... The tank is insulated and heated by the RV's furnace on my Class A. Worked very well and solved the "other issue" (over chlorination of city water) also made half my hookups easier as after my wife died I could go 3-5 weeks on a single 80 gallon tank so, moving every two weeks, I only hooked up every other campsite.

Page 2: I took a standard white "potable water" hose, A string of incandescent rope lights. Some patterned Duct Tape (They have lots of different patterns) and taped the rope lights to the hose.. Feed them power through a thermostatic outlet adapter (Designed for Things like stock tank heaters or eves heaters) and when it got down below 35 The hose lights up.. Very pretty. and the heat from those old fashion incandescent lamps warmed the hose.

Won't work with LEDs though. I think I still have that hose if you want it and can come get. NOTE it is not for sale.. IT's for "Get between me and the trash can".

Agree with above regarding using onboard water, refilled as needed. Take care to make sure pump is in an area that is heated by the furnace, or place a small heater or incandescent light bulb in the area.

As with the others, there's no need for a heated hose if you fill the onboard water tank and then disconnect the hose. A heated hose is more useful/necessary if full-timing in freezing locales where it would otherwise mean a great many connections and disconnections. (The water connection must likewise be heated up to the spigot, something that is not generally done for places that don't cater to winter seasonal camping. It's a lot easier and less expensive to install frost-free hydrants where the actual valve is below the frost line and actuated by a long pushrod from the hose connection above ground--and such frost-free hydrants will freeze in due time if left turned on and filled with water that isn't flowing.)

You may be limited in where you can camp based on how winter capable your RV is. If the tanks and piping are not heated (either with separate heaters or by being enclosed somewhere within the heated, insulated envelope of the RV), you won't be able to use the water system anyplace where it's below freezing more than a relatively brief overnight dip in temperatures when the daily temperatures are above freezing. It's also generally true that open campgrounds in wintery areas are none too common.