Heated Water Hose Experience?

JoeChiOhki wrote:
Made my own, twice, using EbonyLine hoses, heat tape, and foam pipe insulation. Has worked well every time, however, you will need to insulate and heat the faucet it's attached to as well. :)

Thanks Joe! I absolutely will be insulating the hose, etc. The faucet and the riser pipe. We get lots of freezing temps and snow all winter up here. Foam pipe insulation is my friend! :) Especially because this will be the first winter I keep that line pressurized and usable.

Dak

Thanks all for your suggestions. I have, in the past just filled the tank and used the pump, but I wanted to also be able to dump and flush my tanks in the sewer hookup in my driveway. That takes a lot of water. The camper gets used all winter in the driveway and I want it as comfortable for guests as when I use it myself.. I leave the water heater on pilot and it keeps the water actually warm enough (after a day or so from initial cold start up) to wash your hands in. I switch between the ducted furnace and electric heat to conserve propane also (I always open the cabinets too) I just thought this might be an easy solution for water delivery. I've decided that I'm going to just use outdoor heat tape on the current water hose, faucet and riser pipe. This seems to be the easy answer for my uses as I want "live water" at the site. Thanks again! :)

Dak

Made my own, twice, using EbonyLine hoses, heat tape, and foam pipe insulation. Has worked well every time, however, you will need to insulate and heat the faucet it's attached to as well. :)

Are you concerned about the line feeding the camper freezing or the plumbing inside the camper freezing?

I didn't winterize one winter but used a portable heater and a Thermo-Cube to control the heater.

It turns on at 35*F and back off at 45*F. Leave the cabinet doors open to allow heat to get to the pump and plumbing. Then when you have guests just bring the camper up to a comfortable temperature using either the same heater or the camper furnace.

stickyeye wrote:
Better off just filling on board tank for water use and drain when done and re-winterize the unit. If you don't have a winterize valve that bypasses the on-board water tank and can draw directly from the rv antifreeze bottle you should install one. Only take about 1-1.5 gallons of antifreeze to winterize my unit.
Sticky

x2

do like we do in the fall. Fill the fresh water tank and use the tc pump, repeat if/when u need to. No hose to freeze .

Better off just filling on board tank for water use and drain when done and re-winterize the unit. If you don't have a winterize valve that bypasses the on-board water tank and can draw directly from the rv antifreeze bottle you should install one. Only take about 1-1.5 gallons of antifreeze to winterize my unit.
Sticky

I use my camper as a guest house in the winter, but always drain the water tank, etc. I would like to have full functionality though with the water system for the sink and toilet, etc. for guests. Has anyone used these heated water hoses? Just as important, does the heat from the hose radiate to the actual faucet enough to help keep IT from freezing? Thanks in advance!

Dak

Do not buy a Pirit! Sent 2 back. Search "heated rv water hose" on google and see posts on IRV2.com

It will not provide enough heat to keep the internal water pipes and faucet from freezing. Put a radiator type heater in the camper and open doors under sink. JMHO

There was a huge recall on these hoses and last I heard it would be after the first of the year before any were to be shipped out. Check before you buy to make sure this is not one of the recall hoses!

I haven't used the new type hose. I have made up my own hose with heat tape. I wrap the hose with aluminum foil and tape it on to hold it in place. The aluminum foil distributes the heat evenly. I tape heat tape over the aluminum foil. I have used it down to 17 degrees in AZ.