RV water hose/spigot issue (winter)

[mdoverkamp]

Good afternoon folks. You guys have been super helpful over the last few weeks so hopefully you can help.

We are currently living on out land in the fifth wheel as are building our home.

We have a garden hose hooked to our well and the spigot is outside the the well house. We do have a heat lamp inside the well house but this am when the temps dropped to 18 degrees we had our water freeze.

I’ve done research. Went to Ace and Sutherland’s and can’t seem to get any straight answers on the correct way to do it.

The first thing we found was a heated hose which is fine (and expensive) but that doesn’t help our freezing spigot issue. Then we have the heat tape but they all warn against putting heat tape on hoses.

Should we build a small area around the spigot and put another lamp in that small enclosure? Should we wrap insulation around the entire hose and spigot? Is there anything we need to be concerned about with pipes under the camper (bathroom etc)?

Thank you for any help or guidance.

We are in Missouri so this weather will be prevalent throughout the winter.

Thank you.

[SDcampowneroper]

Wastewater draining is a unit specific site specific issue. I champion open valves, graded even heated drain hose, no matter how well your waste tanks are protected, supposedly heated.
The challenge is to NEVER ''trickle' water to keep your fresh and inside water lines from freezing as that could result in a 3" poopsickle backing up into and flooding your unit. You must use sufficient water to carry it through the drain. Fill the commode twice, flush twice to sufficiently move the waste. Do dishes with a full sink, wash and rinse water.
I have been criticized for this open valve practice by ' cold weather' campers. The criticism came from mid states cool weather ' campers' not from full timers who have lived the life.

We Have been there over 4 winters in the Canadian prairies. I seek to educate, to inform.
The fact is in cold weather you will have to protect your absorption fridge by blocking off its outdoor cooling vents for it to continue cooling. You must be proactive daily on this, adding or removing blockage as weather warms or cools. Foam pool noodles are my preferred way.
Open valve waste tank also requires you to know the depth of the underground waste lines, Are they below frost line? Slow flow such as open valves could also result in a frozen underground line which then could also back up.

So much more from experience I could help you with. I hope this helps you and others.

[down_home]

Not on our MH connection but in the "Global Cooling" was about and wells were freezing deep. I used a heat tape in the well house but still had to set a small heater in there. The well house was very wele insulated too but... all the surrounding ground froze. The lakes froze over, and the high for weeks was well below freezing. We had snows on top of snows already here and this was in..Tennessee. Uncle who operated apple and peach orchards in Indiana had it much much worse. Couldn't get to a paved road and no electricity, and wells froze deep.
They lived off deer and rabbits in the orchards and cut fruit trees to burn in the huge fireplaces.
So it depend on how cold it is going to get. I would buy an expensive but effective headed insulated hose, and construct good design insulated small shed or whatever the term should be over the hose bibb and going into the ground for a ways. If the bibb doesn't freeze I would just fill my tanks and disconnect the hose perhaps but not as convenient. The wet bay is poorly or not at all insulated so a severe duty not polymer coated bulb in the bay, or if you can find one and a safe arrangement a small heater. I'm not really a fan of this last idea unless there is one designed with a very good thermostat that is moisture proof and won't decide to overheat things.

[Bobbo]

I would put two lamps in each location. Redundancy, that I learned the hard way. I had a house with the water heater in an uninsulated carport storage room separated from the house by a breezeway. I knew it would freeze in 20 degree weather, so used a 100 watt bulb in there for years, checking just before going to bed to be sure it was on. One night, the bulb blew sometime during the night. The cold water inlet pipe to the water heater froze and burst. Forever after, I had 2 of the 100 watt bulbs in there. Never had both blow in one night.

[mdoverkamp]

I really appreciate all the feedback.

We went ahead and ordered a heated hose. We are going to cover the spigot around the well with a box and insulation and put a lamp in it. Also will put a lamp where the intake valve is to the camper. We’ve already put up tievek and hay bales around the camper.

I did look into just putting water into the holding tank but I cannot seem to figure out how to do that on this Cougar rv.

One last thing. Should our gray and black tanks just be left open? Some people have told me we need to and others have said no because it will freeze shut. So not sure what to do there. Thanks again.

[Dave_H_M]

It would be good to know the description of what you call a "spigot".

Running a pipe straight out of a well house is not gonna work in the winter without having heat tape wrapped on it and powered up when it freezes.

If you are gonna keep a hydrant at that location you need to make plans to get a frost free hydrant in before it really gets cold.

Then just fill the onboard tank when needing more water.

[SDcampowneroper]

House and heat the spigot. buy or make a heated hose, so far as i know, warnings against wrapping a hose are mfgr. cover their hiney. Made many, no trouble. Pay attention to the thermostat location of the hose heater. insulate the hose with foam, not fiberglass.
Best advice fill your tank, use your pump if your tank and pump is protected from freezing.
What are you doing with your wastewater?

[boogie_4wheel]

I bought the "easy heat" heat tape and ran it along my fresh water hose. The little inline t-stat was placed about 1ft from the trailer inlet. I ran the tape toward the trailer connection with a wrap on the 90 fitting. I bought a piece a little longer than needed and wrapped the 'tail' around the spigot.

Foam pipe insulation (1 size larger than the hose) on the hose, then leftover fiberglass insulation was wrapped around the short exposed spigot (from the ground) with only the valve handle exposed. I took a heavy trash bag and wrapped the insulation to keep from getting wet and deteriorated.

Survived -20F for 2 years.

[wa8yxm]

Here are two ways I do it in the winter.> Method 1 is prefered by me for logistic reasons.

A tank of water lasts me up to 3 weeks. perhaps longer.

I fill the on-board 80 gallon fresh water tank, then disconnect and DRAIN THE HOSE Tanks on this class A have a couple different heat methods so are good down into the teens.... Park can take care if it's problems (in your case you would need to see method 2: WHen I change parks (2 weeks later) I top off again drain hose and do my week out.

If the outside lines freze. Who cares they are not my problem .. You however DO have a problem.. ONE TIME When I* went to leave here last summer I was unable to take on water.. Park was froze.

Method 2:

Some years ago it hit 11 degrees here in the upstate. The "Week out" park froze solid. Broken pipes all over. the office building was so damaged they had to bulldoze it and build a new one. (Now that's water damage) they also re-did all the park plumbing.. NICE when the park is actually owned by the local greedy rich power company (man made lake runs both a hydro dam and cools an atomic plant)

They put in all FROSTPROOF hydrants.. These the valve is actually feet down in the ground where it never freezes. When you shut off th water flow (A lever) it causes it to DRAIN BACK into gravel around the pipe.. NO freezing happen (Vacuum breaker needed on spigot) again I hook up. fill up. unhook drain.


Side story: The water authority put in way too much bleach one year to sanitize the system. Letting it sit in teh fresh tank for a bit.... Dissapates the bad taste.. Filters help but did not totally get rid of it. TIME did. Only takes minutes.

[Lwiddis]

A bunch simpler to use the onboard fresh water tank and fill when needed.

[mdoverkamp]

Thanks guys!

[DownTheAvenue]

I used a heat tape on a hose for years without any problem. I ran the tape parallel to the hose (not wrapped) and it worked for years!

[pianotuna]

Build a dog house around the bib.

Skirt the RV and add an oil filled electric heater near the waste valves.

Use the on board fresh water tank and fill as needed.

Have a look at the winter camping thread under the full time forum.