This will be our first ever winter in an RV. As many of you know, Jo and I are "static" full-timers here in the Oklahoma City area. As such, we have the luxury of making our hookups more permanent than traveling full-timers. What I need from everyone is an idea as to whether my thought process is overkill or underkill.
My thought was to buy the polyethelene foam tubes at Lowes that are split down the length on one side of the tubes, put our two hoses (one fresh water and one black tank flushing hose) into separate tubes, and then put both of those assemblies into something like a 4-inch PVC pipe to add some more protections to tubes and hoses as well as add some additional "dead space" as insulation.
The PVC/hose/foam tube assembly would then run from our underground faucets with some kind of insulated box placed over the faucet enclosure, allowing the end of the 4-inch PVC to be covered with that box. Then the end of the PVC/hose/foam tube assembly at the fifth wheel would be placed up into the bottom access hole of the utility compartment with some insulation added within that compartment.
In the past, we've been known to wrap plumbing with heat tape and wrapped insulation for protection from the cold. However, I don't think it would be a good idea to put the heat tape directly onto the hoses.
Would I have problems with heat tape placed within the 4-inch PVC to help add some heat without damaging the polyethelene foam tubes? Or, would all the above without the heat tape be sufficient?
OR, are there any other ideas as to how to protect the water hoses without having to take them up when it freezes?
All of our advice and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. A happy wife is one who can take a shower EVERY morning.
Thanks in advance.
Terry
GENECOP said
07:09 PM Oct 28, 2011
Terry, I was at the Hershey Show, I purchased this great 25' hose with built in heating element, plugs in to a normal 110 outlet, we will be using it all winter. It also has a built in thermostat that turns the element on only during freezing temps....G
Nothing works better than leaving the water dripping in the bathroom sink.
I made our own insulated white hose...ran a thermostatically controlled heat strip the length of the hose, thermostat at the spigot end and plug-in at the water compartment...then wrapped standard pipe insulation the length of the hose, then stuffed it into the split foam pipe insulation and wrapped with duct tape. But if the spigot freezes it's all for nothing. To cure that, I used a tall plastic waste basket with the inside coated with wall insulation...then I hung a 40W trouble light on the spigot and dropped the waste basket over the spigot. The water compartment on our coach has a space heater to keep it from freezing so no problems at that end.
bjoyce said
07:00 AM Oct 29, 2011
NorCal Dan's approach sounds good. The bucket filled with insulation is similar to some campgrounds we have stayed at. He mentioned space heaters and they make 150 to 200 watt ones that work great for such situations. I know someone with 4 of them strung through his basement compartments. On Amazon the 200 watt ones are Lasko Personal Heaters for $17.31 each. We bought a 150 watt at CVS Pharmacy that we use to keep our toilet room reasonable.
Sewer hoses get brittle when cold and a couple friends have broken them. So be careful with the sewer hose.
Delaine and Lindy said
08:00 AM Oct 29, 2011
I agree with NorCals Dan's idea, and it works I have the same set up at home base for a emergency if for some reason we have to return there in the winter, from our winter site here in Florida.. Happy Trails..
P.S. My entire set up from Lowes was less than $30.00. And it works.....
Workinrvers said
06:46 AM Oct 30, 2011
I purchased the Pirit Heated Hose and used it when wintering in Indiana. The first hose worked great for the first winter but quit heating the next winter. That hose was replaced under warranty but the replacement hose failed a few months later (no heat). I tossed that hose and went with my back up which was a normal white hose wrapped in heat tape and then covered with the 4' foam strips which worked great the rest of the winter.
Not sure why you would want to leave your flush hose hooked up all winter. Convienance? I would just get mine out and flush the tanks every other dump or so and then just kept it rolled up in the basement (heated area).
I did not use my plastic slinky sewer hose in the winter. I purchased 3" pvc pipe,fittings and a rubber sleeve to connect it to the 5th wheel. This way I could maintain a good drain angle and could leave the grey tanks open all winter.
Terry and Jo said
02:50 PM Oct 30, 2011
Phil Bob wrote:
Not sure why you would want to leave your flush hose hooked up all winter. Convienance? I would just get mine out and flush the tanks every other dump or so and then just kept it rolled up in the basement (heated area).
I did not use my plastic slinky sewer hose in the winter. I purchased 3" pvc pipe,fittings and a rubber sleeve to connect it to the 5th wheel. This way I could maintain a good drain angle and could leave the grey tanks open all winter.
Phil,
Yes, it is convenience. In our case our water supply is just underground within a "case" with two faucets. If I run the two hoses, with both insulated and heated, I would only need to lift the "cover" to turn on the flush system hose faucet.
We are going to get one of the Eze-Kleen sewer systems as they are PVC and with a downslope, we should never have an issue with a sewer line freezing up and no little "valleys" such as would be in a stinky-slinky to catch water and build up.
Since we won't be moving much, it won't be an issue with some hookups being semi-permanent.
Terry
CaptainRandy said
03:57 PM Oct 30, 2011
Here in Wyoming (-30F) we use heat trace and insulation on the incomming water line with abt 3ft of heat trace in ground box and 3ft in our water box on the side of our Montaina 3750FL. I also bought two remote temperature guages from walmart and put one in each box so I know what the ground and waterbox temperatures are.
Advise: Do not put fiberglass insulation in the ground box with the faucet, if you have a leak its an awful frozen mess if you get a leak in the box. Gotta chip it out by hand. Not a pretty sight.
DorisandDave said
09:55 PM Nov 6, 2011
If you decide to get the Pirit water hose, make sure the male end is below the compartment. The sensor is on the male end. I also had a Pirit and it froze up. They did send a replacement which is still in the box. I went to Home Depot and made my own fresh water hose. I cut the hose down to a lenght that would reach the coach, put heat tape on, the split foam and then wrapped plastic around it all and was fine in the Kansas winters. As far as the flush hose, I would dig it out when needed and hook it up, flush the tank then drain the hose and put it away. For the sewer, Home Depot. 3" PVC pipe, 1 PVC elbox and 1 rubber elbow. Alot cheaper then the eze-kleen system. I also put a electric heater in the basement blowing on the water manifold and a temp sensor in there so I could monitor the temps.
This will be our first ever winter in an RV. As many of you know, Jo and I are "static" full-timers here in the Oklahoma City area. As such, we have the luxury of making our hookups more permanent than traveling full-timers. What I need from everyone is an idea as to whether my thought process is overkill or underkill.
My thought was to buy the polyethelene foam tubes at Lowes that are split down the length on one side of the tubes, put our two hoses (one fresh water and one black tank flushing hose) into separate tubes, and then put both of those assemblies into something like a 4-inch PVC pipe to add some more protections to tubes and hoses as well as add some additional "dead space" as insulation.
The PVC/hose/foam tube assembly would then run from our underground faucets with some kind of insulated box placed over the faucet enclosure, allowing the end of the 4-inch PVC to be covered with that box. Then the end of the PVC/hose/foam tube assembly at the fifth wheel would be placed up into the bottom access hole of the utility compartment with some insulation added within that compartment.
In the past, we've been known to wrap plumbing with heat tape and wrapped insulation for protection from the cold. However, I don't think it would be a good idea to put the heat tape directly onto the hoses.
Would I have problems with heat tape placed within the 4-inch PVC to help add some heat without damaging the polyethelene foam tubes? Or, would all the above without the heat tape be sufficient?
OR, are there any other ideas as to how to protect the water hoses without having to take them up when it freezes?
All of our advice and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. A happy wife is one who can take a shower EVERY morning.
Thanks in advance.
Terry
http://www.amazon.com/PIRIT-PWL-02-25-25-Foot-Heated-Hose/dp/B002RODR1G
I made our own insulated white hose...ran a thermostatically controlled heat strip the length of the hose, thermostat at the spigot end and plug-in at the water compartment...then wrapped standard pipe insulation the length of the hose, then stuffed it into the split foam pipe insulation and wrapped with duct tape. But if the spigot freezes it's all for nothing. To cure that, I used a tall plastic waste basket with the inside coated with wall insulation...then I hung a 40W trouble light on the spigot and dropped the waste basket over the spigot. The water compartment on our coach has a space heater to keep it from freezing so no problems at that end.
Sewer hoses get brittle when cold and a couple friends have broken them. So be careful with the sewer hose.
P.S. My entire set up from Lowes was less than $30.00. And it works.....
I tossed that hose and went with my back up which was a normal white hose wrapped in heat tape and then covered with the 4' foam strips which worked great the rest of the winter.
Not sure why you would want to leave your flush hose hooked up all winter. Convienance? I would just get mine out and flush the tanks every other dump or so and then just kept it rolled up in the basement (heated area).
I did not use my plastic slinky sewer hose in the winter. I purchased 3" pvc pipe,fittings and a rubber sleeve to connect it to the 5th wheel. This way I could maintain a good drain angle and could leave the grey tanks open all winter.
Phil,
Yes, it is convenience. In our case our water supply is just underground within a "case" with two faucets. If I run the two hoses, with both insulated and heated, I would only need to lift the "cover" to turn on the flush system hose faucet.
We are going to get one of the Eze-Kleen sewer systems as they are PVC and with a downslope, we should never have an issue with a sewer line freezing up and no little "valleys" such as would be in a stinky-slinky to catch water and build up.
Since we won't be moving much, it won't be an issue with some hookups being semi-permanent.
Terry
Here in Wyoming (-30F) we use heat trace and insulation on the incomming water line with abt 3ft of heat trace in ground box and 3ft in our water box on the side of our Montaina 3750FL. I also bought two remote temperature guages from walmart and put one in each box so I know what the ground and waterbox temperatures are.
Advise: Do not put fiberglass insulation in the ground box with the faucet, if you have a leak its an awful frozen mess if you get a leak in the box. Gotta chip it out by hand. Not a pretty sight.
If you decide to get the Pirit water hose, make sure the male end is below the compartment. The sensor is on the male end. I also had a Pirit and it froze up. They did send a replacement which is still in the box. I went to Home Depot and made my own fresh water hose. I cut the hose down to a lenght that would reach the coach, put heat tape on, the split foam and then wrapped plastic around it all and was fine in the Kansas winters. As far as the flush hose, I would dig it out when needed and hook it up, flush the tank then drain the hose and put it away. For the sewer, Home Depot. 3" PVC pipe, 1 PVC elbox and 1 rubber elbow. Alot cheaper then the eze-kleen system. I also put a electric heater in the basement blowing on the water manifold and a temp sensor in there so I could monitor the temps.