# Home Made Heated Water Hose



## Traveling Tek

We full time in our Outback as many of you already know. With all the snow and freezing temps we needed to do something to keep water running. The Pirit heated hose seemed ridiculous at $100 for 25ft. So off to Lowes I went. I picked up 25ft of heat tape, and some flexible pipe insulation. Pretty easy job to lay the tape alone the hose, then put the insulation around it and glues itself shut. The camp ground we are at right now has buried water supply pipe that are underground in a bucket type thing (pretty neat). So I just hooked up the hose and plugged it in. Ready to go!

Pix and more:

http://hasbeenthere.com/2011/01/11/water-homemade-heated-water-hose/">http://hasbeenthere.com/2011/01/11/water-homemade-heated-water-hose/

and 
http://hasbeenthere.com/2011/01/11/water-homemade-heated-water-hose/">http://hasbeenthere.com/2011/01/11/water-homemade-heated-water-hose/


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## outback loft

I have a hose set up in the same way, I usually don't need it since all the local campgrounds shut down their water around November. I do however have a heating pad on my fresh water tank, and I have the heat tape on my low point drains as those are the two things I have had freeze before.

The funny thing is I any time my low point drains have froze, the air temp was around 38, but with the wind chill we were at around 18. I have been out once when the temp was 2 when I woke up. I was sure that my lines would have been frozen, surprisingly not. Since then with the heat tape and heating pad, I have never had an issue.

Tank heater <--- I have the 12 volt/120 volt version on my fresh water tank and it works very well.


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## Traveling Tek

I agree that my tank has issues. Will have to deffinitly check that link out.

Also, updated my links as it looks like a lot of people were getting errors trying to view it.


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## outback loft

Traveling Tek said:


> I agree that my tank has issues. Will have to deffinitly check that link out.
> 
> Also, updated my links as it looks like a lot of people were getting errors trying to view it.


Well generally when it is below freezing, I try to fill up my water tank and run out of that. With the heating pad on the tank, the water that is going into the hot water heater isn't as cold, and I can get a longer shower because of that. I have never had my black or grey tanks freeze, but as long as there is chemical in the black tank and hot water going into the grey, it is going to be a while before they freeze.


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## CamperAndy

outback loft said:


> The funny thing is I any time my low point drains have froze, the air temp was around 38, but with the wind chill we were at around 18.


Just a note, wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects to lower the temperature of the object below the ambient temperature. The wind chill effect is due to the additional chilling effect from the loss of moisture from the skin, so it only has an effect on things that can loose moisture from the surface.


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## outback loft

CamperAndy said:


> The funny thing is I any time my low point drains have froze, the air temp was around 38, but with the wind chill we were at around 18.


Just a note, wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects to lower the temperature of the object below the ambient temperature. The wind chill effect is due to the additional chilling effect from the loss of moisture from the skin, so it only has an effect on things that can loose moisture from the surface.
[/quote]

Well then I must have four thermometers that are exactly the same amount off. I have been told that wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects before, but I am still not a believer. On more than one occasion I can say I have had this happen.


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## CamperAndy

outback loft said:


> The funny thing is I any time my low point drains have froze, the air temp was around 38, but with the wind chill we were at around 18.


Just a note, wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects to lower the temperature of the object below the ambient temperature. The wind chill effect is due to the additional chilling effect from the loss of moisture from the skin, so it only has an effect on things that can loose moisture from the surface.
[/quote]

Well then I must have four thermometers that are exactly the same amount off. I have been told that wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects before, but I am still not a believer. On more than one occasion I can say I have had this happen.
[/quote]

Maybe they are I couldn't tell you that but as a side note, a 20 degree wind chill effect from 38 degrees would require about 55 to 60 mph of wind.


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## outback loft

CamperAndy said:


> The funny thing is I any time my low point drains have froze, the air temp was around 38, but with the wind chill we were at around 18.


Just a note, wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects to lower the temperature of the object below the ambient temperature. The wind chill effect is due to the additional chilling effect from the loss of moisture from the skin, so it only has an effect on things that can loose moisture from the surface.
[/quote]

Well then I must have four thermometers that are exactly the same amount off. I have been told that wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects before, but I am still not a believer. On more than one occasion I can say I have had this happen.
[/quote]

Maybe they are I couldn't tell you that but as a side note, a 20 degree wind chill effect from 38 degrees would require about 55 to 60 mph of wind.
[/quote]

Well I get those kinds of winds quite frequently this time of year. Where I am located there isn't much shelter from the wind at all, there are farm fields and beaches and not much more, so the wind picks up quite easily.


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## BamaOutbackers

I also fulltime. I've lived in many different states as low as 12 degrees. Heat traced hose saves the day.


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## Traveling Tek

Well it froze up again. I think it's somewhere right near the pump. The water hose is still warm and water still flows through it, but nothing is coming out in my trailer and my pump does nothing when I turn it on.

Grrr... Only got down to 20 here. ;-)

The temp is climbing today so maybe it will thaw out again. I think the main problem is that my furnace sometimes just fails to light and so it let the whole trailer temp drop low. :-(


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## CamperAndy

Traveling Tek said:


> Well it froze up again. I think it's somewhere right near the pump. The water hose is still warm and water still flows through it, but nothing is coming out in my trailer and my pump does nothing when I turn it on.
> 
> Grrr... Only got down to 20 here. ;-)
> 
> The temp is climbing today so maybe it will thaw out again. I think the main problem is that my furnace sometimes just fails to light and so it let the whole trailer temp drop low. :-(


I think you may have to pull the belly and heat trace all the pipes in the belly to prevent this from happening.


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## bobTHEbuilder

CamperAndy said:


> Well it froze up again. I think it's somewhere right near the pump. The water hose is still warm and water still flows through it, but nothing is coming out in my trailer and my pump does nothing when I turn it on.
> 
> Grrr... Only got down to 20 here. ;-)
> 
> The temp is climbing today so maybe it will thaw out again. I think the main problem is that my furnace sometimes just fails to light and so it let the whole trailer temp drop low. :-(


I think you may have to pull the belly and heat trace all the pipes in the belly to prevent this from happening.
[/quote]

Yeah you can't be to safe when it comes to plumbing in the winter, the worst thing is once you freeze and crack a pipe you might as well replace the whole length because its going to split again.


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## outback loft

bobTHEbuilder said:


> Well it froze up again. I think it's somewhere right near the pump. The water hose is still warm and water still flows through it, but nothing is coming out in my trailer and my pump does nothing when I turn it on.
> 
> Grrr... Only got down to 20 here. ;-)
> 
> The temp is climbing today so maybe it will thaw out again. I think the main problem is that my furnace sometimes just fails to light and so it let the whole trailer temp drop low. :-(


I think you may have to pull the belly and heat trace all the pipes in the belly to prevent this from happening.
[/quote]

Yeah you can't be to safe when it comes to plumbing in the winter, the worst thing is once you freeze and crack a pipe you might as well replace the whole length because its going to split again.
[/quote]

I have found on any occasion with frozen pipes, at least in the house and when PEX is involved, that the brass fittings split before the pipe does. In the trailer the garbage plastic fittings pop really easily, I have had one incident where the plastic fitting just blew apart into pieces.


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## Chris 312BH

We camped year round this year and 3 times on the coldest weekends of the year. What I found so far, the water lines in the trailer did not freeze but water in the holding tank did. We have property where we leave the OB and keep a small automated space heater running to keep the trailer warm. I drain the hot water heter tank every time but not the holding tank.

There's been a couple of occasions where tthere is no suction (at the pump) because the line from the tank to the pump is where it's frozen. In the past (old Trailer) we used pipe heater cord and duct taped it to the bottom of the tank and it thawed everything out in a few hours (with internal furnace running also). Have not tried it with the OB yet but it should still work even though I won't be able to tape it directly to the holding tank due to the sealed underbelly. I'm hoping there will be enough heat transfered through the plastic underbelly to help warm the bottom of the tank.


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