How To Heat Tape a Water Hose???
Hi Kevin and Rollie,
You are not the first, nor will you be the last to ask questions about Rving in the winter months..
For a while there last year, the subject seemed to pop up every week.. so I wrote the following post in an effort to help answer some typical questions on the subject... maybe that post will help you also..
here is the post
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I live in my 5th wheel all year 'round and have absolutely no problems with cold weather.
Here in Nevada, the winters are about average for the middle USA. Temperatures range from 10 below to 30 degrees above at night and range from 30 to 60 degrees in the day. Moisture is fairly high because of the snow we get.
I have never had any problem with moisture or frozen pipes. I do use a heat tape on the water line and I have the trailer under-penned with a canvas skirt to keep the cold winds from blowing under the trailer. The skirt can be rolled up and carried in the truck bed when traveling.
I use only the trailer's furnace to heat with, except the little space heater in the bathroom when I take my shower.. but I turn it off as soon as I'm out of the shower.
Electricity is too high to try and heat the whole trailer with space heaters. Last winter the propane was high ($2 per gal) and cost about $60/80 per month for Furnace, water heater and cooking. The electric cost about $30/40 per month.
This winter (05/06) the cost of propane has risen to $2.53 per gallon on average and electricity is up to 13.55¢ per kw.
NOTE: by all means stay away from the propane company named "FERRELL GAS" they will rip you off bad...
Remember that on many RVs, the furnace heating ducts run along the same path as the water pipes. Plus many of the RVs have the heating ducts routed into or through the basement storage areas where the holding tanks are located. This means that the pipes and tanks are not likely to freeze.
For this reason, you should NEVER use a space heater as the only source of heat in an RV. It may not push enough heat into those places behind the wall where the water pipes are or down into the basement where the tanks are.
There are some folks on the forums who just like to argue and this is one of their pets… but remember the RV furnace is properly called a “FORCED AIR FURNACEâ€
I keep the inside temperature at about 67 degrees when I'm up and about, like watching TV or working on the computer. I turn it down to about 50 degrees when going to bed.
As for using a heat tape on the water line that feeds the RV, here is what I always do and have never had a problem with freezing water lines..
A "Heat Tape" is a long plastic ribbon that is spiraled around the water hose that feeds your trailer when you are hooked up to city water.
The spirals should be one spiral per every 18" to 24" along the hose.
Make sure that the heat tape does not overlap itself. This can cause hot spots that will melt the hose as well as the heat tape's plastic sheath.
You should use only tape commonly referred to as electrician's tape, to hold the heat tape to the hose. Place a wrapping of electrician's tape about every 12" to 18" along the length of the hose.
Electrician's tape is flexible and stretchable which allows it to contract and expand with the water hose as the water pressure fluctuates causing the hose to swell when water flow is static and contract when flowing through the hose.
Using things like duct tape, string, cable ties or other non-flexible/stretchable things can cut into the hose as it swells and contracts, eventually wearing a hole in the hose.
Heat tapes work just like an electric blanket does on your bed. It cycles on and off to maintain a temperature of about 40 degrees on your water hose so the water won't freeze during the winter.
It must be used in combination with some type of insulation. By itself it's no good. Most people who live full time in their RV use this system.
There are several types of heat tapes on the market, but the only one that I can recommend is the one made by "Snow King".
Make sure that you get the model with "clear plastic bubble" on the end of the heat tape where the electric plug is. When the tape is plugged in, a little red light will glow inside the clear plastic bubble and you will know that it's working properly.
The other models are not designed for water hose use and can melt the hose.
Heat tapes come in different lengths, simply measure the length of your water hose First and then buy the length of heat tape recommended on the back of the heat tape package for that length water hose.
They run about $15 to $25 depending on length. But they will last for 20 years if taken care of properly. Most hardware stores and places like Wal-Mart carry them as well as the insulation..
The best insulation to use are the "Foam Tubes" (about 99 cent each) with the split down the entire length and are designed to simply slip over the water hose.
Most people then wrap some type of tape around the insulated hose about every foot, so the wind won't blow the insulation tubes off.
Very important ... make sure that you leave the clear plastic bubble outside the insulation and exposed to the ambient temperature or the heat tape will not work properly and your water could freeze.
I have used this system to protect my pipes since the 1950's and never had a frozen pipe...
The current white garden hose and heat tape I am using were put together in 1990 and has never been unwrapped or replaced.. its still going strong. It stays plugged in 24/7 all year and has never failed to work even after all those (16) years..
If you have any specific questions about what did I do or how I did it,, drop me an email or contact me on any of seven different RV forums on the internet.
I'll be glad to help in any way I can ...
remember everyone is different and each person has their own way of doing things.. this is just my way...
Thats the beauty of these forums, we get the chance to explore each others methods and solutions to problems that plague today's RVers..
Best of luck,
John
