When It's Cold Out

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When It's Cold Out

(Aaron asks...)

How do I keep my plumbing in working order when the temperature is below freezing? If I put antifreeze in my septic tanks, fine, but what of my fresh water? When hooked up at a park site how do you keep the fresh water hose from bursting?

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When It's Cold Out

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Heat Tape, Insulation, and Duct Tape
by: Coleen, the RVing editor

I think you'd have better luck putting salt in your black and gray tanks, rather than antifreeze. You'd need a lot of RV antifreeze to keep a full tank from freezing.

You can get special heating pad blankets to put on your RV tanks. These are made specifically for this purpose.

If your tanks are enclosed in the underbelly of your rig, leaving a vent or door open into the underbelly from the living area will help.

Here's one way we've dealt with the freshwater hose in freezing weather: Wrap the hose in heat tape. Cover it with foam insulation. Wrap it with duct tape to keep it together.

You may find it easier to fill your fresh water tank periodically, rather than to have a hose running continuously.

For more ideas on RVing when it is cold out -- really cold out -- see our cold weather RVing section.

Water in Sub-freezing Temp's...
by: Anonymous

My trailer is 100' from water hookup. I taped a eave de-icing heat tape to the water hose (do not spiral it, lay it along the hose!)...covered that with split foam pipe insulation, then slid it all inside 3" flexible plastic drain tube, like used for downspout extension. Plug it into a Thermo-cube unit that turns it on as temp approaches freezing. Never had a freeze-up!

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When It's Cold Out

Comments for When It's Cold Out

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When It's Cold Out