All RVers have a choice to face when fall rolls around: will they store their RVs, migrate south for the winter, or keep adventuring through the cold weather? It’s important to think about your options early. You don’t want to put off the decision all summer and find yourself scrambling to find a solution once the warm weather leaves. The time to think about this is now, while you still have time to prepare your RV for whatever decision you make.
If you want to keep traveling through the cold, you need to make a few upgrades to keep your RV safe and comfortable. Prepare your vehicle now so that you don’t have to rush to get everything done in the fall. You can get started with these simple yet effective tips for how to keep your RV water hose from freezing.
Insulate the Underbelly
When cold weather comes around, you need to protect all the crucial equipment and utilities on your RV. One of the best ways to do this is to insulate the underbelly of your RV, where water lines, holding tanks, and other crucial equipment sit. Frigid wind can sweep beneath your RV and freeze these systems. Prevent this by installing an RV skirt around the underbelly of your vehicle. If you don’t have an RV skirt, you can block off the wind with foam boards or other alternative forms of insulation. Blocking off the breeze will control the temperature beneath your RV, protecting important systems and keeping the floor of your RV warmer and more comfortable.
Install Heating Pads
Heating pads are essential for any cold-weather RV trip. UltraHeat heaters protect the different parts of your water system from freezing when the temperature drops. Why is this so crucial? Frozen pipes do more than just take away your access to flowing water. When water freezes, it expands. This can lead to cracked or burst pipes, causing serious and expensive damage to your RV. Keeping your entire water system safe is a huge part of maintaining your RV throughout your cold-weather adventures. Pipe and elbow heaters keep your pipes warm enough to deliver fresh, flowing water throughout your RV. You should also install RV drainpipe heaters to prevent your drainpipes from freezing and causing issues with your gate valve.
Disconnect When Not in Use
If your RV has a freshwater tank, you don’t need to leave your water hose hooked up to the water supply. One of the most reliable tips for how to keep your RV water hose from freezing is to disconnect the hose and safely store it when you’re not actively using it. Use the hose to fill your freshwater tank, then store it inside your camper where it will stay warm and have no risk of freezing. Meanwhile, make sure your freshwater tank has a heating pad to prevent the contents from freezing. These precautions will ensure you always have access to fresh water without having to worry about your water hose freezing in the cold weather.
Invest in a Heated Hose
Of course, some RVers prefer the convenience of using city water instead of potable water. If that’s the case, you can invest in a heated water hose that allows you to run city water in even the coldest climates. Heated water hoses are more durable than regular RV water hoses, and they’ll hold up against extreme temperatures. Many specialized RV hoses even have built-in sensors that allow them to automatically adjust to below-freezing temperatures. Keep in mind that you might have to hook up your hose to an electrical source in order for it to run. Heated water hoses are convenient ways to keep your water flowing no matter how cold it gets outside.
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