RV water hookup for cold temperature

[stumpfield]

I was at my property over the weekend and everything was frozen solid. I need some sugguestions on how to setup a reliable water system for hooking up to my 5th wheel. I know Eddie Walker is building an RV park. So, I'm sure he has a solution for this.

 

[Bird]

Tom, I think more information would be required to make any recommendations about your water hookup. Is someone going to be living in that trailer? Do you need to leave the water on when you're not there? Does the water heater stay on? Or do you have a water heater bypass? Was the water heater drained? Those water heaters are notorious for freezing and bursting. Does the furnace stay on all the time; i.e., is the interior of the trailer heated all the time? Where is your water tank and how well is it insulated?

The most common thing for people living in RVs is to apply the gray foam rubber cylinders to their water hose, then wrap it with duct tape, but you still would need to leave the water dripping a bit during very cold spells. I used to sometimes fill our water tank, then put the hose away until we need to refill it; just ran off the tank.

 

[EddieWalker]

I was at my property over the weekend and everything was frozen solid. I need some sugguestions on how to setup a reliable water system for hooking up to my 5th wheel. I know Eddie Walker is building an RV park. So, I'm sure he has a solution for this.

I've attached a picture of what I thought was a very clean, nice looking setup from an RV Park that I visited. It's sleeting and raining outside, but if you can wait for it to clear up, I also have a few that are done at my place.

I run a one inch water line to where I want the spicket. Then I reduce it to a 3/4 valve. From the vavle, I run 3/4 pipe to where I want and 90 it up to my desired height. I put a 3/4 to 1/2 inch threaded male fitting on the end.

Next I slide foam insulation over the pipe from the threaded end to the 90 in the ground. I tape the end at the top and a few places along the length to keep it together.

Then I slide a piece of 1 1/2 inch Grey PVC Conduit over the insulation. This also goes down into the ground to the 90 and ends flush with the bottom of the threads of the male fitting on top.

I use half inch female brass boiler spickets. They thread onto the pvc male fitting and have the water hose connection on the side with the valve handle on the top.

then I put a piece of Preasure treated wood along the back of the Grey PVC Conduit. You could hammer it into the ground a little, but I don't I attach two 1 1/2 inch pipe clamps around the Grey PVC Conduit to the Preasure Treated wood. The wood ends a few inches below the top of the conduit so I can turn the water on and off easily.

I've made it through 17 degeee tempatures without it freezing and for the last three days we've had a high tempature of 34 degrees without any problems. If you get allot colder, you might need more insulationa and a bigger cover pipe to protect and cover your insulation like in this picture.

Again, just ask and I'll get a picture for you in a day or two of what mine look like.

Eddie

 

[stumpfield]

What I need to setup is for more a extreme usage scenarios. The trailer is for part time use. Sometimes it could be months in between uses. It's not heated. I would run out of propane if I leave the heater on....Everything is turned-off and I drained all water tanks. So far, no brusted pipes or anything yet. My water is in a temporary above ground storage tank. Not insulated. Water inside the tank didn't freeze. However, everything around it was frozen. There's water in the tank but I can't get it out. Last weekend, I had to break a layer of ice on the surface and scoop water out with a bucket. I spent hours trying to figure out how to get a few gallons of water out of the tank. No water hookup to the trailer. That means no hot shower. Not fun after driving 300 miles to enjoy my rural property.

I'm in the process of planning my water system. It will be 2x2500gal storage tanks located about 100' above the homesite/trailer. The well is about 30' away. I've installed a solar pump. I want to be able to continue pumping water even during the extremely cold season. As you may already knew, I have a very low yield well. Less than 2gal/min. So, I need keep pumping when the sun is up.

I will burry 1" PVC pipe from the well to the tanks. 2" PVC pipe from the tank to the homesite/trailer location. I'm trying to learn what's the proper water piping system for cold weather. Also, what's the best method to keep the exposed pipes from freezing? Thanks for your help.

 

[stumpfield]

Again, just ask and I'll get a picture for you in a day or two of what mine look like.

Eddie

Thanks Eddie. I love to see the picture and get a better understanding of your setup. Last weekend, it was below 10 degree at night and in the 20's during the day even though the weather forecast says high in 40's. I am suppose to be in a very mild climate zone. I guess it's different for RV hookup than a typical home. The freezing effect is more severe because it's not being used frequent enough. Whatever I plan to installed, it must be a passive system. I don't have anything to generate heat or have a source of constant power.

Tom

 

[drssg]

Would a frost free water hydrant do the trick? You couldn't leave the water line hooked up to the RV, but the hydrant is inexpensive and simple to hook up.

Tractor Supply

 

[wushaw]

I live in my fifthwheel so I went with an underground pressure regulator with a levervalve inside a meter box. I have some 1.5" electrical conduit in an "S" shap coming from the box up to the side of the slab then the hose is covered with the insulation noodle and one of them foam covers over the connection to the trailer.
So far I have not had it freeze up and I do no drip the faucets.

Stumpfield, your application is a little different from mine, I would drain the trailer to be safe.

 

[CurlyDave]

I was at my property over the weekend and everything was frozen solid. I need some sugguestions on how to setup a reliable water system for hooking up to my 5th wheel.

I have my RV set up as a temporary living spot at my property. The distance from the well to the RV is 75' and I use the RV type hose to supply water.

The only way I have been able to successfully keep water going in freezing temperatures is to fill the internal holding tank about 3/4 of the way and then drain the external hose & work from the tank.

If the hose is empty, I can refill the internal tank before it freezes, and then blow it out.

 

[BB_TX]

Use heat tape as noted here.
AUTOS & BOATS : Trailers : In Camp Can-Do and Owner's Advice : DIY Network

Also, this is a very good site for RV info.
Motorhome Magazine Open Roads Forum: New Topics

 

[EddieWalker]

Here are a couple of pictures of what one of mine look like. This one is on the backside of my sign at my entrance, so it's a little on the low side. I'll be putting sprinklers on the line in the future, and this will just be there for cleaning or maybe washing off the sign.

I'd forgotten about how low it is when I posted ealier, and that it's spicket is actually angled up. This just seemed better for it's future needs.

There is a green circle in the ground that is the access to the valve.

Eddie