City water hose froze overnight

[ependydad]

So, apparently if the forecast is for the mid-20s overnight, you should take heed *especially* when you have to use 100' of water hose to get to your neighbor's water spigot.

Our hose is frozen quite nicely from the spigot to the camper and we have no water inside.

What should I have done?

- I know I've read about people saying leave a trickle of water on. One of my gray tanks is open.

- Or, should I have partially filled my water tank so that I could run off of that today?

- Or, should I have just disconnected and emptied the hose. It's already to 31* this morning, I assume I would be able to reconnect now without issue *if* the hose were empty.

Other ideas?

[OldCoot]

I would have partially filled the tank, disconnected the hose and drained it. Hooked it up in the morning and continue on.

We always drain the fw tank down to about 5 gal when traveling. When freezing is forecast, we fill it to at least 1/2 and disconnect the hose.

[TxTravelingRN]

I use a PIRIT heated hose but they are costly. Running a PIRIT hose 100 feet would have been very expensive. I also use tubular foam insulation and haven't had a problem. Having to extend an insulated hose 100 feet though would not be practical.

I would do as OldCoot suggested...fill your tank (heated preferable), disconnect hose during freezing, and reconnect when temps are above freezing.

[Wiscampsin]

If freezing weather is imminent at night disconnect the hose from campground spigot and drain it. I put a cap on the disconnected end to keep anything from crawling in. Leave the spigot on at a trickle so it doesn't freeze.

[ependydad]

Thanks all. It looks like we only had freezing temperatures from about 2am until 10am. I'm honestly surprised the hose froze out quite as much as it did.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Thanks all. It looks like we only had freezing temperatures from about 2am until 10am. I'm honestly surprised the hose froze out quite as much as it did.

I hope the Members on the other Post right now read this! They say it cant happen. 32f is freezing! OC is right on line for proper protection! Youroo!!

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by youroo

I hope the Members on the other Post right now read this! They say it cant happen. 32f is freezing! OC is right on line for proper protection! Youroo!!

What's really surprising is that the temperatures for last night:

• 12am- 34
• 1am- 33
• 2am- 31
• 3am- 30
• 4am- 29
• 5am- 28
• 6am- 28
• 7am- 29
• 8am- 30
• 9am- 32
• 10am- 35

I'm really surprised the hose froze with that mild of temperatures enough to choke out the water supply to the camper.

I don't expect any issues inside, but I'll check the usual freeze/leak spots.

[OldCoot]

Surprised? It's a 1/2" or 5/8" dia tube of water and doesn't take long to freeze. Our Igloo ice maker will make cubes in 6 or 7 minutes.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Wiscampsin

If freezing weather is imminent at night disconnect the hose from campground spigot and drain it. I put a cap on the disconnected end to keep anything from crawling in. Leave the spigot on at a trickle so it doesn't freeze.

Most of the C/G here have self draining Hydrants for freeze protection. Letting a spigot or supply valve turned ON will get a Camper (Chewed Out or Kicked Out) of a C/G where we have stayed! Youroo!!

[mjones12]

Originally Posted by youroo

I hope the Members on the other Post right now read this! They say it cant happen. 32f is freezing! OC is right on line for proper protection! Youroo!!

Nobody said it can't happen. The discussion over there was regarding the water lines inside the camper.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Surprised? It's a 1/2" or 5/8" dia tube of water and doesn't take long to freeze. Our Igloo ice maker will make cubes in 6 or 7 minutes.

Ok, good point. I've just apparently never camped with this camper before when it was below freezing. Tent camped plenty of times in this weather- just never RV'd before.

What's sad- I saw the freeze/frost warnings and it never clicked that I'd need to take precautions.

[Oakman]

Anytime we're in our fifth wheel and the forecast calls for freezing temps I fill the fresh water tank, then disconnect the water hose and drain it, and finally go inside and actually turn on the water pump.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by ependydad

- Or, should I have partially filled my water tank so that I could run off of that today?


Other ideas?

I always fill the fresh water completely when there is a threat of freezing temps. Once, many years ago, during a freeze the water spigot and pipe at the campsite two down from us split. To make repairs the water was shut off to our section of the campground for the entire morning. I was glad we had a full fresh water tank.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by Oakman

Anytime we're in our fifth wheel and the forecast calls for freezing temps I fill the fresh water tank, then disconnect the water hose and drain it, and finally go inside and actually turn on the water pump.

x's 2 on that. Last freeze I was in was Florida Pensacola. The Navy Base came around and said either let your faucet drip all night with the gray tank open or to disconnect my hose and let there faucet drip. They cracked open all water risers on base kinda like a big upside down U and they let water spurt out all night in fact for 2 days because it was dropping below 32 the next night to. Your lines in your unit will unfreeze by themselves, just leave them alone. Just check your low point drains, that where it freezes first........Been there and done that..

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Surprised? It's a 1/2" or 5/8" dia tube of water and doesn't take long to freeze. Our Igloo ice maker will make cubes in 6 or 7 minutes.

I would have to time that.......

[MrJoe]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

I would have partially filled the tank, disconnected the hose and drained it. Hooked it up in the morning and continue on.



We always drain the fw tank down to about 5 gal when traveling. When freezing is forecast, we fill it to at least 1/2 and disconnect the hose.

X2 or 30. We did this last night and we're hooked back up today. We'll do the same tonight. We drain the hose and hook the ends together. Gets stored in the basement until morning. FW tank is 1/2 full to get us by.

[ependydad]

What's remarkable- I *always* carry water in my FW tank except for this trip. And so far, I've setup on a site without working water (in the dark and didn't check the utilities first) and then didn't have enough hose to reach the neighbor's site. And now my hose froze.

I need to fill the dang FW tank like I normally do!

[another_newfie]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

I would have partially filled the tank, disconnected the hose and drained it. Hooked it up in the morning and continue on.

We always drain the fw tank down to about 5 gal when traveling. When freezing is forecast, we fill it to at least 1/2 and disconnect the hose.

THIS. In fact even when on full hookup we keep our FW tank topped up all the time. We have had water outages for a variety of reasons a number of times during our stays. With onboard water we are good to go.

[BamaBob]

X2 what OC said...we were talking about this on another thread yesterday. Another thing you could do (although not so sure with 100' of hose! ) is get that split hose insulation and put it around your freshwater hose.

Had a friend in New Mexico that permanently mounted this on his fresh water hose for a different reason: heat insulation!

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by ependydad

What's remarkable- I *always* carry water in my FW tank except for this trip. And so far, I've setup on a site without working water (in the dark and didn't check the utilities first) and then didn't have enough hose to reach the neighbor's site. And now my hose froze.

I need to fill the dang FW tank like I normally do!

And you are the routine man. That's another reason I always try to get in by dark. After dark I will just hook-up electric til morning. If you can get water out of the spigot. Unhook the hose from the trailer and every foot bend the hose to break the ice inside the hose, the water will help push the ice out and get your hose unfrozen again. The spigot will unfreeze first. Done that before to at my own home. when my hose just froze not the faucet......