Best Practices for City Water Hookup in Destination Trailers During Winter

Hdgir09

New Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2025
Posts
6
Location
BRITISH Columbia
We have a 2024 sandpiper destination trailer 2042fk. Not a fifth wheel.

We will be living in it full time
We are wondering where do we hook up for city water full time and not using the pump.
We will be living in it during the winter as well.

Can someone help direct us.
Thank you
 
We have a 2024 sandpiper destination trailer 2042fk. Not a fifth wheel.

We will be living in it full time
We are wondering where do we hook up for city water full time and not using the pump.
We will be living in it during the winter as well.

Can someone help direct us.
Thank you
Couldn't find that model number. Did you mean 402FK?
There should be a city water hookup inlet, either on a panel or outside wall. You do have a city water faucet to connect a hose to, correct?
 
Yes 402fk.
We fill up the tank from outside on wall
We thought it may be a different hook Up
I don't have your model, so this isn't model specific information.
Usually there is a valve in a compartment outside that allows you to select 'tank' or 'city' water. On city water, the water goes directly into the plumbing and bypasses the fresh water tank.
 
As other have said there should be a city water port (garden hose type connection) that bypasses the fresh water tank......... same that you would use in any campground with a water hook up....... You do not need a water pump and tank for that.
 
Easy. However, not in COLD weather. Heated hoses, insulation and being careful. During extreme weather we switched to the storage tank. We also had a power failure as well as cold.

Watch the neighbors.

We have one inlet and a fill tank or city water valve.
 
Use both

Don't let the tank go stale
Use it regulary just to keep it fresh
 
I recently seen a Destination Trailer at a dealer that did not have a typical city water inlet on the side of the trailer. It had a removable panel on the side for access to a residential water heater and there was a place inside there, to connect a water supply.
The compartment was insulated and I suspect because the trailer is typically parked permanently, this allows for a frost free connection.
 
I'm rewording this for someone wants me to ask this since I didn't ask the right questions
Is there a place for a fresh water feed for long term winter use under the trailer, for it is going to skirted and insulated
 
Yes 402fk.
We fill up the tank from outside on wall
We thought it may be a different hook Up
On most RVs, it is a different hookup but you have a destination trailer, which has some differences from other types of RVs. Also they are a very small niche RV so only a very few members here, have one. It has more in common with a park model, than other types of RVs.

Can't you contact the selling dealer?
 
I'm rewording this for someone wants me to ask this since I didn't ask the right questions
Is there a place for a fresh water feed for long term winter use under the trailer, for it is going to skirted and insulated
Not likely. There should be only one city water hook up......... somewhere on the side of the trailer, and not a seperate one underneath for winter / permanert hookup.

Do you have a picture of your city water hook up........ could be one the side of the trailer or if you have a water bay it could be in it.

I just looked at a video on line the city water hook up is in front of the rear slide on the side wall.

See that you are in Canada the trailer is a 3 season trailer at best.
 
Last edited:
I spent the winter in Bath PA at at campground before retiring in the spring. In a new at that time 2018 Forest river Grey wolf tt. It gets cold there, but not like where i am now in very northern MN.

That said, with a heated insulated fresh water hose connectected to the city water connection on the outside of the camper, other end going into a below ground enclosure.
I never had a frozen water hose, thats without dripping the water ever as that was a no no.
Wrapping the camper part with some reflexit insulation and using a good yet non evasive tape to secure it to the camper must have did its job at the camper end never freezing.

Securing insulation, tape, velcrow, no drill snaps, screw in snaps, lots of options to secure insulation over the connection part in or out type water connection.

A winter temp by the OP was never mentioned. That would be a big problem in some areas and nothing at all in others.

Its not hard to make a normal water hose heated and insulated.
Good hose, heat tape bought to length or some places sell it by the foot. Wrap that around the hose, wrap heavy duty tinfoil around that, then pipe insulation and done.
Leaving extra heat tape at each end to wrap around the connection points is even better.
The ends become the freezing weak spot.

The water is only one small step in fulltime winter camping.
The colder the area, the bigger and more steps.
 
I'm rewording this for someone wants me to ask this since I didn't ask the right questions
Is there a place for a fresh water feed for long term winter use under the trailer, for it is going to skirted and insulated
Likely no.
In watching this video... it shows the connections outside at 12:26.
Could you modify that?... possibly but only YOU can figure out what's needed. We are not there to see inside/outside YOUR R/V.

402F.jpg


 
I recently seen a Destination Trailer at a dealer that did not have a typical city water inlet on the side of the trailer. It had a removable panel on the side for access to a residential water heater and there was a place inside there, to connect a water supply.
The compartment was insulated and I suspect because the trailer is typically parked permanently, this allows for a frost free connection.
My Cherokee 38P Destination trailer has a outside-wall-mounted hose connection with check valve, same as a 17-foot, single axle trailer would have. One of the former owners did use it all winter--the water hose still has the foam and heater cord on it. It was, and still is sited in southeastern Virginia. Sustained temperatures of 0°F (-18°C) are rare but have occurred. Even if you plan to use city water all winter it's a good idea to either keep some water in the fresh water tank or in water jugs, because the heated hoses have been known to freeze.
 
Waste water will also require heated piping to the sewer. Does this trailer have a real, flush toilet or does is use a black tank like a camper?

Long ago I spend the winter in Appleton, Wisconsin in my 12'x60' mobile home and keeping everything from freezing was a daily chore even with heated pipes -- any tiny gap in insulation was an invitation for freezing. I had to leave the water running all some nights to prevent the pipes from freezing.

-- Chuck
 
I spent the winter in Bath PA, in a forest river tt, and retired and hit the road in the spring. I hard piped the sewer/grey line, still left the sewer open like normal all the time except to flush after dumping the black, and never had a problem with anything.
 
Spent two North Dakota winters in my travel trailer a few years ago. Insulated skirting is an absolute must. Plus a space heater under the unit. And when the air temperatures start falling below 20, you need to switch to the tank. No matter how well you insulate and heat trace the hose, the connection at the wall will freeze. Also, anytime you’re away for several days, winterize the plumbing. Couple days, just blow out the pipes. A week or longer, run antifreeze and blow out. Several times I would return to find either the breaker on the space heater tripped, or an empty propane tank.
 

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top Bottom