Need Best Way to Winterize the Water Hose (whole trailer) I'm Living In

[1ndnvr]

Hi Everyone,<br><br>I'd love some guidance on a few things - I'm now living in a 1974 19ft pull-behind w/tip out and know (so far) that I need to winterize the connecting water hose, as well as either 'skirting' or surrounding w/hay? or some sort of method to keep the cold air out from underneath.<br><br>Re the hose: Each person at the home improvmnt stores I've gone to has given me different answers and I'm worried the last, which I bought, may actually not be ok for outdoor.&nbsp; It's something called pipe wrap insulation (foil-backed fiberglass) - Will this work for an outdoor water hose thru the winter? Alone and without furthr purchase of other covering?<br><br>Also, I've heard a lot about needing to 'skirt' the trailer. Any suggestions for economical methods?<br><br>I'd welcome any other advise as well which I simply don't yet know to ask - I also bought something called a starter kit for home sealing (says 5 indoor window kits, 6 socket sealers, and 1 heavy-duty weatherstrip seal).&nbsp; And, I have a window air conditioner (hidden behind shelves of art supplies) and would love to be able to leave it and just cover? or insulate? it? for the winter? Any possibility of this w/out freezing myself out for it?<br><br>Thanks,

 

[IGBT]

Wouldn't skirting with hay make it very nice and comfy for rats and mice?

 

[1ndnvr]

Good point - and I really don't know anything about it.&nbsp; The hay was a suggestion made by a neighbor.&nbsp; Another suggested old ply board - and others have what I'd call actual 'skirts' of similar material as campers.&nbsp; I'd love any advise as to which or what else would work

 

[mockturtle]

Assuming you have electrical power, you can use heat tape.&nbsp;

 

[1ndnvr]

I do have electric (the previous owner wired it for half the trailer electric, other half battery), battery which is dead and I understand I need something w/a switch to flip on a special battery to bypass and use electric for that too.<br><br>But as to what you're saying - the water heater is heated w/gas - is there a way to change it to electric heat? And can I still use heat tape around the water hose as is right now?

 

[mockturtle]

Personally, I have never used heat tape on my RV water hose.&nbsp; I prefer to fill the tank and leave the hose unattached when temperatures get below freezing.&nbsp; But a quick search of RV water hose heat tape will probably tell you what you need to know.

 

[Zil]

The trailer does not move, then a skirt of any thing will help by keeping the moving air from under the trailer. Hay or straw bails will work. I used them to insulate a six inch water pipe during a over winter building site. Mice are fun to have as neighbors. Ok let's hear about all the unbearable illness or how you will have mice any way. Rats follow garbage or dog food left out.<br>The ridged foam boards sold at home depot are easy to work with. Fiberglass is not good if it has any chance of moisture. heat tape is good if you can plug into the grid.<br>the easiest is to box the perimeter of the trailer (skirt) along with some heat under the thing.

 

[Zil]

Replacing the water heater with an electric one if the existing heater does not work. Else propane is better. The heat tape must be protected from the wind.

 

[Zil]

If you refer to a garden hose hooked from a faucet to the trailer, every part of that water line must be protected from the freeze. If there is water in it, ice will destroy it.

 

[James AKA Lynx]

A lot of this will depend on how cold it is going to get. Where are you?<br><br>Go to a local long term RV Park and ask them.<br><br>James AKA Lynx

 

[Donedirtcheap]

Hay bales or 2 inch foam board cut to fit. Hoses outside the trailer need to be warped with plug in heat tapes. Follow the directions so you dont have a fire.

 

[GotSmart]

The key is to keep the wind from blowing through under your home. If you are using different materials, I suggest first putting a plastic sheeting (wrap) under the top layer. A standard light bulb does wonders in keeping water connections from freezing, and a hair dryer works great for thawing out frozen pipes.

 

[Jamo]

I grew up on a farm in the Midwest, spent 24 years in Alaska and 26 years in Northwest Montana. For the majority of my time in Alaska and Montana, I lived sort of outside the mainstream and had to deal with lots of make-do situations in lots of cold weather. I'm starting to get pretty good at it and I have some suggestions for you based on my last fifty years of living:

If you have a hose full of water in freezing weather, and don't use some kind of heat to keep it from freezing, it will freeze. Simply wrapping the hose with some sort of insulation, no matter how good or thick, will not keep the hose from freezing. Eventually the cold will penetrate whatever insulation you've used and freeze the water in the hose. You need to either disconnect the hose after filling whatever container(s) you have and either drain the hose or bring it into a heated environment such as, inside. You can also wrap the hose with heat tape and then wrap the hose and heat tape with fiberglass pipe insulation. I don't know what the hose attaches to, but that hose bib or faucet will also freeze if it is charged with water or, in other words, kept on all the time.

Your trailer should also be skirted all the way around as tightly as you can get it. Skirting can make a huge difference in how warm you are inside. Even if your floor is insulated, skirting will make a very big difference! What you use is somewhat secondary. Plain, quarter-inch plywood will work. Plain quarter-inch plywood with some two-inch foam board glued to the back side will work much better. The key is to stop air moving under the trailer. The better you stop the air from moving, the warmer you'll be inside.

Jamo

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Old thread, but....

If a trailer isn't going to be moved I'd get rid of the hose and run PVC with insulation over heat tape. Gotta wrap the insulation so it doesn't get wet too.

If the sewer is a stinky slinky (sewer hose in RV speak) I'd use PVC there also.