Looking for instructions on how to make my own insulated cover for the outside water pipe.

[curiousyogi]

I'm living fulltime in my 32' TT in Southern BC where the ground rarely freezes in the winter. That's what they told me when I moved in here last year.

And, guess what? The ground froze and I was without running water for 7 days. I was able to full up a couple of water jugs inside the office. And my outside hose was not frozen, nor were the pipes underneath. It was the water hookup that froze somewhere either above or under the ground.

But there were two campers in the park who had running the water the whole time. They had boxes over the outside post. When I asked them how they made the boxes they said just look it up on the internet. Well, I've tried to find something but have had no luck.

Is there someone here who has experience with this and could you please send me instructions?

Thank you so much!

 

[Kirk]

You might find one of the covers that are available from Amazon are easier to use. I did build a wooden cover that I lined with styrofoam insulation to go over a hydrant years ago and while it did protect the hydrant it was also a realy neucence to use and store.

 

[curiousyogi]

Awesome! Thank you! I love quick easy and inexpensive solutions. Have you tried one of these covers before?

I should post a photo of my set up too because it's not just a simple exposed pipe situation... my electrical hook up is on the same post. I know. I know... I'm only staying here one more winter.

 

[Kirk]

Not any of those but I did use a cover sewed up by my wife that used the 3M Thinsulate insulating material back when we lived in the country and it worked down to about 14°F(-10°C). I think it may be your best answer.

 

[Lou Schneider]

In our park each space has a wooden box with a removable lid that's about 6-12 inches larger in all directions than the faucet and it's plumbing. It has a cutout for the hose to pass through at ground level. We put the box over the spigot, got some kitchen size garbage bags, stuffed them with fiberglass building insulation and placed them to surround the faucet and fill the space inside the box.

As long as the ground itself doesn't freeze the principle is to insulate the faucet and pipe from the outside air while allowing the heat from the ground to get inside the insulation.

 

[Forester]

We live at 6500 feet in Arizona and lately nights are 18 to 20F. I have a Campco heated hose and I wrap the standpipe and water filter in a 3 foot heat tape. I slide an 8" heavy duty cardboard tube covered in black plastic with a small slit at the bottom that the hose runs through to keep the water/snow out and the heat in. It is easy to just remove the tube if you need to shut the standpipe off or anything else. The cardboard tubes are made for concrete forms for pillars and can be purchased at most home improvement stores as well as the rolls of plastic and some heavy-duty tape like duct tapes to secure the plastic. This is what most people do here and they get through minus single digits just fine.
I also pack the door where the water inlet is located with insulation as well. As long as I heat with my propane furnace my holding tanks are kept warm by the heat ducts running through the insulated basement of the motorhome.

 

[LMHS]

You can buy heated water hoses commercially but they are very expensive. I simply make my own. But I'm also either very cheap or very frugal, depending on your point of view.

How I make my own Insulated Heated Water Hose and Reflectix Pipe Stand Bag:

To start with, you need a shortish hose. You don't need excess hose laying out in the cold. I have found that a 12 ft long hose suits me pretty much all the time. The potable rated water hose I have is a garden hose (yes, some are listed as safe for drinking water) that was 75 ft long. I found mine at Sam's Club one spring but you can usually get them online year round from Amazon of Home Depot/Lowes type places. It was too long but that's what hose menders were made for. The thicker wall of a garden hose holds up to the heat tape much better than the crappy thin walled RV portable water hoses. I have melted several RV hoses.

I cut off a 12 ft long section of water hose and added a plastic hose mender end (secured with metal worm screw hose clamps) to the cut end. This also got a plastic water hose quick connect on both ends. I screw a quick connector onto any hose bib I need to hook up to and then hook the hose up to it. It's easier and faster to do it that way.

Stretch the hose out straight on a clean surface. Lay a Pipe Heat Cable next to the hose. I seem to use the Frost King Brand a lot. Easy Heat is another brand. You want 18" or more extra hanging out on both ends. Attach the Pipe Heat Cable to the hose, securing it to the hose every so often with electrical tape or a good exterior duct tape. Don't tape it tightly. This is just to hold the cable in place. Do not spiral wrap the Pipe Heat Cable. You want it in a straight-ish line.

Next you need long tubes of foam pipe insulation. Don't use the fiberglass insulation they sell for wrapping the pipes on water heaters. Once fiberglass get wet, it is worthless for insulation and it takes a very long time to dry out. The longest lasting, and most expensive, is neoprene foam. It's great, it's more flexible which is a plus if you will be rolling and unrolling the hose up. Once you over wrap with the Gorilla Tape, you lose a great deal of flexibility. I use the cheaper poly stuff because I tend to stay in one place long term. The inside diameter pipe insulation needs to be the next size up from the outside diameter of the water hose. The Pipe Heat Cable adds about 1/2" to the diameter. I use the kind with the slit down the side. Forget about the "self sealing" aspect. It won't last. I then wrap the whole thing with Gorilla brand duct tape. COMPLETELY! This really takes two people to do well. One to handle the hose and one to wrap the tape around it and make it as smooth as possible, with a good overlap on the tape. This keeps the spiders and other bugs from making a winter home in the nice warm hose. It also makes the insulation last much longer.

Which end do you put the plug on? That depends. I built my bus conversion and I placed an electric hook up inside the water bay for the purpose of plugging heat cables in. So I put the plug on that end. If I had to plug it into the power pole, I would have put the plug on the hose bibb end. BUT I also use threaded quick connections for the hose. I can just swap the ends to whichever end I need the plug on the hose to go.

Since the pipe heat tape is based on temperature, it only turns on when it's needed. I leave the thermo disk on the plug end of the heat tape exposed to the ambient air. It seems to work better for me.

I made a "bag" out of Reflectix (sealed up with Gorilla tape) that was large enough to fit over the pipe stand and reach down to the ground. I "tied it on" with a Velcro wrapper or bungie cord.

The excess 18" or so of heat tape on each end gets wrapped around the hose bibb and hose connection, then the Reflectix bag is placed over the pipe stand and wrapped at the bottom to hold it on. You don't want the wind to blow it off.

My insulated hoses usually last me 3 to 5 years before I have to rebuild with new insulation and Gorilla Tape. I keep the same hose and heat tape. The insulation also protects the hose from the weather. I also never have hot water from it baking in the summer heat.

My current hose was bought in the spring of 2011. I use it 24/7