Community Forums

dsbike · 10-24-2010, 07:45 AM

Has anyone tried the Pirit heated water hose? enasco.com has it (25') for $75 + $13 s/h. Is it worth it? Does it work as advertised? We will be parked in Ft Worth TX at least until mid Jan. I know this area does not usually see extreme cold temps, but I don't want my wife to be caught with freezing water lines when she is there alone, which could be frequent due to my job. I tried the foam water line insulation last year when we were in Henderson, NC. We did have one time when the water line froze, although I think it was the water line feeding the hose, not the actual hose. But of coarse, I was out of town & my wife had to deal with this alone. This is not a situation I want to put her in again if I can help it.

For those of you that have wrapped your water hose with heat tape. Did you use the standard white water hose?

JMonroe · 10-24-2010, 09:53 AM

For the few times we were out and freezing AM temps were expected, I just made sure we had water in the on-board fresh water holding tank and I'd shut off the 'city' water supply and disconnect the hose at the spigot. Usually by the time we'd had our morning showers, breakfast and were on our way out for the day it was already warm enough to hook back up and turn the water back on. If you watch the weather reports you usually know when its coming. If I was going to spend all winter someplace where freezing temps were common, and more than just an hour or so in the early AM once in a while, then I might invest in a heated hose, and I'd insulate whatever part of the city water line is exposed above ground.

Clay L · 10-24-2010, 12:27 PM

Based on local advice in Grand Junction CO where they have a lot of oilfield workers and sell a lot of heat tapes, hoses, etc, I bought a black polyethylene water hose and a heat tape at a True Value hardware store.

Be sure to check the instructions with the tape, because some specify that the tape should not be spiral wrapped, but simply taped along the length of the hose.
I used sections of foam pipe insulation with sticky edges - there is a plastic strip that keeps them from sticking until you are ready - to cover the hose with after installing the heat tape. I covered the butt joints with duct tape.

This has served me well for eight full timing years.
Of course I try hard to never have to use it, but sometimes you just have to be in a cold place for a while.

dsbike · 10-27-2010, 08:35 AM

Thank you both for your replies. The disconnecting of the hose has possibilities, but with my wife going to work at 7:30am she just does not have the option of waiting for the sun to warm up the water enough to thaw out any possible frozen hose or faucet. Nor does she want to have to be reconnecting the hose this early when she is trying to get ready for work. On her off days it would not be a problem.
Clay, is the black hose you use safe for drinking water? Just curios, after buying the black hose, insulation foam, & heat tape, I suspect I would have about $50 in purchases. In my mind I may as well buy the hose already madeup for $90.

Clay L · 10-27-2010, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsbike

Clay, is the black hose you use safe for drinking water? Just curios, after buying the black hose, insulation foam, & heat tape, I suspect I would have about $50 in purchases. In my mind I may as well buy the hose already madeup for $90.

Yes it is safe, it's polyethylene which is what a lot of fresh water tanks are made of.

I didn't realize they were that cheap. The ones I have seen advertised were a lot higher. I made mine up 8 years ago but if I had seen a $90 heated hose I probably would bought it instead.

dsbike · 10-27-2010, 12:36 PM

The Pirit Hose is $78 + $13 s/h & the other brand I could find on line was $200+. Quite a difference.

Lorna · 10-27-2010, 01:21 PM

I just wrapped our drinking water hose for the winter. I used (my previously used) Frost King heat tape for household pipes and the foam insulation (I didn't spring for the neoprene). I run a single semi straight line on our hose. I attached the heat tape to the hose with little cable zip ties, clipped off the excess ties, covered with the foam insulation (self sealing) and secured it shut with more zip ties. Winter before last (and the one prior to that) we were in NC and TN mountains. We were running 100 ft of water hose at both locations. We taped one of our 100 ft heavy duty extension cords that we used for construction work to the water hose and insulated that. Our hose didn't freeze not once.

baraff · 01-02-2011, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsbike

The Pirit Hose is $78 + $13 s/h & the other brand I could find on line was $200+. Quite a difference.

From what I can determine, the Pirit hose is made in China and the $200+ in the USA. Amazon.com reviews on the Pirit hose are not encouraging, can't find any reviews on the $200 hose. (NoFreeze Water Hose - No Freeze Water Hose - Eliminate Water Line Freeze )
I will probably build my own heated hose.
-Burns

Ray,IN · 01-02-2011, 05:13 PM

Build your own hose and heat tape. Then you will have enough heat tape to protect the CG faucet and the RV water connection. Those "heated hoses" cannot protect the CG faucet or your RV connection. Plus, you saved money.

werv2go · 01-19-2011, 03:30 AM

I bought the 50' Prit. It's done a great job keeping the water from freezing. The lowest temp has been 15 degrees and it worked like a champ. Change the washers in the hose when you first get it. I found that the washers provided were cheap and would make the hose leak.

Its Paid For · 02-18-2011, 07:05 PM

I have been in temps -22 below this winter in Colorado. I used a 10' cheap white hose from Camper World, wrapped that hose with one layer of aluminum foil, making it a pipe basically. Zip tied the heated wire the full length. Wrapped with the foam tube insulation, duct taped the foam insulation. Bought a foam cap and covered water intake with it and hooked up hose. Never had a leak or a freeze.

Guy next to me had the Chinese heated hose, small leak, drip drip drip. I knocked to inform him he had a problem. His drip turned into a 20' ice sculpture one night and half covered his new RV.

Have since moved to 6,800 feet and 25' hose of same design. Had -25 and no problems. Have had folks say the foil is a bad idea, but until it fails I wont change my method.

Its Paid For · 02-25-2011, 05:12 PM

I just read all of the reviews of the Pirit hose at Amazon. It seems several of the negatives are not justified if the user knew what they were doing.

For example the guy that blew off the end of the hose twice lol. You are suppossed to place your 40 or 50 water pressure regulater at the CG spout first, then attach whatever water line. I have massive pressure and if I placed regulator on RV I would blow that hose as well.

Most probably use an extension cord, since it comes with a short cord. You should use a heavy duty cord or it will fail, if you must.

I would not use it all year, just when temps are going to freeze through winter, store it in summer, use regular white hose.

I purchased one today and put it on to test, will hit low 20's and some teens all week. Give me a month or less and I will report any issues I detect.