Got a frozen RV water hose? Head South! Spoiler Alert: The easiest way to thaw out your RV hose is to not let it freeze in the first place. When the RV hose freezes, you know it’s time to leave. Unless of course, you plan to spend winter in your RV. In which case you better be prepared. We prepare for winter by driving south.

Many long-time full-time Rvers may consider waking to a frozen RV water hose a rookie maneuver. But as a long-time full-timer myself, I can tell you truthfully that you’re never too experienced to pull a rookie maneuver. We did just that by not checking the weather report one time. Of course, that one time the weather decided to drop temperatures like a metaphor. We knew it was time to go when the temps dipped into the thirties. And, we know well enough how to prepare for a hard freeze in your RV. But our rent wasn’t up for another week, and a certain someone here @LiveWorkDream HQ didn’t want to let that go. So we delayed our departure.

How Our Freshwater Hose Froze

Personally, I was getting sick of disconnecting the water hose every night. Well, not every night. Colorado wasn’t getting that cold yet. But when that certain someone who had been checking the forecast every night neglected to do so, so did I. And when the toilet didn’t flush at 3:30 a.m. I knew immediately our fresh water hose had frozen. As I quietly stepped back to bed trying not to wake Rene she said, “Hey, you should let the water run. It’s pretty cold out there.” Adding, “The hose might freeze.”

“It already did.”

Yes, that’s one way you may prevent your RV water hose from freezing. Let the water drip just enough so it keeps flowing. But this presents its own challenges. Drip too slowly and the hose may freeze anyway if it’s cold enough out. Drip too much, and you might end up with a sewer hosecicle in the morning. So here’s some suggestions for coping with a frozen RV water hose – how to prevent it in the first place, and how to thaw the hose if when it freezes. Because it will.

How to Thaw Frozen RV Water Hose: Don’t

What’s the best way to thaw your frozen RV water hose? Don’t let the hose freeze in the first place.

1. Disconnect your fresh water hose to prevent freezing?

When camping in freezing weather, disconnect your hose and drain it thoroughly so it doesn’t freeze over night. This is a pain in the ass. What’s worse is having to connect it again in the morning. For better results, place hose in your RV compartment, or bring it inside.

2. Keep some water running overnight?

Letting the water drip from a faucet can keep enough water flowing through the hose to prevent it from freezing. If you keep your grey water valve open, you may have a frozen sewer hose in the morning. if you don’t, you better hope you have a big enough grey tank.

3. Heat tape?

I told Rene that if we ever overextend our winter stay again, we’ll invest in some good heat tape for RV water hose. For better results, I’d wrap that in insulated foam tubing. And for best results, we’ll secure that with some weatherproof pipe insulation wrap.

4. Heated hose?

Yeah, they make those. If you ever do decide to spend a winter in your RV for whatever gawdawful reason, I’d highly recommend a heated freshwater RV hose.

5. Hair Dryer?

Don’t bother. Aside from looking like a fool blow drying your hose for an hour, you’ll likely just end up buying a new hairdryer.

Best Way to Thaw Frozen Hose

If after full-timing for 18 years and spending many freezing cold nights in your RV you still find yourself with a frozen freshwater hose, don’t panic. I discovered the quickest way to thaw out your frozen hose.

First, disconnect the hose. Yeah, that’s a pain in the ass. But it’s only made worse if you forget to turn off the water pump before loosening the city connection.

Second, bring your frozen stiff hose inside. Coil it up the best you can and place it in a pile over the bathroom heater vent. Cover that mess with a towel, and crank up the furnace. If your rig is anything like ours, the bathroom gets the warmest.

I had our frozen RV hose thawed out in about twenty minutes. And the temperature in the rig only got up to about 79 before I was done. At least I had the freshwater flowing again by the time a certain someone got back from her morning run. Considering the freezing cold temps, I thought she may want a warm shower.