Protect The RV Water Tank From Freezing! RV Holding Tank Heating pad.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- This is a very simple RV afternoon project to protect your RV water holding tanks from freezing. They operate on the 12 volt portion of the RV. Here is the link to the one we installed.
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Nice one Jared. If you'd like to make the job five times more difficult, just add a switch inside and only turn it on during the winter. 😃
Thank Brian! I do think I'll add a switch at some point. I would rather not have it coming on when there is just a cold morning with no chance of freezing for the fall and spring trips.
@@AllAboutRVs I was just thinking I would want an On/Off switch...just like in a Cougar or Rockwood. Thanks for this info as Absence of heating pads has turned me off in looking at so many models of bumper pull RV's. It seems 99% of fifth wheels have tank heaters which makes me wonder why the same manufacturer will negate them in their bumper pull models of the same brand. Thing that make you sit on the toilet longer in contemplation. bill in Florida
Jared you provided another informative video for all the RV's. Thank you.
You really did a great job with all the detail and finish work. Thanks!
Nice job; looks pretty easy for (most) anyone! Thanks for sharing, Jared. All Y'alls Be Safe!
What a great idea. Great job at describing them as well as very good installation instructions. Nicely done. Thank you very much
Sure appreciate this and it looks easy enough for me to do it! I'm saving it, thanks
My rv came with these and they work very well!
Great.! That is a lot easier than I thought. Or you made it look easy. Thanks.
One thing I noticed about these automatic tank heaters is that they don't stay on continuously. I used an amp meter after they were on a while and saw that both of them were cycling on and off continuously. So, there is not a constant draw on your batteries. Adding that stick on insulation to the heaters and underside of the holding tanks really helps those heaters keep things warm.
Good job, short and to the point. Thanks
Awesome video as always.
I am surprised you don't have a disconnect switch! These are a great addition - I have then as well
Thanks for all th videos! Very easy to follow!
My fourteen year old daughter and I just installed three of these on our rig a few months ago. Super simple and easy. LOL Except attaching to the frame. That took quite a bit of oomph!
Another great video.
Cool thank you!
My 2004 Phoenix Cruiser has heated tanks from the factory. There is a switch in the bathroom to turn them on and off. The thermal switch your pads use would be a nice option... I was told that if I forget and leave the hearers on with the tanks empty that they could actually melt the plastic tanks. Sure wish I had a coach user manual!
Love this. I have the pads and elbow joint pads just need to teach myself how to install! I was with you up until the battery hook up! Lol Do you have a video on how you installed that "thing" you mounted and connected to your battery so you can easily add additional"wires" and fuses. Thanks 😊
Great video as usual . Only one problem see reviews on this product, many don't work on arrival, the ones that work do not work very long, a better differential temperature controller is required.
I really wanted to know about connecting to the inverter. Mine doesn't look like yours so some more detail about how it all works would have been really helpful for me to figure out.
Great Jarrod!!! I had to take my rv in shop because of this problem!!! My glue to pad was coming off!!!
Oh wow!
Nice
Nice clean install. I noticed you didn't install a switch. My trailer came with heating pads installed from the factory and have a switch. I guess you have to pull the fuse when in winter storage.
hey jarrod use silicone paste and add heatshrink for making it water proof
Thanks soo much! This is exactly what I've been looking for. Love my lil trailer but it's not insulated... would you put one on all 3 tanks? The price is much better than I was expecting.
Great video looks very professional set up, id like to copy it. My question is how do i pick the right fuse for my heating pad? For instance ill use 78w 5.8amps same brand but for 50 ltrs cap- thanks in advance
Do you have a more detailed video on how to do the wiring for the heating pads? Or a diagram?
Great video! Where did you get the fuse block?
I have these installed on our Mini Drop 1780 but discovered I also need to insulate and add 12v heating tape to the exposed pipes that can freeze. I went one step further and added insulation over the heating pads (our tanks are totally exposed on the bottom of the trailer). Works great so far. We have been below 10 degrees F for 12 hours.
What 12v heating tape did you use for your exposed Mini Drop exposed pipes?
What did you do for the exit faucet as far as insulation?
@@megahannahrobinson Do you mean the drain valve for the fresh water tank? I put insulation all around it but not on it.
Nice video, my wife says we are never going into an area that will be that cold. We are from south Florida. But I like this system. Question that small fuse box is a great idea, where are you connecting that small box from directly from the battery? I would love to see a video or a diagram of the setup.
Its better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Ask anyone who's been through the "Polar Vortex" in February 2021.
Thanks for the tips on how to keep holding tanks from freezing. But how do you keep your RV steps from icing up????
Great job explaining but Did you put a shut-off switch for just in case you don't need it or need to work on it ?
Thanks :-)) :-)))
How has it held up? Definitely considering this but want to make sure it can survive the elements/road.
Hi Jared - I can't tell the make of the heating pads on my rig's tanks, but trying to figure out if they are actually working... When I flip the interior tank heater switch on, I would expect to see an increased amp draw on my battery meter, which I do not see... Wondering if it wasn't cold enough to trip built in thermostats... How else could I test them? ST
Hi Jared, so after using these tank heaters now for a couple of years, is there anything we should consider doing differently? Thank you
does this work for truck campers like lance or artic fox makes, they say its 4 season but i have a hunch it would freeze if there is no heating. also is it energy efficient or will it drain the batteries?
Even if you heat up the grey or black water tank, the pipes and dump handle will freeze tight.
Nice install. Do you have the loom and loom tie downs in your Amazon store? Also a nice upgrade would be a switch to disable the heating pad if the tank is empty or if the batteries are too low.
You can buy those black wire holders at walmart
So you can you just connect these do the battery terminal itself? Not sure I got an electronic module like that on my RV.
Do you need a relay with them?
Nice vid Brother, how do you keep your water supply thawed during freezing temps. I just purchased the Camco 50 Feet Taste Pure Heated Drinking Water Hose with Thermostat and I love it.
We use heat tape around the hose and then insulation over that. Currently where we are at we are able to use a hose that already is insulated and heated since it is a short distance to our water source.
Do you have a solution on when the dump valves are frozen shut on both the black and grey water tanks? I have tried antifreeze but doesn't help. I had a neighbor at a campsite who used flood lights pointing at his all night but I really don't like that solution.
Wow, this is an old one from 2019, but I thought I'd ask if you think this would be a good option for Lithium battery cold weather protection Jared? I've got four Battleborn batteries I'd like to be able to charge in cold temperatures, so I'm looking for a solution. I bought mine, before the current one's with internal heating came out, so I'm unsure if finding a way of warming the batteries, or a 12V option to keep the battery compartment on my Class A above freezing? Any thoughts on this issue Jared, as I'm not finding much for a solution?
Nice job Jared. Did you consider adding a switch so it's only active in the cold?
I probably will add a switch before spring.
How much power do they draw ? Do you think they would keep a 5g Water Tank from freezing ? LIke a 5G Water Jug that I use in my Truck Camper. Ill be constant under 40d winter camping. worried about drawing too much power on a constant run ?
I'm surprised you have no underbelly insulation?
Just for a 20ft 1980 motorhome.looks like I don’t have a gray tank how does that work? I was thinking buying a adapter that connect both together but can’t find anything.
Is 1 heating pad enough for a 22 gallon water tank?
Great video Jared. What size or how many heat pads will suffice for a 45 gallon tank?
They have different size pads, so you can still use 1 pad depending on the size you choose
12v 5a , consume 60-80w per hour?
What about if your freshwater tank is a plastic base and not metal? Would this still be okay or would the pad simply melt the plastic freshwater tank
Does it get hot or just warm?
One of my 2 heating pads came off. Do I need to replace this with exactly the same one? I noticed the old one says on it "always wire in parallel if more than one is connected". Not sure what that means. The factory identical replacement is $160 for one pad, then of course mobile guy charges for labor on top of that. I'm disappointed that the mobile guy didn't ask if I wanted a comparable one for cheaper. I should have investigated before I gave him the ok to order. 😮💨
Wow, it doesn't shut off until the tank reaches 65F! That seems like an excessive waste of battery if boondocking. I would put an ON/OFF switch in the RV so it can be turned off when you know the temps are above 40C and rising.
Perhaps adding a temp. probe would be a good idea too!
@@garryhammond3117 Well.... I'm not of the opinion the ROI on a temperature probe is worth it. As long as you know it's 40F, and the temperature is rising, that's all that you need to know to justify turning off the heater pad, because the tank won't freeze. What would be useful is a regular thermometer with a wireless outside sensor that has an alarm you can set to 35F to remind you to turn on the switch. A wifi compatible thermometer would be nice, having an app that's programmable to send you a text when the temp get down to 35F.
I am probably going to install a manual switch at some point to not have to think about it kicking on for the marginal temps when it;'s really not needed. 65 does seem like a bit much but probably is so it's not shutting it's self off constantly as it heats the tank.
Don’t know much about power.. but with 3 of these on at 5amps each.. does that not take half your power ability away when you have a 30amp rv?
Whats the average daily power consumption, obviously it changes w/ external temperatures, just trying to get a ballpark.
So, with three heaters @ 5 amps each (one for each tank, fresh, grey, black) it would draw about 15 amps.
This would be a pretty high drain on the batteries.
If it is cold enough to need them, the furnace would probably also be running.
One would probably not want to run this while boondocking.
Best while on shore power or generator running. - True?
Yes 3 would be a good size draw for our battery setup and the average battery bank but is possible and wouldn't be a problem with more of these larger 400 to 600 and 800 amp hour battery banks I see people installing. I hope as lithium drops in price these things become more of a reality.
Doesnt ur line could freeze ?
If you had used a larger gauge feed wire you wouldn't of had to use two spots on that little fuse block
Jared, would you recommend a perimeter of duct tape to ensure the edges do not start to peel back over time from wind and rain while on the highway?
Not a bad idea, I did think about using Eternabond tape but I want to see how it holds up first.
Since it is out of sight under the rig, you could use aluminium a/C duct dealing tape (NOT the gray stuff.). Is there any way to put a strap or line all the way around the tank to hold it securely in place?
Could probably use these for an external battery compartment with lithium ion batteries.
I was thinking of the same thing with our lithium batteries. If anyone has done this please let us know. Thanks
Was thinking the exact same thing! I haven't gone down the lithium path yet, but intend to soon and the prices I've seen quoted for battery warmers is exorbitant!
@@Bobs-bd3yo You can buy small silicone heating pads. I built a wood box for my 240 ah LiFePO4 battery and insulated it with 1/2" polyisocyanurate foam. I glued the pad to an aluminum heat sink and mounted ut inside the box. Then I installed a small thermostat in the box that I can set to come on at whatever temp I want. Mine only draws 3 amps of power too. Works like a charm.
@@michaeldoherty2289 thank you for the information. I like it and will build one for the batteries.
@@Bobs-bd3yo I'd send you some photos of my setup but I can't see how to attach them to this string.
Hey, Jared!
Did you ever enclose the underbelly on that rig, in addition to the pads? Also, did you add any additional insulation to other pipes/drains to help ward off freezing?
Wanting to make my trailer as year-round as possible. These pads look like a doable and affordable option.
Thanks!
We never closed it in but we did add insulation around the pipes up to the gate valves and the fresh water pipe from the tank to where it enters the RV.
@@AllAboutRVs thanks. My next endeavor!
@@AllAboutRVs Do you have a video about this?
Love your videos.
This one has me confused: One relatively tiny 12×18 pad, only 5 amps, to protect a 40 gallon tank to MINUS 32 DEGREES? That sounds pretty unrealistic.
I'm not a rocket surgeon, but I have been around for a while.
Two: The "sticky back" might work on YOUR rv, because it looks like you could eat off of the undercarriage. Again, realistically, I'm guessing that, for most folks, this will soon look like a mud flap hanging down.
Keep up the great work, but please try to keep it real.
Thanks Harry, cleaning up the tank wasn’t much of a big deal and should be simple for most as ours is a 15 year old RV and has a lot of miles on it. I'm sure there 40-gallon tank at -32 is in a controlled test environment but with a heat source directly connected to the water tank, I don't see an issue for normal use. If I didn't put that in the video I would be answering the question of what it is rated to constantly. I never plan to be RVing where it gets that cold. I went out and felt the tank in the 20s this morning and the tank feels warm to the touch. Freezing a 40-gallon tank of water with a small constant heat source would actually take very cold temps.
@@AllAboutRVs My Dump valves and part of the outdoor pipes freeze when I hit 5F even if the grey is not frozen, up in Canada, Twice I found electricity, had to put a 1500W heater and thaw that section to then empty the grey tank. -32 I would not want to have water in the unprotected pipes, frost makes ABS Joints weak and can split it open. I am talking about while driving, and boondocking. You are probably hooked up with this arrangement. At -32, so much more happens to the camper, and also the water pipes from the exterior shower that are exposed to freeze, there is so much more to take into consideration at -32 than a small heating pad on tanks.
I agree a lot more has to be taken into consideration when trying to RV that cold but I just gave what this heating pad is rated to. If I didn’t put the rating in I would have to answer that question in too many comments. This wasn’t a video on how to Rv in the cold it was an installation of tank heating pads.
@@AllAboutRVsSorry I was thinking it was a normal inquiry I had,,,, Will I be able to dump my heated water. Installs have to perform. Thank you for your very well made videos and quick reply.
What if I put the one on my tank where you put yours and then I put another one behind it and have two on the tank. how would I do the wires? Put the to red together, the two white together and then put them in the box thing with a fuse
Yes you would wire them in parallel but they do make a longer pad for bigger tanks.
So we don’t need any heat pads on the drain pipes? I mean convection probably takes care of the water on the pipes but I have never taken our trailer camping when there’s ice on the ground, so I wanted to know...
Yes we also protect the pipes as needed. Right now we are looking at single digits tonight.
CLEAN YPUR GROUNDING SURFACE OR REGRET YOUR DECISIONS LATER. HAHA
Your underside is not enclosed? I thought most newer trailers were enclosed, and heat ducted.
I wish ours was enclosed but it’s 15 years old
Do you skirt your rv?
We don’t, but if we stayed in one area for an extended period of time during the winter season we would probably do a skirt.
I had a 40watt heating pad from Walmart that I put on my tanks in first class c RV. Worked down to 0 no problem. Just use a hair dryer on valves, if they were frozen.
Does not take much to keep water from freezing.
You
mentioned 5amps DC, so 60 Watts they are providing to tanks.?
Interesting 60 Watts is about 210 Btu.
I have insulated tanks with heat going down from furnace.
Pretty sure I'm getting at least that.
Yes 65 watts is what is on the heating pad
Hi Jared I need you to ask you. I have 2 different solar
panels. 1 solar panel is a Rich Solar 300watts, max power voltage 18v, open
circuit voltage 22.35v, max power current/IMP (A) 16.67. the second solar panel
from Sungrid is 175 watts, voltage at Pmax35.2v, current at Pmax 4.97A,Open
circuit voltage 43.6v. I bought one controller Renogy DC-DC ON BOARD BATTERY CHARGER
WITH MPPT DCC50S which I want to connect the 300watt solar panel. I also bought
a EPEVER TRACER BN SERIES 40A which I want to connect my 175 watt solar panel. Question
is can I connect both controllers to 2 new deep circle AGM batteries connected in
parallel and not damage them. I called the company that supplied me the
batteries and they told me I cannot connect both controllers to the batteries
because it will confuse the batteries. What is your opinion. Cheers Bill
I had a situation this summer with an odd number of panels and didn't want to run them all in series due to shading issues and didn't want to run 5 in parallel so the best solution was to get another solar controller. Now I have 4 panels in 2 sets of series/parallel going to one controller and a single panel to a much smaller controller. It works great for me. I'm not sure how the batteries would get "confused". The controllers take whatever voltage and amperage coming in and convert it to to the voltage programmed to meet the needs of the battery bank. I've watched both controllers and they switch from bulk charging to absorption almost simultaneously since they recognize the voltage of the battery bank and adjust accordingly. The batteries should be getting a consistent voltage from each controller. Good luck, I hope that helps😁
Why did you not install a switch? I would think that a full time heater is not good in those hotter days?
Roger Young , He did say it has its own thermostat so it only goes on but it supposed to. However I think the idea of being able to switch it off completely, it’s a good idea!
Yes the thermostat is working well turning it off and on but I do think I will do a switch soon.
You can order the 3 bank on /off switch with the pads. Run the wires to your desired location in the camper and mount the switch bank.
That's not shrink rap my friend
So assuming a full 40 gallon tank heated from 45 to 67 @ 65W (as it states on the product website) it will take 33 hours to heat before switching itself off. That's 2145 watts used form your battery bank each time it cycles. even if its only half full thats still over 1000 watts pulled from your battery bank per cycle. Why would they design this to turn off at 67 degrees? the water only needs to stay above freezing. This can only be used when hooked up to shore power or generator. Not practical otherwise
The link provided for the tank heaters did not work for me.
Thanks for letting me know it should be fixed now
Sorry to say that but your pad is a joke. do you really think that will protect your tank from freezing in chicago or milwaukee or montreal in canada? . your pad will disintegrate like a dust with the salt and sand and little rocks they spread on the highways to prevent to freeze.