The Water Hose
Several thoughts about your water hose and the items associated with it.
Length Probably about 20 feet is best, reaching almost all water posts, and yet being short
enough to stow easily. I actually have two 20 foot water hoses, one regular and one coiled.
Coiled I still haven’t decided which I like best. I think it is the coiled. For now I carry both.
End protection Preventing contamination of the ends is quite important. Any germs getting on the
end fittings go straight to the water holding tank and breed. Not good. I have always preferred to screw
the two ends together, making a totally closed system. There are end caps available (Camping World).
Storage The regular hose I coil up, screw the ends together and place in a basement. Some folks
like the ball bungies to tie it together. A dish pan works too. I don’t like putting it in the holding tank
compartment; too many bacteria there. The coiled I have hooked ends together and put in a net bag,
like for the washing machine or snorkeling or river running. However I very much like Ronald Wardman’s
4 inch ABS plastic pipe storage for the coiled hose in FMCA magazine, July 2003.
http://www.fmca.com/fmc2003/julmag/tips.asp
Draining I like to drain my hose prior to storage. I used to climb to the top of the ladder, stand on
the roof, grab the center of the hose, drop the two ends over the back (not hitting the ground), and let the
water run out. Works great, but a bit cumbersome. Then one day we were in a hurry, I gave the two ends
for Linda to hold near the ground, and I held the center high over my head. Worked as well as the roof
and a lot quicker and easier. Next time I was alone, and I thought that if I took the center, hooked it over
the mirror (try not to kink) and pulled both ends out straight, about 6-12 inches off the ground, there was
enough “slope” in the hose to effectively drain both sides. That worked well too. The coiled hose only
needs to be grasped in the center and held over your head. Just don't get either end of the hose in your
sock.
Quick connect Some folks like the quick connect snap on attachment on their water hose
(like we have on our Rexhall holding tank rinse out pipe). See Water hose entry by Bob Bishop.
Pressure reducer Rexhalls come with a 45 psi pressure reduction valve attached to our water inlet
pipe. This assures that the coach plumbing is protected against excessive water pressure. Like electricity,
not all RV parks have appropriate water pressure. Two things interested me during a recent cross country
trip. One was that new governmental rules require higher pressure at new parks (100-120 psi). And the
second was that many parks have a pressure reduction valve attached to each water faucet. A very nice
feature I thought. Now when the pressure has been high in the past, I haven’t worried about my plumbing.
But my standard hose looks more and more like a sausage. I had an extra cheap reducer, so would put
that one on the faucet before the hose. Usually though, the tandem reducers would compromise the
shower force. Linda did not like that very much. It is my understanding that most pressure reducers have
a very small hole for water flow, so tandem reducers in actuality have a volume/flow problem rather than a
pressure problem. I could take the reducer off the RV and use it at the campground faucet, but first I just
bought a new Marshall Brass “high flow” reducer to use at the faucet. It keeps the hose looking normal and
gives plenty of shower volume/pressure. The coiled hose does not balloon with high pressure, but the
connection to the RV often leaks with high water pressure. The new reducer solves that too. Camping World
#7050 has a nice Watts adjustable pressure reducer with gauge, just dial in the pressure you want; $40.
Leaving the RV I think it is a good idea to turn the water faucet off when you leave the RV
for any length of time (Or turn off the water pump). Especially if the pressure is high. This is simple
protection against a water leak catastrophe.
Doug