Heat tracing on water lines

[Jls]

Has anyone contemplated placing heat tracing on water lines?   I see two reasons...1. eliminate worry while on the road during springtime cold snap after dewinterizing and 2.  possibly eliminating the need to winterize at all.

[Snackchaser]

 

12 volt heat trace is about 3 watts per foot, and I'm not sure how you would calculate the length needed to protect the hot and cold loops.  We picked up our trailer during a terrible ice storm with icicles hanging off the trailer while going down the road.  There was real concern of freezing pipes.  We said: Damn the warnings, we're running the gas furnace while going down the road!

[Mike and Carol]

1 hour ago, Snackchaser said:

We said: Damn the warnings, we're running the gas furnace while going down the road!

We’ve run the furnace while driving too.

[jd1923]

18 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

We’ve run the furnace while driving too.

We’ve never towed in freezing temps and don’t plan to! 🤣

We use the furnace when it freezes overnight when home and haven’t winterized since we’re often leaving again soon.

[Mike and Carol]

2 hours ago, jd1923 said:

We’ve never towed in freezing temps and don’t plan to! 🤣

Sometimes you get a wild hair and make impulsive travel changes.  We were at Lost Dutchman one January and decided to visit our son/family in Durango.  Once we got past Payson the temps started dropping.  By the time we hit Farmington, NM we were in the 20’s.  The week we were there overnight lows were teens and highs near 30.  No trailer issues.  Another January we were at Dead Horse Ranch and checked temperatures at Zion, highs in the low 60s.  The campground there was empty and we stayed a week in an empty Zion National Park.  On the drive back to AZ we had temps in the 20s, ran the furnace and got back to AZ with no issues.  Travel flexibility!  Mike

[Jls]

We used AC heat trace and just turn on the inverter..we have the premium solar package. Used about 3 percent SOC to run 45 feet of tracing overnite at 20 degrees outside temps. We split the tracing into four runs for max flexibility. Using AC was less expensive and less amps.