Quick verdict
A 25 foot five-layer water hose with a UL listed heating cable along its length at 7 watts per foot and a thermostat that switches on at about 47 F and off at about 60 F, keeping water flowing to a stock tank, a chicken run, a greenhouse or a frost-free tap extension at minus 20 F, with stainless connectors, a 3/4 inch GHT adapter and lead-free, BPA-free lining. A garden hose freezes solid in the first frost and splits; a heated hose runs all winter plugged into an outdoor outlet. It is sold for RVs and used by everyone with animals or a greenhouse to water in January.
Strengths
- Keeps water running to animals, greenhouses and tanks in hard frost
- Thermostat switches the heat on and off automatically
- Five-layer hose with stainless fittings; no leaks
- Lead-free, BPA-free; safe for drinking water
- Plugs into a standard outdoor outlet
Weaknesses
- Needs power at one end; an extension cord in winter wants a GFCI
- Twenty-five feet; longer runs are other lengths
- Costs many times a plain hose
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
Water in January Without Carrying Buckets
The chickens, the stock tank and the greenhouse need water in a cold snap, and the hose froze solid in November. A heated hose runs all winter. RVGUARD’s is 25 feet of five-layer hose with a heating cable along it, a thermostat that switches on below about 47 F and off above 60 F, stainless fittings and a lining safe for drinking water, rated to keep flowing at minus 20 F.
This review is based on the maker’s specifications and on how heated hoses perform in winter yard and animal care generally. We have not used this hose ourselves.
Setting Up
Connect one end to a frost-free spigot with the 3/4 inch adapter, run the hose along the ground or a fence to where the water is needed and plug the cable into an outdoor GFCI outlet. The thermostat does the rest, heating when the air is cold and resting when it is mild. Water stays in the hose and runs when the tap is opened. The spigot itself is not heated; a frost-free type or an insulated cover handles the first foot.
What It Serves
A stock tank with a float valve, a chicken coop waterer, a greenhouse tap, a kennel, a frost-free tap extended to a far corner, and the RV it was sold for. Anything that needs water on demand through the freezing months.
Build
Five layers with a wear-resistant PVC jacket, stainless connectors that do not split in frost, a UL listed cable at 7 watts per foot and a lining that is lead and BPA free. It is built as a drinking water hose because RV owners drink from it.
Power
Seven watts a foot is 175 watts for the hose when the thermostat calls for heat, and in a long cold spell that is most of the day. The cost is a few dollars a week in deep winter and nothing in a mild one. The cord needs an outdoor outlet; an extension cord outdoors in winter wants a GFCI and a cover.
Care
Keep the cable end out of standing water, do not coil the hose tightly while powered and store it loosely coiled in summer.
Who Should Buy It
- Anyone keeping animals through winter.
- Heated greenhouse owners watering in frost.
- Households with a far tap that freezes.
Common Owner Complaints
A frozen spigot upstream. Use a frost-free tap; insulate the first foot.
Alternatives to Consider
A 50 foot heated hose for a longer run. Heat tape wrapped on an existing hose with insulation, which is fiddly. Carrying buckets, which is what this replaces.
Verdict
For water that runs in January, a heated hose on a frost-free tap is the answer and this one has the thermostat, the fittings and the rating to do it. Plug it into a GFCI, leave it connected and stop carrying buckets.
Full specifications
RVGUARD 25 Foot Heated Water Hose with Thermostat, Freeze Protection to Minus 20 F, 3/4 Inch GHT FAQs
Connect the tap end to a frost-free spigot, run the hose to the tank or the greenhouse and plug the heating cable into an outdoor GFCI outlet. The thermostat runs the heat when the air is cold. Leave it connected.
The hose is heated; the tap is not. Use a frost-free spigot, or insulate the tap and the first foot, which is where the cold gets in.
Yes, that is the point. The cable keeps the water in the hose above freezing so it flows on demand.
Seven watts a foot, 175 watts for 25 feet when the thermostat is on, which in a cold snap is most of the time. A few dollars a week in the depths of winter.
