Hose and cord management

[1Cruzin]

I store my 30A cable in a five-gallon bucket. I keep the water hose(s) in one of the black and yellow plastic boxes from Costco or Home Depot.

[Horizons28]

I'm like you. I have a 6', 15', 20' hose, each in its own hose bag. Great versatility.

[qs271a]

I have the 50amp power cord that you hook up to the side of the 5 wheel. I mounted two Moryde cord reels opposite each other in the storage basement. One is for the cord from the trailer which I feed out the right side hole and leave the other end inside, the other reel has a 30ft.extention cord that I feed out the hole under the convenience center to the power outlet. I leave the other end of that in the storage area as well. I then hook them together with my EMS unit. I did have to cut a notch into the inner wall of the convenience center for the power cord to sit in. 50amp cord is about 1-1/2' thick. This makes both cords, as well as the EMS more secure in the lower storage, and makes reeling up the cords much easier. As far as the water hoses, I do what others do and coil them up in a bucket. These reels are kind of pricey, but very sturdy. Hope this helped.

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

Originally Posted by sragan

I have a bucket, think home depot size, the hose coils easily up the sides, bottom to top, the space in the middle is perfect for my filter and faucet attachment for my trailer. I have a T with a hose bib so I can hook up my water, still have an outside faucet and bleed off the pressure.


For my electric I have Cloth garden gloves that are cheap and absorbent. I put them on when pushing the electric cord into the trailer so it cleans off and dries before it goes in.

Really clever idea with the hose bib on a T!

For the power cord I keep a small rag tucked in the mouse hole cover and wipe the cord off as I shove it in. Rag is generally good for many uses.

The hoses we drain and coil as they naturally do, tie them with two quick nylon lines and store in our basement. We carry three of different lengths. Usually the 15' will work and is easy to deal with.

The worst part of electric and water is trying to thread the hose onto the camp bib, especially those conveniently located 18" down in a buried 5 gallon bucket.

[GraftonGuns]

Here's my two cents. I made a caddy for our 50 amp cord which is much larger and stiffer than a 30 amp, so i'm sure this would easily work for you as well. I purchased a 5 gallon plastic bucket with lid from Home Depot. Cut a rectangle opening in the side close to the bottom about 3" x 5" Then I cut another one at the top at 180 Degrees away from the bottom hole about 4" x 4" I took old rubber hose and slit it and caulked it to the edges of the cutout's. Makes the cords slide in and out easier. At the bottom cutout, I leave about 24" of cord sticking out for the connection to the shore power. Then roll the rest of the cord into the bucket and the camper end is to the top. Place the lid on and you are good to go!

[cfarrar]

Originally Posted by RogerR

After reading a lot of good comments I switched from those terrible white hoses to ZeroG brand. A lot easier to handle in any weather. Not Cheap!

My 30 amp comes stuffed in a hole to a box under the sink. It is a pain but not worth tearing it all out. I also have an extra 25 ft. same size 30 amp that I prefer to use if possible.

I also wrapped bright electrical tape around the cord to indicate it was all the way out to the max length so I would not pull it out of the RV connections.

I took my power cord and made it a detachable, works great

[Rwollfy233]

I also use zero g hoses , eliminated all the hassle

[DamonBecky]

Originally Posted by RogerR

After reading a lot of good comments I switched from those terrible white hoses to ZeroG brand. A lot easier to handle in any weather. Not Cheap!.

I just bought one of those for the house.... Haven't thought about it for the camper but it should be so much better.

[jamer]

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and purchase the orange electric cord reels, for your water hoses. I have used them for going on 5 years now without a problem. Blue and white drinking hoses on a seperate reel from the green hose used for the gray and black tanks. I have a Jayco Eagle Ht 5th wheel and store the hoses on the curb side in the once battery compartment. I store my elec. cord in a milk crate and place that in the back of the TV.

[joe w]

I agree with the ZeroG hose, we bought two and they are sooooooo easy to manage.

[burgiebill]

Originally Posted by ETCrockett

I have a blue self-coiling hose for drinking water and a black self-coiling hose for the black tank flush. I keep them is separate water hose bags in the basement. I have an extra 25' 50 amp cord that was a pain in the "you know what" to coil and put away. I recently bought a hose and cord caddy for $17 at CW. I used a couple of bungy cords to once I got the cord in the caddy to hold it in the caddy. The jury is still out on whether this will work or not.

Self coiling hose. Where did ya find them?

[wags999]

Originally Posted by erich82

No cord should be a fire hazard, unless you're using more amps than the recommended length/gauge of the cord, or if it's in a airtight box or something. Leaving it coiled under the sink still has plenty potential to dissipate heat and I would consider it a non-issue. The first thing to usually melt on the cord is the actual connection, not smack dab in the middle.

That's totally not true, but you can do whatever you want, it's your RV. Obviously you have never worked in a campground, or as an electrician, and seen what can happen when a cord is coiled and has even close to rated amps.

[75H]

Seperate plastic boxes for 1) fresh water hose & accessories, and 2) sewer hose & accessories, which also includes a dedicated garden hose.

5 mil Harbor Freight nitrate gloves (10 cents a pair) and safety glasses every time. Fresh water first, then sewer, same when disconnecting.

I just deal with feeding the 30 amp cord underneath.

[larryrebos]

I just make sure that when I stow my power cord (hole on side of TT, stows under sink) I wipe it off real well so the dirt doesn't pile up inside
195 RB
Toyota Tacoma crew cab w/ tow pkg.
wife and Gracie the wonder dog

[Atlee]

I just wipe off my shore power cord as I coil it, after detaching it from the side of the trailer. When coiled I just put it flat on the floor inside the pass through storage, where the extension shore power cord is stored.

I repeat the process for the fresh water hose. It's stored usually under the power cord, since it's taken off first.

I have two storage containers, about 5 inches tall, to store all my electrical stuff, including the parallel kit for twining my two Honda EU2000i generators, and all connections I need that are water related in the second box.

The boxes and the power cord, and hose are stored in the pass through cubby in the front of my trailer.

[jamer]

I have a ZeroG hose I use to wash the TV and the 5er. Store that as well in the once battery compartment of the coach. It does have a habit of leaking however.

[spark of insanity]

I got a small plastic container and put it in there. Just do what dad did. Wrapped it around your arm and then put it into a small plastic container. Most items that I can make small are in small plastic containers. Makes it so much easier to travel and stow. I guess if you come from tent camping days the storage units is what you rely on most.

[spoon059]

Originally Posted by Atlee

I just twist my hoses, and power cords the way they want to be. Just don't try to fight the way the want to coil. You will lose.

Me too. They go in an exterior storage compartment in my trailer where I keep the dog fence and jack blocks. Nothing in there is particularly "clean", as it's all outdoor stuff that will be put in the dirt. I usually sweep out the dirt once or twice a year, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

FYI, I usually drain the water from the low point drains right before I leave. That way if my hands get dirty, I can rinse them off in water.

[ffrederff]

Wag999 brings up a very good point that many people don’t think about.
Cables are rated based on being able to dissipate heat that is created by the current flow within the cable.
If the cable is coiled up while using, it will not be able to safely carry it’s rated current.
The cable will begin to heat up and could cause damage to the cable or even catch fire.
I have seen this first hand with extension cords

[rockaw]

Originally Posted by 75H

Seperate plastic boxes for 1) fresh water hose & accessories, and 2) sewer hose & accessories, which also includes a dedicated garden hose.

5 mil Harbor Freight nitrate gloves (10 cents a pair) and safety glasses every time. Fresh water first, then sewer, same when disconnecting.

I just deal with feeding the 30 amp cord underneath.

^^^ What he said ^^^