What are people using for winter water storage? I’ve got a 6 gallon jug that’s freezing when it gets cold.
Yeti makes something that looks like it might work, but the nozzle looks prone to freezing and it’s expensive: https://www.yeti.com/coolers/hard-coolers/silo/silo.html
I have one of these on my 5 gallon scepter can and it works great Facon 12" x 18" RV Tank Heater Pad, CW-T1218, Use with Up to 50 Gallons Fresh Water/Grey Water/Black Water Tank, with Automatic Thermostat Control, 12Volts DC Amazon.com
wondering the same thing. I fill up my french before I go to bed just so I have water for coffee in the morning. it can freeze but it just means it takes longer to boil it to make coffee. learnt that trick the annoying way
might need to get that heater pad… wonder if it would work with lithium batteries too… 
how much amperage do they pull?
I’m not much of a winter camper. Why not just get a small cooler like an igloo 6 pack size (or something like that), and pre-heat morning coffee water at bedtime? Its doesn’t have to be boiling, just warm. Store in a container that fits in the cooler and has a closable lid. Then dispense said water into your choice of coffee solutions in the morning…
A dedicated small warm cooler is how I think I’d attack this issue. Seems simple and straightforward without involving more gear and such. I’m a simpleton, though.
If 6 gallons of water is freezing inside the camper, its freakin’ cold, btw… And even if you keep the water from freezing, heating up that water may drain your cooking fuel more than you want if the water is just above freezing in the morning.
Peace.
For about $40 I bet we could probably convert a regular plastic 6 gallon jug into an insulated one that won’t freeze.
expanding insulation foam can do wonders!!
I camp when it is damn cold a lot, the warm cooler is an option but just sticking a heater on the tank has been much less cumbersome as I don’t have to have anything other than the water can that I always have with me anyhow. It has a thermostat and I honestly don’t even unplug it in the summer just let it do it’s thing.
K.I.S.S.
Put hot water in a jug and put it in your sleeping bag. Nice and warm when you go to bed and then you keep it from freezing and have water in the morning.
I do this with my nalgene. Works great when I’m especially cold.
Peace.
I put water, eggs, and any other liquids that I don’t want freezing into the normal cooler with my food/ice. The ice keeps it cold (obviously) but the insulation of the cooler maintains a fairly constant temperature compared to outside. If it’s going to be really cold I’ll just pour a gallon or so of water instead of ice into the bottom of the cooler and it has the same stabilizing effect. I camp fairly often with overnight lows in single digits / low teens and have never had an issue with things inside the cooler freezing up.
Thanks for posting the heater link. I’m headed out for an extended tour of downhill ski areas with the camper. This solves the freezing water problem
I use the Yeti Silo 6G Water Jug. It’s amazing! Keeps water cold in the summer and doesn’t freeze in the winter. Like all Yeti products it’s bombproof and functions flawlessly. Worth the investment.
Dude - killer idea! When I rebuild my truck bed, def going to have one of these little buggers in it!
Here’s my idea, I used the dual layer reflectix bag a couple weeks ago in Vermont but I didn’t have the heat pads yet; temps got down to 15F/-9.5C at night. There are two bags, one inside the other, sewed with my sailrite lsz1. For heat, I just boiled water, poured it into some double walled stainless containers, and put them in the bag next to the 7 gallon jug like old timey hot water bottles. Worked fine, reboiled once a day at dinner time. I don’t leave the siphon pump in place when storing, I take it out, so the bag seals up nicely.
The heater pads are these, https://a.co/d/bgtlK4u , taped to 16 gauge steel plate I cut to shape. I wanted the metal plate to avoid any chance of melting plastic. I’m using the cigarette plug port I normally use for my dometic fridge in warmer months. The heat pads together draw anywhere from 0.2 amps @ 12volts to 1amp, depends on how cold it is. I’ve got a 200amp hour battery bank, so running them 24/7 when Winter camping won’t a problem. I had leftover reflectix from a previous home remodeling project, and leftover wiring/parts from my GFC build. If you don’t have any of that, this may cost $100-150, assuming you have a sewing machine.
Nice! I did the metal plate thing for a bit but the heaters often came on more than they needed to (also the tape fell off pretty fast) - then again I didn’t do the reflextix stuff… that’s why I went with the plastic tank heater https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077VLB1KK/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_BCR2EKM4CMTJCYKDYTF8_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Just saw the foam pad on the bottom… that is genius actually - going to adopt that
Forgot to say, thanks @ScottH!..I did the pink foam block on the bottom, because I figured over time the bottom air blisters in the reflectix would get squished and pop. I used extreme temp foil tape, has a wider temp range, like -30F to 200F, but it’s stupid expensive. I’ve been using the same roll for 5+ years now, only use it when it’s really needed. IMHO, it saves you money in the long run, because it actually works. Just clean the surfaces with rubbing alcohol first. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Nashua-Tape-2-83-in-x-50-yd-330X-Extreme-Weather-HVAC-Foil-Duct-Tape-1906077/100507541#overlay
I was looking into this…the price is steep just on shipping…I got one coming in the mail so I haven’t really tested it…but the military makes 5gal Jerry can water storage bags… suppose to keep thier water from boiling in the desert heat…I read it works for keep it from being frozen as well…it looked pretty insulated…I’m gonna see if it can fit around my solar battery system as well .
See how it goes but definitely on the higher side of pricing but if it works…I’ll be happy with it…also you kinda stuck getting a tan one but whatever…
