Heated Hose Wattage, Amps and Monthly Cost by Length, with Manufacturer Figures

The figures the makers publish

Only a few manufacturers of heated hoses state electrical data. These are the figures we found in manufacturer documents, all at 120 V:

180 W

25 ft thermostat hose (PIRIT, Miller)

1.5 A

Its draw at 120 V

7 W/ft

Heating cable of the RVGUARD hose (RVGUARD)

1,800 W

Most a 15 A, 120 V outlet delivers

Two things stand out. From 25 to 50 ft, the listed wattage goes from 180 W to 360 W. From 50 to 100 ft it goes from 360 W to 500 W; the manual does not explain why, and we do not guess.

Camco and Kohree publish no wattage on their product pages, and Camco's instruction sheet is not available online. We do not estimate a figure for them. For hoses that are documented by their listing alone, there is no wattage either. If you own such a hose, the label on the hose or its cord is the source.

One figure that circulates online should be set aside: a guide from 2020 gives a draw of several thousand watts per 25 ft for one hose. That cannot be right. A 15 A, 120 V outlet delivers 1,800 W at most, and the manuals above put a 25 ft hose at a tenth of that.

Watts are not the bill: when the heater runs

The wattage tells you what the hose draws while it heats. A thermostat-controlled hose does not heat all the time. The makers describe the switching like this:

None of them publishes how many hours per day that adds up to, and it cannot be known in advance: it depends on the weather where the hose lies. This page therefore prints no kWh per day, per month or per season. The switch points do differ: a hose whose thermostat turns on at 47 °F and off at 60 °F will heat during many hours in which a hose that activates below 40 °F stays off.

Some hoses are sold as self-regulating instead of thermostat-controlled. We found no manufacturer document that states how the draw of such a hose changes with temperature, so this page makes no statement about their consumption.

Calculate it for your hose and your rate

Power-use calculator

Watts from the manufacturer × hours of heating × your electricity price. Nothing is sent anywhere; the math runs in your browser.

Hose12 ft thermostat hose: 90 W25 ft thermostat hose: 180 W50 ft thermostat hose: 360 W100 ft thermostat hose: 500 WOther: enter the watts on your hose's label

Source of the watt figure: PIRIT manual and Miller DH25: 180 W, 1.5 A

Watts (per manufacturer)

Days

Hours of heating per day

24 is the upper limit. A thermostat hose only heats in the cold: PIRIT says near freezing, Miller says below 40 °F.

Your electricity price (cents per kWh)

Look it up on your bill or ask the campground. We do not assume a price.

Current at 120 V

1.50 A

10% of a 15 A receptacle · 5% of a 30 A hookup · 3% of a 50 A hookup

Energy for the period

129.6 kWh

Cost for the period

enter your price

Which limit applies depends on where the hose is plugged in: the pedestal's own 15 or 20 A receptacle, or an outlet fed through the RV.

Formulas: amps = watts ÷ 120 V · kWh = watts × hours × days ÷ 1,000 · cost = kWh × price.

The calculator starts with the 25 ft figure from the PIRIT manual and Miller. Pick another length, or choose “Other” and enter the watts from your hose's label. There is no preset electricity price: rates differ widely, and metered campgrounds set their own. Look it up on your bill or ask the park office.

The formulas are simple enough to do by hand:

• Amps = watts ÷ 120 V
• kWh = watts × hours of heating × days ÷ 1,000
• Cost = kWh × your price per kWh

We print no sample calculation, because the hours of heating would be our assumption and not a source. The calculator's result is an estimate from the inputs you give it.

AI-generated

Amps: what the hose takes from the circuit

The draw in amps matters for the question whether the hose fits on the outlet next to everything else.

On its own, a heated hose is a small load. Which limit applies depends on where it is plugged in: the pedestal's own 15 or 20 A receptacle, or an outlet fed through the RV, where the hose shares the supply with the space heater, the water heater and the microwave.

Both manuals we could read tie the outlet to conditions. The PIRIT manual says: “Connect only to a circuit that is protected by a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)” and “Do not use extension cords.” Miller Manufacturing says: “Use a grounded outlet with GFCI” and “no extension cords.” For RV parks, the 2023 National Electrical Code, section 551.71(F)(2), states that GFCI protection “shall only be required for 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles” in RV site equipment, which is the receptacle type a heated hose uses. Older parks may have been built to earlier rules. For anything concerning the wiring itself, ask a qualified electrician or the park.

How to keep the consumption down

Every tip here follows from the figures and manuals above, not from measurements of our own.

1. Buy the shortest hose that covers the run. In the makers' tables, a longer hose is listed with more watts. The length pages help with the choice: 25 and 30 ft, 50 ft and 100 ft.
2. Keep the thermostat in open, shaded outside air. PIRIT requires it to be exposed to ambient temperature; Miller adds “shaded from direct sunlight.” A thermostat in the wrong place switches at the wrong time.
3. Unplug and drain when the hose is not in use. The PIRIT manual calls that good practice. Whether the hose can otherwise stay plugged in is answered under can you leave a heated hose plugged in.
4. Compare the switch points before buying. They are part of the consumption, and only a few makers state them.

Budget pick

RVGUARD 25 ft

Ad

RVGUARD · Brand with its own product page

The low-priced 25 ft hose whose maker states watts per foot and thermostat switch points.

Why here: One of the few low-priced hoses whose maker states the figures this page is about: a 7 W per foot heating cable and a thermostat that switches on at 47 °F and off at 60 °F.

Best for: Occasional cold-weather trips and garden use when the budget is tight and the maker's −20 °F claim is enough.

What speaks for it

• Maker states a 7 W per foot heating cable
• Maker states the thermostat switches on at 47 °F and off at 60 °F
• Title names RV, home and garden use
• Budget price class among the 25 ft hoses we compare

What to know first

• No certification body named: the maker says lead-free and BPA-free without a certifier
• Maker's page gives no rules on extension cords, GFCI or added insulation
• 12-month guarantee, shorter than Camco's 3 years
• Rating is the maker's claim without a named test method

Length

25 ft

Rating (maker's claim)

−20 °F (RVGUARD)

Heat control

thermostat, on at 47 °F, off at 60 °F (RVGUARD)

Watts (maker)

7 W per ft (RVGUARD); no total published

Certification named

none; “lead-free, BPA-free” per maker

Warranty

12 months (RVGUARD)

For the full choice of hoses by use, the page on heated RV water hoses is the place to start; the heated water hose overview explains the product type, and Pirit covers the brand whose manual supplied most of the numbers here. If the alternative to a heated hose is on your mind, the guide on how to keep an RV water hose from freezing ranks the methods by effort.

What we could not find

• A wattage for Camco, Kohree and the listing-only hoses.
• Any manufacturer figure for hours of heating per day or for consumption per month.
• Consumption data for self-regulating hoses.
• An independent measurement of any heated hose. The figures on this page are manufacturer ratings; how we compare explains the method.