RV Drinking Water Hose: 6 Picks and What the NSF Labels Mean

An RV drinking water hose carries every glass of water, pot of coffee, and shower from the campground spigot into your RV. It looks like a white or blue garden hose, but it is built and certified for drinking water. Pick the wrong one, and you can end up with a plastic taste, a weak shower, a hose that kinks every time you park, or worse, lead in your water.

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This guide covers six RV drinking water hoses worth a look, what the NSF labels on the package mean, 1/2 inch versus 5/8 inch, how much hose to carry, the order to hook everything up, how to clean and store the hose, when to replace it, and how to fix the problems people run into most. There is also a planner that works out which hose lengths reach your site with the fewest connections.

6 RV Drinking Water Hoses Worth a Look

Every hose below is sold for drinking water and was in stock on Amazon when we wrote this guide. We have not tested these hoses ourselves. The picks are based on what each manufacturer states about certification, size, and construction, and on which hoses come up again and again in the RV guides we checked. Where a manufacturer names an NSF standard, we say which one, because many guides leave it out.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

"Named" means the standard appears in the manufacturer's product listing we checked. A hose without a named standard is not necessarily unsafe. It means you are relying on the manufacturer's general claim instead of a specific certification you can look up.

What Do NSF/ANSI 61 and NSF/ANSI 372 Mean on a Hose?

These are the two labels worth looking for, and they answer different questions. Some hose packages and guides mention "NSF" without saying which standard, which tells you very little.

• NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 is about what leaches into the water. NSF describes it as setting minimum health effects requirements for chemical contaminants that products in contact with drinking water add to the water. Hoses are one of the product types NSF lists under the standard.
• NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 is about lead content only. NSF states that the standard addresses lead content only, with a maximum of 0.25 percent lead for most components, figured as a weighted average across the surfaces the water touches, and 0.2 percent for solder and flux. That 0.25 percent figure matches the federal definition of lead-free that the EPA describes under the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act of 2011.

So a hose certified to 372 has very little lead in the parts the water touches, but 372 alone says nothing about other chemicals. A hose certified to 61 has been evaluated for what it adds to the water. The strongest label you will find on an RV hose names both, so check for each one.

How to Read a Hose Label

• "Certified to NSF/ANSI 61" or "NSF/ANSI/CAN 61": the best sign. Look for the certifier's name, such as NSF or CSA.
• "Certified to NSF/ANSI 372" or "lead free": good for lead, silent on everything else.
• "Made with NSF listed materials" or "FDA sanctioned materials": a general claim about the ingredients, not a certification of the finished hose.
• "Drinking water safe" with no standard named: the manufacturer's word, which may be true but is the hardest to check.
• "Lead free couplings" only: covers the fittings, not the hose itself.
• A California Proposition 65 warning: a sign to keep looking if the hose is for drinking water.

Can You Use a Regular Garden Hose for RV Drinking Water?

You can, but you should not. Garden hoses are not made for drinking water, and testing has found things in them you would not want in your coffee.

In its 2016 garden hose study, the Ecology Center tested 32 hoses. It found that 7 of the 24 PVC hoses contained at least 100 parts per million of lead, and phthalates turned up in 18 of the 24. When the lab tested water from six of the hoses, it found lead in three, at 13, 19, and 20 parts per billion. At the time, the EPA action level for lead in public water systems was 15 parts per billion. The top-rated hoses in that study were all polyurethane, not PVC.

The Ecology Center's advice aligns with what RVers need: buy hoses labeled drinking water safe, avoid hoses with a Proposition 65 warning, let the water run for a few seconds before you drink, and keep hoses in the shade because heat increases leaching. A dedicated drinking water hose also never gets used to rinse out a holding tank, wash the truck, or water a garden, which keeps it clean in a way no label can.

Is a 1/2-inch or 5/8-inch hose better for an RV?

For most RVs, a 5/8-inch hose is the better default, and the difference really matters only on long runs. A wider hose has less friction, so it delivers more water at the far end. Iowa State University Extension publishes flow figures for a 100-foot hose: at 50 psi, a 1/2-inch hose delivers about 7 gallons per minute and a 5/8-inch hose about 12. The same page notes that the flow from any hose drops as its length increases.

Your RV will not use anything close to those numbers, because the pressure regulator and the RV's own plumbing set the real limit. So on a 25-foot run, the difference between the two sizes is usually small. A 5/8-inch hose earns its place on a 50-foot or longer run, with two hoses joined, or when filling the fresh tank, where faster flow saves time. A 1/2-inch hose is lighter and coils smaller, making it a reasonable choice for short leaders. Airstream's city water guidance for its touring coaches calls for a tasteless, odorless, nontoxic, high-pressure hose of at least 1/2-inch diameter.

No matter the size you buy, the fittings are the same. RV hoses use standard 3/4-inch garden hose thread, so a 1/2-inch hose and a 5/8-inch hose screw onto the same spigot, regulator, and inlet.

How Long Should an RV Drinking Water Hose Be?

Long enough to reach the spigot with a little slack, and no longer. Extra hose costs you in three ways. It holds more water that sits warm between uses, it adds friction that lowers pressure at the far end, and it is one more thing to coil, drain, and store.

Most RVers do best with a 25-foot hose as the main line plus one or two short leaders, which are short extra lengths of hose. A 10-foot section covers times when the spigot is a little too far, and a 4-foot leader is handy when the spigot is right beside your inlet, or between a water filter and the RV. Joining two short hoses beats dragging out a 50-foot hose for a 12-foot reach. Keep a 50-foot hose for the sites, fill stations, and long driveways that need it.

RV Hose Length Planner

Measure the distance from the spigot to your city water inlet along the ground where the hose will run, then enter it below.

How Do You Hook Up an RV Drinking Water Hose?

The order matters more than any single part. Put the pieces on in this sequence, starting at the spigot.

1. Run the spigot for a few seconds first. This clears dirt and stale water from the campground line before anything touches your gear.
2. Pressure regulator on the spigot. Putting it first protects everything downstream, including the hose and the filter, from high campground pressure. Our RV water pressure regulator guide explains why most manufacturers land around 45 to 50 psi.
3. Water filter next, if you use one. An inline filter screws on after the regulator. See our RV water filter guide for what each type removes.
4. Your drinking water hose. Check that the rubber washer is seated in each female coupling before you thread it on.
5. A 90-degree elbow at the RV inlet. A brass elbow lets the hose hang straight down instead of bending sharply at the coupling, which is where most kinks and cracked fittings start.
6. Hand-tighten every connection. Hose washers seal by compression, so a firm hand turn is usually enough. Pliers can crack plastic couplings and crush the washer.

Open the spigot slowly and look at each joint for drips before you walk away. If you also fill your fresh tank, use the same clean hose and the same order, then switch the RV from city water to tank fill using its own valve or fill port.

Why Does Water From a New Hose Taste Like Plastic?

Many drinking water hoses are PVC, and a brand-new one can give the first water that passes through it a plastic taste or smell. Heat makes it worse. Water that sits in a hose in the sun warms up, and the Ecology Center notes that heat from the sun can increase chemical leaching into the water. Camco's catalog says its TastePURE hoses deliver water with no plastic taste, but any hose benefits from the same few habits.

• Flush a new hose before the first drink. Connect it to a spigot and run water through it for several minutes, then drain it.
• Run the water for a few seconds before every use. This pushes out the water that sat in the hose since you last used it.
• Keep the hose out of direct sun. Lay it in the shade of the RV, or under the slide or the skirting if you have it.
• Use only as much hose as you need. Less hose means less water sitting and warming in it.
• Filter after the hose if the taste stays. A carbon filter also reduces chlorine taste from the campground supply. See our RV water filter guide.

How Do You Clean and Store an RV Drinking Water Hose?

Keep a drinking water hose clean by never letting it touch anything dirty. Do these every time you pack up.

• Drain it completely. Disconnect both ends, lift one end, and walk the hose up as you coil it so the water runs out the other end. Iowa State University Extension recommends draining hoses before cold weather because trapped water freezes and expands.
• Close the ends. Screw the two ends together to make a loop, or use hose end caps. This keeps out dirt, insects and anything else that crawls into an open hose.
• Store it away from your sewer gear. Never in the same bin or compartment as the sewer hose, the sewer hose support or the gloves you use for dumping. Our RV sewer hose guide covers the dirty side of the system.
• Keep it out of the sun. Iowa State notes that putting hoses away reduces UV damage, and that vinyl hoses are more affected by UV light.
• Coil it loosely. Tight coils train a hose to kink. A loose coil or a figure eight is easier on it.

Sanitizing the Hose

None of the hose makers we checked publish a hose sanitizing method, so the practical approach is to do the hose when you sanitize the rest of your fresh water system. Use the bleach strength and contact time in your RV owner's manual, because manufacturer instructions vary. Leisure Travel Vans, for example, calls for 1/4 cup of bleach per 15 gallons of water and about 2 hours of soaking. Fill the hose with the same solution, close both ends, let it sit for the same amount of time as the tank, then flush it with fresh water until you can no longer smell bleach.

How Often Should You Replace an RV Drinking Water Hose?

No hose maker we checked publishes a replacement schedule, so replace the hose based on condition rather than the calendar. If your hose has a warranty, such as the lifetime guarantee Teknor Apex gives its NeverKink, check it before you buy a new one. Replace it when you see any of these.

• Cracks, splits, or a bulge in the hose wall
• A kink that will not straighten, or a flattened section
• Couplings that are bent, cracked, corroded, or will not seal even with a new washer
• A taste or smell that does not go away after flushing
• Any time it has been used for anything other than drinking water, such as rinsing a tank or washing the RV
• Discoloration or slime inside the hose that sanitizing does not clear

Washers wear out much sooner than hoses. Replace them whenever a coupling drips, and keep a few spares with your hose.

Do You Need a Heated Hose in Cold Weather?

Only if you stay hooked up to city water through nights that drop well below freezing. Water expands as it freezes, and the University of Missouri Extension notes that expanding water can break pipes. A hose full of water is no different. For a night or two around freezing, many RVers simply disconnect the hose, drain it, and run off the fresh tank and the water pump until it warms up.

For longer cold stays, a heated hose keeps water flowing, but it has limits you should know before you buy.

• Check the rating. Camco sells heated hoses rated to minus 20 F and minus 40 F. Buy for the coldest night you expect, not the average.
• Protect the spigot and the inlet. The heated hose does not heat the campground water riser or your RV's water inlet. Insulate the spigot or wrap it with heat tape, and keep your RV's underbelly warm. Our RV skirting guide explains how skirting helps.
• Use a GFCI-protected outlet and follow the manual. Heated hose maker PIRIT, for example, says plainly in its user guide that the hose is not designed to protect your water supply from freezing, and tells owners to plug only into a GFCI-protected circuit and not to use extension cords. Check the instructions for your hose.
• Leave the thermostat in the open air. PIRIT notes that the thermostat must be exposed to the outside temperature to work. Do not bury it under snow or insulation.
• Store it indoors after winter. Drain and unplug it when you're not using it.

If you are putting the RV away for the season instead, see how to winterize an RV.

What Are the Most Common RV Water Hose Problems?

Most hose trouble comes down to a handful of causes. Start with the cheapest fix in each row before you buy anything new.

Quick Answers

Where to Go Next

Your hose is one part of the system. Set the pressure first with an RV water pressure regulator, clean up taste and sediment with an RV water filter, and make sure the tank side keeps up with the best RV water pump. If a fitting gives way while you are away, an RV water leak detector can warn you before the floor soaks up the water.