UltraHeat® RV Gate Valve Heaters

Freeze Protection for One of Your RV's Most Important Components

 

Your RV's gate valves play a critical role in your holding tank system. If a gate valve freezes in the closed position, you cannot empty your holding tanks, which can quickly turn the end of an enjoyable trip into a frustrating experience.

When we describe UltraHeat® Gate Valve Heaters, we often compare them to the spare tire in your car or truck. You rarely need it, but when you do, you'll be glad it's there.

Unlike holding tank and pipe heaters that may operate throughout cold weather, Gate Valve Heaters are designed for occasional use—only when freezing temperatures prevent the dump valve from opening.

 

A Situation Many RV Owners Have Experienced

 

Imagine you've packed up your RV after a great weekend. It's cold, windy, and you're ready to head home. Before leaving the campground, you stop at the dump station, connect the sewer hose, and prepare to empty your gray and black holding tanks.

You pull on the dump valve handle...

Nothing happens.

The valve is frozen shut.

Meanwhile, other RVs are waiting behind you, and now you're trying to decide what to do next. Do you wait for warmer weather? Find a hair dryer? Attempt to disassemble the valve? None of these are practical solutions when you're standing at the dump station on a freezing morning.

This is exactly the situation UltraHeat® Gate Valve Heaters were designed to prevent.

 

Designed for Rapid Thawing

 

UltraHeat® Gate Valve Heaters utilize a high-output heating panel engineered to deliver concentrated heat directly to the gate valve body. The heater rapidly transfers heat through the thicker plastic housing to thaw the frozen internal slide tracks that prevent the valve from opening.

Because of their high heat output, these heaters are intended for short-term operation only.

Simply switch the heater ON for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, or until the valve moves freely. Once the valve has been released, switch the heater OFF and empty your holding tanks as you normally would.

UltraHeat® Gate Valve Heaters are designed primarily for Valterra® gate valves—the most commonly used gate valves in the RV industry—as well as similar valve designs featuring smooth, flat exterior surfaces on the three sides of the valve body.

 

Installation Recommendations

 

Gate Valve Heaters must be controlled independently from all other UltraHeat® heating products.

A dedicated ON/OFF switch (sold separately) should be installed exclusively for the gate valve heaters. For convenience, we recommend mounting the switch inside a nearby compartment close to the dump valves while keeping it separate from the controls used for holding tank and pipe heating systems.

Independent control ensures the heaters are used only when needed and prevents unnecessary heating.

 

Inspect Your Gate Valve Installation

 

While evaluating your freeze protection system, it's also important to inspect how the gate valve is installed.

The gate tower—the section extending from the drain pipe where the valve blade retracts when opened—should be installed so it angles upward toward the underside of the RV.

If the gate tower is installed level or angles downward toward the ground, small amounts of liquid can collect inside the tower. During freezing weather, this trapped liquid may freeze and prevent the gate valve from opening.

Gate Valve Heaters are designed to heat the valve body itself and are not intended to heat the gate tower.

If your gate tower is installed level or at a downward angle, wrapping an UltraHeat® Pipe or Elbow Heater around the tower has proven to be an effective method for preventing or thawing ice accumulation in this area.

 

Confidence When Temperatures Drop

 

Cold-weather RVing shouldn't leave you stranded at the dump station with a frozen gate valve.

UltraHeat® Gate Valve Heaters provide fast, dependable thawing when you need it most, allowing you to empty your holding tanks safely and get back on the road. It's protection you'll rarely need—but when you do, you'll appreciate having it.