RV water filters

[Kevin D Pem]

How are you filtering your water? I was surprised when this youtube Chanel put this topic on his video. He focused on fluoride, but the video has a few shockers of it's own. I have posted on this topic in the past, but I am now concerned about other problems as we travel it is not an option to test the water everywhere we fill the tank.

I fill my tank and always use the on board system for the water in house. I have made some new changes to my system, and that only after this video, is the reason for my post.

What I have added to the system to remove more of the modern contaminants only added to our water supplies in the last year. You must know my typical water comes from local wells, so fluoride is only an issue for me if it is of natural source.

I added a second cartridge carbon block filter to my fill hose. I also added a flow restrictor to allow more time the water is in contact with the carbon block filters. More information about my system can be found in a post on topic here on rvf

 

[mjeds]

I am still working out water filtration for my RV, your posts have been helpful.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

Putting aside the fluoride part of the post, which has been debated for decades (in our family we work to avoid it), there are so many water contaminants now. Lead, cysts, pfas/pfos, other metals, herbicides, insecticides, etc. Hundreds… can be overwhelming.

We use 2 of the “big blue” style filters (4.5” x 10”) in series. This is a hugely popular filter size and as new filters are developed and as we move around to different areas we can switch the types of filters we use.

In some areas the water has obvious signs of high iron or sulphur. The location will sometimes cause us to change the type of filter in the first canister, changing from wound to pleated or changing micron size. Pleated can be washable and reusable which we like when in an area of high visible contaminants/sediment. But in very warm climates we might switch to a cheaper wound sediment filter to avoid algae build up, and replace the filter more often.

2nd filter is usually a block carbon filter type and we sometimes vary that size, from 5 microns down to 1.

 

[AbdRahim]

Problem is you need a DP to carry all of this stuff, water filter system water softener, etc.

I was using the blue filter on the hose, followed by the Clearsource dual filter and finally the whole house fil;ter that is in the wet bay. Now I have to get a water softener, which means ditching the Clearsource due to lack of room.

 

[DennisT]

We use the Clearsource three filter setup which includes the anti-bacterial as the last filter.

Following that we have our 16k grain water softener.

Also have the coach filter in place as a final before coming inside.

 

[Tnedator]

Problem is you need a DP to carry all of this stuff, water filter system water softener, etc.

I was using the blue filter on the hose, followed by the Clearsource dual filter and finally the whole house fil;ter that is in the wet bay. Now I have to get a water softener, which means ditching the Clearsource due to lack of room.

Why would you swap out the clearsource for water softener? For me, I would much prefer clean water to soft water.

 

[rvkev]

How are you filtering your water?

I simply have a household Reverse Osmosis system. The system has a carbon filter to keep chlorine out of the Reverse Osmosis Membrane and a final carbon filter to finalize the water before going to a 1.5 gallon storage tank. I do not drink from the tap, but only from the Reverse Osmosis tap. I also run Reverse Osmosis water to the ice cube maker. The brine water is returned to my secondary fresh water tank. The water pump in the coach will produce enough pressure to make water while not hooked to any outside source.

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I have "onboard Reverse Osmosis water."

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I also test the water with a Total Dissolved Solids electronic meter for fun when I hook up to fresh water. Keep in mind an electronic meter may not find some compounds. Some dissolved solids do not conduct electricity. Total Dissolved Solids meters will give you an idea how much water changes from place to place.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Very interesting!
I tried to avoid the fluoride issue. I thought I could skirt that topic, but guess that was not going to happen.

According to experts in the field fluoride is toxic! Considered a waist product that has guides on it's disposal. There is no debate about that..however if you go in for fluoride treatments, use most brands of toothpaste, you are receiving more fluoride than the maximum acceptable dose. So that part of this topic fails any revelance.
For the record, however, bone char filters, Ozone water treatment, and distillation, are the only way known to remove it from the water(correction: bone char filters simply make fluoride inert, they don't remove it). I knew that the mouth absorbs chemicals, but didn't think about the entire body's roll as a membrane.

At this time, like some others, I am grounded. Finances have me locked down, my water supply is a well. That means short of natural fluoride, I have no worries mate!

Poisons in ground water is of possible concern due to the over 100 toxic spills across the US in the past year alone! Last one that I heard about was on the Yellowstone River, but I digress.

Looks like many use what I suggest!

This is my Lowes goto, a carbon block filter! Honestly, I don't use anything else except my RO, and Ozone bubbling tank.
Don't suppose you would cart around a 50 gallon pickle barrel the way I do, so you can bubble with Ozone!!! Yes I have my reasons, I bubble far enough away to limit rubber checking. I hear that very little Ozone escapes the drum, but better safe than sorry! I was told that using the fresh water tank would not present a problem, but you know?

A simple search about the toxins that have found their way into our water supply would scare the b______s out of most of us, our defense is a hole house carbon block filter system. The filters above combine sediment, and carbon block. If you replaced all filters in your multi station systems with these filters, you would have dealt with what this post was trying to address. Adding a bone char filter would address the fluoride issue. However if you still use toothpaste with fluoride, it will do you no good!

I also see concerns about antimicrobial issues. The least expensive answer is copper! Yes copper, not stainless steel, not PEX. It is really easy to find copper foil in the local hardware store. If you roll up a sheet and put it in the filter canister along with the carbon block filter, you have the answer!!!

I'm glad I got so many thinking. May God be with you all!!!

 

[jbh]

I added a pair of filters back in 2009 both to remove bugs and odd tastes. I use an ordinary string-wound sediment filter and an NSF-53 carbon block filter and change both every six months or so. A third cannister containing a "south of the border" super-duper filter could be added. Seems to work; we're still kicking.

Beware that hoses can grow mold and even chunky green algae, so put the filters last in line before the water inlet and use the shortest hose possible to the inlet. Collapsible hoses are the worst because they never completely empty and dry out.

The Clearsource rig is grossly, grossly overpriced. Compare to The Water Filter Store and Amazon.

 

[AbdRahim]

Why would you swap out the clearsource for water softener? For me, I would much prefer clean water to soft water.

Crude build up in faucets hard residue in toilet which is difficult to scrub away. No room to carry both.

 

[Tnedator]

Crude build up in faucets hard residue in toilet which is difficult to scrub away. No room to carry both.

Understood. That's a tough one, clean plumbing or body. I'm actually about to get a fifth wheel to keep permanently parked at a Lake about an hour from home, as I had leaving my Newmar up there during the week when I go home, with storms and stuff that could mess it up.

I'm wrestling with what to do, including the fact filters and filtered water (if chlorine has been removed) tend to get real nasty when they sit in the heat with no water movement.

Clean water in these rigs, especially when you use them infrequently, and with limited space, is a pain.

 

[Joe Hogan]

Here is another source of medical issues, Aluminum. It is used in a variety of prescription medications as a preservative as well as being found in drinking water. Ugh...

Dangers of Aluminum as a Preservative | Safe Alternatives

What are the dangers of aluminum as a preservative? Discover where aluminum is commonly found, and what are safe alternatives to aluminum.

natureslinkwellness.com

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Here is another source of medical issues, Aluminum. It is used in a variety of prescription medications as a preservative as well as being found in drinking water. Ugh...

Dangers of Aluminum as a Preservative | Safe Alternatives

What are the dangers of aluminum as a preservative? Discover where aluminum is commonly found, and what are safe alternatives to aluminum.

natureslinkwellness.com

There you did it! You've gone and talked about meds in the water , all the more reason to worry about poison in our water and what we should do to keep it clean in our little bubble!!!

 

[LMHS]

NM has a very high level of arsenic in the ground water. We don't drink the tap water at all, anywhere, not just in NM. I filter with a spin-down sediment filter then a 0.5micron filter that removes cysts (amongst many other things). We buy water at 25¢ per gallon at a Twice The Ice dispenser. Watermill Express is selling water for the same price. Primo/Glacier just raised their prices up to 35¢ per gallon. I have 4 three-gallon water jugs plus 1 three gallon jug for the dog. We (2 people) go 3 or 4 days on a 3 gallon jug if I am not cooking things that require water (or just avoiding cooking completely). We put the empty jugs in the back of the jeep and when we are in town or going past one of the cheaper water dispensers, we fill whatever jugs are in the back. We use RO water for cooking, drinking and brushing teeth. We use "regular" water to flush the toilet, shower, wash dishes and do laundry.

I almost lost a dog and cat to giardia cysts from "potable water" in a TN RV park. The cat never fully recovered from it. That is not something I will risk again. We all drink RO water. The only exception is if I were at my Mom's house in NC. I know her well is good.

I'm not saying everyone should be filtering their water. That is a personal decision. I'm just saying what works for us. The only catch to how we are doing our water is we have to know where we can refill jugs at. To that end, I built a POI file that I uploaded to a Google "My Maps" with locations of water fill stations in areas that we go to and travel thru. To me, it's no different than making the effort to find a campground/rv park, a fuel station or a favourite restaurant. Except that no one seems to have POI files for RO water fill stations. Still, it wasn't all that difficult since we don't travel in very many states.

 

[rvkev]

How do you know the water you purchase is better than the tap water?

 

[LMHS]

How do you know the water you purchase is better than the tap water?

#1 It's RO water. I specifically buy RO water. I want it filtered to death. I'm not looking for "spring water". I know that I am buying city water that has been run thru an RO filtration system.

#2 In NM, the dispensers are tested by the local health depts to make sure they are filtering and changing filters like they claim. We used to run a food cart and we knew one of the heath inspectors quite well plus we were buying our ice from a guy who was fanatical about the local water, we learned a lot about water from him). I'm assuming all states do that. We vended food in NC, GA, TX & NM. Health Depts required us to use ice and water from tested/certified sources. TX has the 2nd toughest food service rules in the US (CA being #1 but many of their rules are idiotic and are aimed at lining someone's pockets). When we built our food cart, we built to TX state code for food trucks and then operated per the same guidelines even though we were in NC at the time.

#3 Unless they are making mega lies about their filtering, Twice The Ice, Windmill Express and Primo/Glacier all have the info on their websites. I always check out the company that brands the water dispenser. The internet is great for that. The three listed are pretty much the only ones I use. We knew a Twice The Ice machine owner in GA where he told us all about the filtration. They had sucky water there. It either smelled like the nearby river (fishy) or it smelled like pesticides. And I kept getting sick from the water. That was when I built my first filter system which consisted of a spin down sediment filter and a DB2 filter that I chose because it filtered out the specific pesticides they were using on the crops we were surrounded by. It wasn't until the giardia episode that we completely switched to RO water by the jug. My little filter combo works okay for water we don't ingest.

Twice The Ice Twice Pure Water - Refreshingly Pure, Purely Chilled - Twice the Ice
Windmill Express Water – Watermill Express
Primo/Glacier Primo® Water Refill Stations | At Grocery Stores Near You!

It wouldn't be hard to get better water than local ground water. There's a lot of nasty stuff in NM water. The water has so much lime in it that it EATS metal, you replace faucets, shower heads and water heaters every couple of years. With all the old abandoned mines, oil wells and dairy/feedlots, there is no telling what's in the water.

And it's not just NM. We knew ahead of time to not drink the tap water in Lubbock TX. We went over for a few days with a full fresh tank ("home" park water run thru a filter) and filled the 3 gallon jug we keep in the truck camper before leaving. I also learned to not drink anything that could possibly be made with the local unfiltered stinky water (the water smells like an oil field and the colour is... off). The ice tea was horrible. I carried a refillable bottle of water and my little raspberry tea water additive everywhere, including into restaurants. They weren't surprised.

As for "city" water, I know what my 0.5 micron filter looked like when I would change it. The town below us has "boil" warnings several times per year. For Roswell, it tends to be "oops, too late, that would have been for yesterday, never mind, carry on". And the water lines break pretty often, especially in the winter because they are so shallow.

The TN park where my dog and cat got sick off the so-called potable water, never published that they had bad water. We were still in the area for several months after we stayed there. I used to live near a park in NC that would fail the water test several times a year, every year. We knew because if a park failed their test (they always had giardia cysts) the park had to post a notice in the local paper. Like my husband once commented, it wasn't much help to the folks who filled their tanks and left over a month ago. Occasionally we would run into someone who stayed there and we would comment on the failed tests. They were always horrified and ignorant of the failed tests. And they were often having a bit of "stomach flu". I can understand their shock. We lived in an area that bottled and shipped "pure mountain spring water" regionally. Most wells and springs had great water.

Like I said before, you do what you are comfortable with. Water purity is a personal thing. This is what works for me for now and I have given all the reasons and explanations for my choices. I may have just been unlucky with my water. Our home well in FL had a slight amount of iron and lime in it and I used to drink water from the artisan wells in the orange grove, which tended to be mildly sulphured. That kind of water is okay for me. Well, maybe not any more since I haven't drank tap water from anywhere, except my Moms house in NC, in decades. It's the pesticides, poisons and cysts that I object to. And I'm not going to search for a water quality report for someplace that I am passing thru.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

@LMHS thank you for that!!! I don't know why, but I am tired of being asked where my tin hat is, by the uninformed!!!

Ultimately, it is their choice, but I do get tired of trying to inform, and being slammed, or censored for offering information. Some people think that stuff only happens on social media, but that is false!!

When I bought water, Walmart machines were not tested or maintained in my location. Just saying!!!

 

[team bradfield]

we buy bottled water, Ice Mountain or Arrowhead preferred

 

[AbdRahim]

Never heard of water fill stations. Will have to look into this.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

South West they are a thing