Can you safely get fresh water from a stream with a pump?

[ArmyOfSquirrels]

I saw a triple filter from ClearSource (IIRC) that even does virus now too. I want to be as self sufficient as possible on my own and not rely on hook ups and society as much. I know thats a very tall order with the RV lifestyle but I'm innovative I'm certain I can make it work. I have a berkey Water Filter for my drinking water but what about the fresh water tank it would take hours to fill it with the berkey royal. How do you boondockers get your fresh water? My idea was the triple filter and a small 12v water pump to draw it in.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SX5RPG6/?tag=rvf01-20

and

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L54HB83/?tag=rvf01-20

 

[FL-JOE]

We have always double filtered plus run it through an On-The-Go softener and I still am selective about what water source I will drink as we travel. Generally speaking we don't consume much water out of our tank or campground hookup, generally get gallon jugs from Walmart.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

The answer is Yes/No. I think I posted this before. For example only I will use the mask. Science says that viruses are so small that it requires a hazmat suit to keep them out, and masks will not do the job. This is to say the pours are so large they will not stop the intended pathogen. If the filter passes salts then it will likely pass viruses. That said viruses are not usually passed in water so the idea is moot.

Even my RO unit is not intended for non-potable water. However 20 minutes of Ozone bubbled thru the water will kill 99.9 percent of all living organisms in the water. followed by a carbon block filter to remove those little nasties will render even poor quality swamp water safe to drink. Do the research don't take my word for it. EPA will have your data for you.

 

[FL-JOE]

Back in our boating days we would spend summer vacations up on the Great Lakes. There were a couple great areas that we could anchor in for several days. Problem was we only held 100 gallons of fresh water so much more than 3 days of showering and dishwashing we needed water. I had a simple 12v pump I hooked up to garden hose and hung over the side to fill my fresh water tank. However, keep in mind that this water is fresh water that you can see about 20 feet down. We didn't drink from that tank and I added bleach to it.

We only did this because it was the only way we could stay out on anchor. With an RV it is easy to move almost anywhere to get a free easy water fill.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Back in our boating days we would spend summer vacations up on the Great Lakes. There were a couple great areas that we could anchor in for several days. Problem was we only held 100 gallons of fresh water so much more than 3 days of showering and dishwashing we needed water. I had a simple 12v pump I hooked up to garden hose and hung over the side to fill my fresh water tank. However, keep in mind that this water is fresh water that you can see about 20 feet down. We didn't drink from that tank and I added bleach to it.

We only did this because it was the only way we could stay out on anchor. With an RV it is easy to move almost anywhere to get a free easy water fill.

Yah @FL-JOE I hear you. But I am Assuming that @ArmyOfSquirrels has places he likes the way I do. I go deep in, locations you would likely be looking for a turn-around that you would not find. 22+miles of rough dirt road, and steep cliffs, to those, well, maybe pristine spots with a stream or lake, but over an hour of slow going to get out, or in.

It's funny, The Great Lakes intimidate me. At the same time we would find an anchorage in the sea that we would not see another soul for a month. During that time our 75 gallon tank still had water in it when we went back to port, go figure.

We haul 55gal. barrel with water when we go in, but we hope to stay longer than it lasts. We bubble the water in the 55 gallon tank if we pull from the lake. Now you know why I say bigger is not better.

 

[Joe Hogan]

Here is the CDCs take on drinking water ...

Making Water Safe in an Emergency

Not sure if your water source will be safe after an emergency? Learn how to treat it before using it.

www.cdc.gov

 

[Joe Hogan]

And some other options

Survive the great outdoors by making your own drinkable water

In the wilderness, fighting dehydration by collecting water from streams or springs is often necessary. But a single sip from that crystal clear, ice-cold flow could mean uncomfortable gastrointestinal distress that will have you running to dig a cat hole every 30 minutes.

www.popsci.com

 

[Joe Hogan]

And there is the technical way

Puretec Industrial Water | Deionized Water Services and Reverse Osmosis Systems

Puretec Industrial Water provides water treatment equipment and services including deionized water and soft water services, and reverse osmosis systems.

puretecwater.com

 

[Kevin D Pem]

And if you want to dig deep into the rabbit hole consider reading this site complete from first to last.

Industrial water treatment - Mellifiq Academy

www.ozone-academy.com

This:

https://naturalscientificsolutionsinc.com/

This:

Ozone Water Treatment for Residential Applications

This article originally appeared in WQP July 2020 issue as "Get in the Zone"

www.wqpmag.com

And although I don't trust what I read on this site because of bias:

Portable water purification - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[FL-JOE]

Yah @FL-JOE I hear you. But I am Assuming that @ArmyOfSquirrels has places he likes the way I do. I go deep in, locations you would likely be looking for a turn-around that you would not find. 22+miles of rough dirt road, and steep cliffs, to those, well, maybe pristine spots with a stream or lake, but over an hour of slow going to get out, or in.

It's funny, The Great Lakes intimidate me. At the same time we would find an anchorage in the sea that we would not see another soul for a month. During that time our 75 gallon tank still had water in it when we went back to port, go figure.

We haul 55gal. barrel with water when we go in, but we hope to stay longer than it lasts. We bubble the water in the 55 gallon tank if we pull from the lake. Now you know why I say bigger is not better.

If ArmyOfSquirrels is after that type of water usage, like driving an hour or more into a remote area to camp for extended periods, then I suspect there would be better options rather than pumping stream water into his fresh water RV system IMHO. A hanging solar shower comes to mine, very inexpensive and takes up very little room. A empty barrel to haul in and store the pumped water in would also be a better option I would think. It would just make me uncomfortable pumping raw unknown untreated water from a stream or river into any RV fresh water system no matter if you are drinking from it or not.

If you take showing inside the RV out of the equation and just use your closed RV fresh water system for toilets and minor sink duties then a fresh water tank could actually last a very long time. It would be an interesting experiment.