CLEARSOURCE WATER FILTER

[Big Hiller]

Anyone tried the Clearwater Filter?  Would like to hear your thoughts if you have.  Thanks!

[SeaDawg]

I've never seen that brand. Could you post a link? Is this a faucet filter? Rv inline filter?

Thanks. Sherry 

 

 

[Big Hiller]

Sure!  It is inline and seems to be great engineering.   It is expensive initially but really grabs the small stuff in water that makes us sick....   Here is a link:

https://www.clearsourcerv.com/products/premium-external-rv-water-filter-system?variant=7928179097657&currency=USD&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyp7yBRCwARIsABfQsnSgMoVpnPY0sOSLG0z1uAyMDHvM_WWotRvRI5Ya2eiE2xVc4jtUSmQaAnPBEALw_wcB

[mossemi]

This is my home made water filter from common water equipment available at HD, Lowe’s or Amazon.

Mossey

[The Shackelfords]

Mossemi, 

That is absolutely amazing, and you probably saved me a lot of money. How many microns does it filter down to?

[Galway Girl]

We use the Clearsource for our Oliver.  
My reason for spending a bit more is that I wanted the actual stand which is powder coated non rusting.
It fits in the front part of the storage area perfectly laying flat, leaving room on top for another bin, electrical cords etc. 
I put quick connects on the Filter, and use a short 2' hose to connect it to the trailer, and it can actually be  tucked up under the trailer while camping.

Pix Below:

In the basement area I have the Clearsource, a  (6 Gal) and (4 Gal) milk carton for storage and 1 gal bucket and flush hose.
(I removed the filters from the stand in this picture below so you could see through to the back of the storage area.)

 

As Mossemi says above, It's entirely possible to make the same filter out of components you buy from Home Depot or Lowes as mentioned above.
To make that filter, you should have the flow go first through a sediment filter then into a finer carbon block filter which removes order and tastes (like a Brita.)

2 hours ago, mossemi said:

This is my home made water filter from common water equipment available at HD, Lowe’s or Amazon.

Mossey

 

In any case...this is what we have and hope it helps you see how it might be useful in your travels.

 

 

[mossemi]

3 hours ago, The Shackelfords said:

Mossemi, 

That is absolutely amazing, and you probably saved me a lot of money. How many microns does it filter down to?

I spent about $100 and you just pick your filter cartridges to fit your needs.  I don’t think any water filtration company has any better quality filters than you or I can purchase online or locally.

I don’t drink tap water or cook with it as I have a preference for distilled water and usually start our trips with 8 gallons of water distilled at home and resupply as needed while on the road.

Mossey

[mossemi]

As I have said before, with the limited space in our SUV, I really like to carry items that serve multiple needs while camping.

Pictures of my filter stand and storage container.

Mossey

[Galway Girl]

Very cool...like the simplicity and dual use of your crate fitting between the two filters as a stand!

[mossemi]

Thank you ctshort09!

Mossey

[Big Hiller]

Very cool!   Thank you all!

 

[Mainiac]

I use a single housing from HomeD, and put a combo filter into it. I made a fold up stand to hold it.  Though in thinking about it I am not sure if has to be upright. It does keep it cleaner. We also use a short SS braided washing machine hose to hook to the Oliver. It may not be needed, but it looks good. I was thinking that all campgrounds usually have regulated and inspected water sources and delivery systems. But the filter was a backup safety device.

On the other hand, what about boondocking? We do sanitize the holding tank when needed, and at wakeup. The question is is where do we get the water to fill the holding tank? Does everyone use the filter when filling that tank?  If you pull up to a distant spout do you bother to hook up the filter? What about when you fill from a bucket or container? Would/does the pump have enough power to suck through the filter (or two) from a bucket?

[mossemi]

On 2/21/2020 at 8:00 PM, Mainiac said:

 I was thinking that all campgrounds usually have regulated and inspected water sources and delivery systems. But the filter was a backup safety device.

On the other hand, what about boondocking? We do sanitize the holding tank when needed, and at wakeup. The question is is where do we get the water to fill the holding tank? Does everyone use the filter when filling that tank?  If you pull up to a distant spout do you bother to hook up the filter? What about when you fill from a bucket or container? Would/does the pump have enough power to suck through the filter (or two) from a bucket?

I don’t ever remember having our well water at home tested, so I’m not sure how often that happens at campgrounds.  I do wish they would clean the bathrooms and showers though.
I can tell you that the distiller I use at home for cooking and drinking water has a stainless pot that the water is heated in.  The pot requires periodic cleaning and the residue left from the distilling process is nasty.  I am confident that the distiller is doing its job.

We rarely ever use the city water connection as I prefer filling the fresh water tank and using the onboard pump.  This eliminates me walking away from the OTT and leaving a active water supply connected.  I do use either the large 2 canister filter or a small Camco filter whenever I fill the fresh water tank.
I have never used a filter when using the winterizing/Boondocking port, so no advice or experience on that issue.  I do use the look, smell and taste test on potable water sources and I will add a sanitizer if needed before pumping it into the tank.

[Overland]

We have a two-canister filter similar to the what Mossey posted but I’ve yet to use it.  Since we only use the onboard tank for showering and dish washing, the need to make sure that our water is 100% pure isn’t as great.  And we’ve found that even when boondocking there’s always an easier source of water nearby than trying to pull from a stream or something.  And then to add another issue, some previous posts have cast doubt on the onboard pump’s ability to pull water through these filters, a problem that I imagine would be significantly worse if you’re, say, trying to pull from a stream that’s lower or some distance away. I’d love to hear if someone has had success with that.

As for filling up while boondocking, we carry two 7-gallon portable containers in the truck, go fill up wherever is convenient, and then bring the water back to the trailer to fill.  I stole a trick from ScubaRx and made a short wand (2’ of pex and a garden hose fitting) for siphoning the water out of the containers.

I’m sure that campgrounds are required to test their water, though whether they actually do, or whether it tastes good even if it’s safe are good questions to ask.  There are some campgrounds we’ve been to where I would definitely not want to drink from the tap.  On the other hand, the camp water at Bryce tastes like Evian - très magnifique!

Edited February 23, 2020 by Overland

[Mainiac]

We tested our well when/before we bought the house. We have tested it twice since. At a campground we were at, for over a decade, the water was tested frequently. It had two water sources. Both were tested annually before legally opening for the season. One was tested monthly, and the other quarterly. The one that was tested monthly was because it was a chlorine added system, and the Stated wanted to be safe.

How other states regulate their campgrounds I am not sure. I question some when I can smell the sulfur, or the ph is out of whack, or color. When I find some "good stuff" I fill the tank and use that for cooking and such when hooked to questionable supplies.

[Going]

I have been looking at the Clearsource 3 stage filter as well.  I typically carry a 20 gal, polypropolyne container to fill at a water source then pull in to the tank from the rear port in camp sites with no site hook ups.  To Overlands point I do want to be able to pull from a stream or pond if necessary.  I am thinking a small DC transfer pump should pull the water through the filters and into my 20 gal tank (sitting on the back of my pickup).  Then from there use the on board pump to pull it in.  Any thoughts on this?  Last does anyone know if the 3 stage is enough to eliminate all negatives from a non potable water source to make it potable?  I know there other stages you can add such as a UV.

[Jim_Oker]

On 2/23/2020 at 9:09 AM, mossemi said:

I don’t ever remember having our well water at home tested, so I’m not sure how often that happens at campgrounds.  I do wish they would clean the bathrooms and showers though.

I'll relate a short (true) story. We were camped for some nights at the Tumalo State Park Campground near Bend for some nights some years back. We'd been there for two nights and had been  drinking some of the campground's water. In the wee hours of the second morning I woke up with some of the  most  intense cramps I'd ever felt. I won't go into any further detail about that morning but you  can likely  fill in the  blanks if you so choose. By 10AM that morning, a sign had  appeared on all  the bathroom doors and at the water spigots warning that testing had  shown e coli in their water system. Thankfully this sort of e coli isn't as dangerous as some of what appears in  the food supply chain from  time to time, but  I can assure you it's no fun and that while the  acute state for me tapered fairly quickly over the next week or so, that the effects lingered for a long time which the GI doc I eventually  consulted told me was typical (and if this ever happens to you, something like Pedialyte can be quite helpful in the acute stage and a good probiotic taken regularly  can be helpful with getting  your gut flora eventually back on track...). BTW I asked one of the park staff how often the  water was tested, after mentioning the fun I was having and she replied "oh, monthly, but this couldn't be what caused your stomach trouble as we just  tested it this morning!" (not really thinking through that I'd been at the park for a few days and their problem could have been happening for the better part of the past month...)

I mentioned this fun to a friend who works as a groundwater specialist for WA state (she's a hydrogeologist). She replied "Yeah I would not trust state park water - their water supply systems are often right the sweet spot for this sort of thing. They are real water systems but they aren't staffed sufficiently to have anyone with solid expertise on  running  such  systems, and thus there are lots of  this sort of problem." I have  no reason to  think that this is only an issue in WA or  OR, nor that this problem only exists at state park campgrounds. Some places  are on municipal water supplies which one would hope are in better shape, though even  there it can be a "do you feel  lucky, punk?" sort of deal. 

Edited September 23, 2020 by Jim_Oker

[Jim_Oker]

This thread reminds me of a question - has anyone worked out a good two-stage filtration setup at the  kitchen sink? When  I looked at a local Elite II  unit,  I didn't see what the space  was  like under/behind the sink to see if a small  unit could be installed there with perhaps a separate water spigot. 

I know many folks us a Britta or some such filtering  pitcher or canister/dispenser which  is of course another  option. 

Bearing in mind my comments about state park water systems  being a sweet spot for trouble, I have to  imagine the same will be true of my own water tank/lines in the Olly, even  if I always filter with setups like the ones discussed  here. I  can continue my habit of carrying clean containers of distilled water which is how we now roll  in our  camper van, but it would be sweet to have a simple seamless way of drawing reliable drinking water from the on board tank (w/o a pitcher style setup).