Water filtration systems

[Marce]

Was curious to hear thoughts on Water filtration systems for people who prefer to NOT travel with drinking water.  Is a Reverse Osmosis System worth the $$ over a standard system? Any insights are appreciated.

[Jim_Oker]

I don't have a knowledgeable answer here but I wonder if a carbon filter cartridge plus UV type under sink filter plus a two-stage filter that gets out cysts and things like chlorine when filling the water tank or hooked up to "city water" would suffice. These  folks have a decent range of offerings at prices that aren't as marked up as some of the  heavily marketed filter solutions btw https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/rv-water-filters-and-systems-rv-water-filter-store

[Galway Girl]

For drinking water, we've found that no matter how hard you try to keep the Fresh Tank clean, there's always the chance that things will grow in the tank, especially in the hot summer weather.

So our regimen is to clean the fresh tank 2x per year, and for the fresh tank, we always use a 2 or 3 stage filter for water going INTO the tank, and for all drinking water we use a countertop Berkey Travel Size (1.5 Gal) System .  

The Berkey sits right beside our sink and provides plenty of water each day for 2-4 people.  

You can check out water filters at the Amazon Oliver Trailer Outfitters list here:  https://amzn.to/2mAAgPO

Here's our travel blog for other tips and mods you may find interesting:  https://4-ever-hitched.com

 

The Travel Size (1.5Gal) Berkey fits perfectly on either the counter next to the sink, or also on the Bathroom Counter.

 

Clearsource (and Amazon) sell two and three stage high flow rate filters that include both a Sediment Filter and a Carbon Block filter for removing chemicals and improving the taste. These filter frames fit perfectly inside the side storage bay.

Two stage Clearsource Filter holder shown in side bay.
Filters removed to reveal plenty of room in back for 2 large milk carton containers (6 Gal and 4 Gal). and a small 1.5 Gal Bucket.

 

[John E Davies]

You can overthink this issue, sure you don't want nasties going into the fresh tank. I try not to refill from suspect water sources, like wells, or fresh taps located right next to sewer dumps. Treated chlorinated city water is much safer. Of course you can't always count on that. I use a cheap blue Camco disposable filter for these times, and I just do not drink directly out of the fresh tank, ever, only after filtering it first inside the trailer.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4376-7-cup-pur-water-pitcher-fits-neatly-in-pantry-affordable-filters/

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[SeaDawg]

@Galway Girl, did you add that pretty two function  pull down faucet, or is it standard in the new trailers?

We capture and store rainwater, at home. We have a multi-stage filter system, ending with .5 micron to the kitchen only, plus uv treatment. We don't filter water to the toilets as extensively, just down to 5 microns.  Our home plumbing is on a branched system, with every run having its own shutoff.

RO wastes more water than you get, unless you contrive some kind of fancy recapture system. 

I bought my mom an Alexapure  (big, like a big Berkey), and a small Pur pitcher (with the plus filter) for drinking water and cooking. She actually prefers the water from the Pur,  and, so do I. I have a calendar for changing the filters on my phone. The filters are relatively inexpensive,  and even though they're a bit wasteful,  it's more eco-friendly than bottled water.

Like many others, we carry water from home,  and on long trips, refill jugs and the tank from trusted sources,  only.

 

[SteveCr]

Three filters:  20 micron from Camco plus 5 micron and 0.5 micron from Beech Lane...then regulator....but internal consumption is in case of emergency only. We carry separate drinking/cooking water. Overkill? Not sure, but I've had several really bad experiences from international travel. So, I don't mind a few bucks and 5 minutes of setup.

 

[Galway Girl]

@SeaDawg  the faucet was standard in our 2019 EII

[Jim and Frances]

Ok - I used to drink out of the garden hose, so my brain may already be damaged...just saying. RO systems are great - but require super good pre-filters and lots of power.  We opted for cartridge style filtration.  Here is what we are planning to use.  We are not water sanitation experts and this is a very confusing topic for those of us who aren't - pore size vs. charged particle capture, carbon vs. nanofilament, NSF/ANSI certifications and their actual meaning....

This is coupled with the fact that each of our bodies are different in terms of what they can tolerate - I have a buddy that can drink pond scum no problem.  Long gone are my days of drinking straight from a spigot or garden hose with my aged gastrointestinal tract!

[Jim_Oker]

FYI I got e coli fun from drinking water at Tumalo State Park in Oregon some years back. The morning after our first day there, they put up a  "boil water!!" notice on all bathrooms and water taps. I saw it after a morning  of writhing in cramp ridden agony due to the water I'd drunk the day prior. A hydrogeologist friend who does groundwater work for the state of Washington told me that in her experience State Park water supplies are dodgy. She explained that their systems are big enough  to be tricky to keep clean but too  small for them do have a dedicated water system expert dealing with  the  potential issues. So they are in a sweet spot for infected supplies, and she's seen multiple cases in WA state parks. I asked the  ranger I saw later that morning at Tumalo how often they test, and she said "once a month, but don't worry if you were drinking  water before today as we didn't see a positive result until  this morning!" Remember that they'd not tested for a month before that morning, so this gives you an idea of how clear the logic can be on the part of the folks responsible for keeping these supplies in good shape.

Thankfully the sort of e coli you will  tend to get from this sort of water supply  is NOT typically as bad as the stuff that kills people who eat lettuce at fast food chains etc. It only makes you have digestive fun for many months on end afterwards. Suffice it to say I do not drink unfiltered state park water any more. You can pay more elsewhere for more heavily marketed systems as I mentioned above, but I got one of these (you  can likely create something similar from parts from a HW store for even less but I found buying this fully set up to be worth a small premium). I use this for both filling our drinking water jugs as well as filling our Oliver's  tank from any supply I'm not fully confident of.

I'm still wary of drinking significant amounts of water from my Oliver tank given the taste. We use portable jugs for our drinking water (including coffee) and use the Oliver tank water for showering and dishwashing etc. I have wondered if one of these systems ($$$!) would both remove the plastic flavor as well as protect against  any critters my amateur sanitizing regimen might still allow to exist in the system. I know that a pitcher or something like the Berkey would  cost less but damn it's convenient to be able to just get clean fresh drinking  water from a faucet and it looks like I might be able to fit this in under the sink. And it doesn't appear to have too big a power draw. Could even be put on a switched line to eliminate any phantom draw...

BTW I like a system that filters both particles and has a carbon element for filtering  out at least some chemicals (including chlorine!). I have such a system under my sink at home that feeds a separate filtered water tap, and the water for sure tastes better than what comes from our tap, especially in warmer months when they seem to increase the chlorine load in our water  supply.

[Corvus]

We use the Hydroblu Pressurized Jerry Can Water Filter. We have a Burke system at home but find the Hydroblu better suited for camping. The particle and carbon filters are modular and can be replaced separately.

[VBistro]

On 7/21/2021 at 11:13 AM, Jim and Frances said:

Ok - I used to drink out of the garden hose, so my brain may already be damaged...just saying. RO systems are great - but require super good pre-filters and lots of power.  We opted for cartridge style filtration.  Here is what we are planning to use.  We are not water sanitation experts and this is a very confusing topic for those of us who aren't - pore size vs. charged particle capture, carbon vs. nanofilament, NSF/ANSI certifications and their actual meaning....

This is coupled with the fact that each of our bodies are different in terms of what they can tolerate - I have a buddy that can drink pond scum no problem.  Long gone are my days of drinking straight from a spigot or garden hose with my aged gastrointestinal tract!

I read your blog post on the US Water filtration system.  Are you using this as a "whole house" filtration system, or just in-line to the sink faucet? Do you have details on where in the Ollie this system can fit?  We have a similar system in our current sprinter van, and LOVE having fresh, good-tasting water at the ready.

Thanks!

[Jim and Frances]

Hi VBistro.  I have all my fresh water "stuff" in a single milk crate.  Since we don't pick up our LEII for a couple of weeks, I can't tell you exactly where we are going to put it.  Was hoping it would fit in the basement, but I think it may be too tall (19.5" sitting in the crate).  I am hoping the 16" basement dimension given  is for the door and the actual roof of the basement is a couple inches higher??   I have stops on each end of the filter assembly so I could lay it on its side if needed.  I will let you know in a couple of weeks.

 

 

[Trainman]

I'm not too big on water filter systems, just have that Blue Filter and that works for me. I know many like a much better filter system and if that's your choice, go for it. Just one more thing and why you can't be a Minimalist Camper.

 

trainman

[Jim and Frances]

1 hour ago, Trainman said:

I'm not too big on water filter systems, just have that Blue Filter and that works for me. I know many like a much better filter system and if that's your choice, go for it. Just one more thing and why you can't be a Minimalist Camper.

LOL I wish I could. I have a very "sensitive" digestive system that does not deal well with much of anything - maybe it's a build up from all that "hose drinkin" I did as a kid 😉