which water filter????

[lp5151]

I have internal water filters, but am wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a water filter to use between shore and motorhome? is there something that works reasonably well for hard water?

[Shadowcatche]

To deal with hard water you are into distillation or reverse osmosis or a water softener. I have a two stage water filter system. Two filters one used all of the time and is a combination of ceramic and carbon which is in a housing that is attached to the hose. The second filter is added on top of that which is a first need for when we are sucking water out of lakes or stream and I want all the potential nasties out and it is a NBC (nuclear biological chemical) filter with limited through put/capacity.

["007"]

Never worried about the hard water bit but have a whole house filter similar to the one you may have in your home.
Plus the sink and ice makers you have.

[Doug Sage]

Water filters will not remove hard water. The minerals are too small. Get either a water softener or a reverse osmosis system.

[Dick Noble]

Here is my 1 1/2 cents worth - I use two filters, one for the whole coach which hooks up outside that does not remove chlorine but removes most sediment, and an undersink one that removes chlorine. I want the chlorine in the coach lines but not in me.

[ralper]

As a retired plumber, I have a preference for the water filters that have a clear bowl. The cartridges are pretty much universal and interchangeable but not always. Do not let filters sit unused for very long as the cartridge will go foul and then foul the water when used again.

[TechWriter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lp5151 I have internal water filters, but am wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a water filter to use between shore and motorhome? is there something that works reasonably well for hard water?

Check out these guys: RV Water Filter Store: Standard Filter Canisters for Whole RV

[jfran304]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TechWriter Check out these guys: RV Water Filter Store: Standard Filter Canisters for Whole RV

Go to your local hardware store (Lowe's/Home Depot) and you will find all kinds of water filters/treatments at a lot cheaper prices.

Jon

[wa8yxm]

The best filter depends on the water coming out of the hydrant. I'm very serious about this... For example

To remove salt you need one kind of filter
To remove particulate another
To remove several other things yet a third.

And you already said you have internal filters,, So let's not duplicate effort.

You can get filters for a few (relative) dollars, say 25 of them, or you can spend hundreds, or .. More. Filters range from simple paper particulate filters, to carbon granual, to carbon block, to ceramic particulate, to Reverse Osmosis which is a very special case. the output of a R/O filter is very nearly distilled. To "Resin distilled" which is laboratory quality distilled. (I know, Have used same, In college physics lab)

But the bottom line is what you need as a filter depends on what you are filtering.

Personally, I use a home made carbon granual (Activated Charcoal) filter, It's nothing more than a piece of pipe, with drain 'Covers' in each end and a threaded coupling near one end, I stuff some common filter floss from Wall Mart's pet fish dept in the bottom, against the drain cover down there, then dump in a bottle of Activated Charcoal granuals, (Same source) More floss to fill the pipe, and screw the two parts together. This is what is called a "Taste and odor" filter. Does a fairly good job of catching larger particulates (The floss) and cleaning up most of what bothers me.

If I'm drinking it,, it runs through a BRITA filter inside the fridge (pitcher filter).

I have also had good luck with low cost (25 dollar range) filters from Wall Mart, and teh Camco filter (model ends in 90, CX-90 or some such) though the design of the housing means it tends to fail and frankly it reduced flow too much.

The particulate filters, and carbon block types, WILL reduce flow. This may be a problem.. My 3" granulated carbon filter.. Not so much, but the water still has good contact time even at full flow (Due to the larger cross sectional area. Going from 1 inch to 1.5 inch radius gives you 2.25 times the cross sectional area and thus much more flow)

And there lies a suggestion.. You need as much filter area as possible.

[TechWriter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfran304 Go to your local hardware store (Lowe's/Home Depot) and you will find all kinds of water filters/treatments at a lot cheaper prices.

I still suggest checking out the RV Water Filter store as the owner can give you advice that Lowe's cannot.

For example, try asking a Lowe's associate how to plumb one of their reverse osmosis units so that it drains back into your RV's holding tank.

Anyway, if you're just concerned about water hardness, get a whole house water softener like an On-The-Go unit.

I put an 8000 grain unit after whole house sediment & carbon filters: MobileMe Gallery