Water Filters

[DRosedale]

My coach doesn't have a water filter system, but I have noticed a number folks using an external filter hooked up to CC water. We don't drink CC water, but of course we wash dishes, (I wash dishes), and shower with their water.

Any suggestions or thoughts?

[thelastplace]

Here's my opinion...I'm 65 years old and when I grew up we at dirt, bugs, worms etc. I get sick once every 5 or 6 years just to keep my doctor happy. I eat what I want, I drink what I want. Today's society is a germiphobe (sic) society. Children are cleaned within an inch of the lives and their food is likewise sterile. These children will grow up with no immunity and will get sick from anything that walks by. If you are afraid of germs, I'd get the best water filter you can and 'live well and prosper'. If your not afraid or you are only going to use it for cooking and a shower, Culligan makes a nice, inexpensive ($20) filter you put on your hose before it enters the coach. I'm not advocating drinking water from any park, but most adults drink bottled water anyway. When you cook, you heat the water to boiling so no problem there. Don't drink water from the shower head and you will be just fine.


But the true travelers are they who leave for leaving’s sake
Saying continuously, without knowing why: ‘Let us go on’.
Paraphrased from Baudelaire’s ‘The Journey’

[DRosedale]

thelastplace, I could not agree with you more. We made mud pies and everyone had to at least try them, even the best were not very good, but we never got sick.

We do drink bottle water and have for years, but not sure some of that is any better than what you get from your tap at home. I was looking at the filter on the coach parked next to us the other day and his filter was almost black, in fact the guy told me he has to change the cartridge about once a month. He moves about a lot, so the problem seems to be at a lot of CC's.

Thanks for your help.

[H. Miller]

And those filters only take out the sand and larger objects (>5 microns) with charcoal for taste. Even our home reverse osmosis system will not remove all bacteria so IMHO, drink mo beer & wine

[DRosedale]

H. Miller, thanks for the info. Now that is some good advice, will let DW read so she will understand why beer allotment just went up.

[JimM68]

I drink margaritas, and go thru a lot of ice. Ice made in the freezer by the icemaker generally. From the campground water. Now I imagine 3 oz's of good tequila per glass will kill a lot of germs, but still...

Our new coach has 2 full sized water filters, one "whole house" and a second for the gridge water and ice only.

Any recommendation on a lowes/home depot/menards available cartridge?
Not going anywhere near anything labelled RV, that's just an excuse to charge 3x more.

[MegaRoadie]

Amen and halleuja to the drink less Campground water and never any without good bourbon to steralize it !!!

Just reading about the "Superbugs", germs NOT VW's... no wonder we have such things, everything we do is antibiotic... hand wash, dish soap, body washs; you name it we put antibiotics in it !

Tap water is just about the safest water around and we are polluting the crap outta the landfills and environment with all the plastic bottles so we can drink "Bottled Water"...what a joke.

Been in campgrounds with sulfur water, some with high sediment, many with multiple problems with odd taste and super high chlorine levels... all of which can be resolved safely with one, two, and even sometimes three inline filters.

Definately filter, ensure the filter you choose removes giardia, most do and a carbon filter... enjoy and fear not !

[AFChap]

We are fulltimers, and we use the water in our MH just like we would anywhere. I use a 1 micron sediment filter outside and normally change it every three months. It normally will be mildly rust colored, sometimes darker and maybe once in 6 mud colored. No charcoal filter outside because having chlorine in the fresh water tank and lines is a good thing. We do have a charcoal filter under the galley sink for drinking and ice maker water. I rarely find a 1 micron filter at Lowes, etc. I normally buy several at a time from the rvwaterfilterstore.com. Their prices beat pretty much anyone else I have found anyway.

[DRosedale]

Thanks AFChap, sounds like what I am looking for. I will checkout the web site and see if this indeed what I am looking for.

[bldrbob]

I have a whole house filter mounted inside the water bay to keep it out of the sun.My thinking is that if there is some kind of contaminate trapped in the filter heating it in the sun would make grow even more.I sterilize my water system every few months and use the water from the tank for most things.If it is not good enough to drink how can it clean anything?Stopped using antibacterial soaps when I read it reacts with chlorine in the water to produce something nasty.Not sure if that is true or not but where can you get a strait answer these days.
BOB

[Senior Chief]

We do as AFchap does; one filter before the fresh-water inlet to catch sand and other particulates, and a charcoal filter under the sink.

[scenic route]

Well, I guess I can be counted as a germaphobe! After last summers trek, we saw too many atrocities at the CG's water faucets. Fido's leg lifting and campers washing out their stinky slinkies while holding the end over the faucet...yuk! We now make it a practice of squirting down every faucet with a bleach and vinegar mixture...let sit...open the faucet to clear. Then we hook up a pressure regulator tightened to a external filter/10' section of hose. This little arrangement stays together so none of it is accidentally left behind. There is also a filter under the sink for a separate faucet for drinking/cooking use. We sanitize the system twice a year as well, we drink this stuff. So far, no Montezuma's Revenge! Bob,

BTW, I also do the bleach/vinegar routine after disconnecting for the next camper. I need to get me some of those 'Sanitized for Your Protection' strips!

[Senior Chief]

I would strongly recommend you eliminate the vinegar from your bleach/vinegar mixture. Sodium hypochlorite, the active sanitizing ingredient in household bleach is strongly basic. By adding vinegar, you alter the pH and interfere with your solution's ability to sanitize.

Just use bleach, about an 1/2 ounce per gallon of water for sanitizing your water connection. Save the vinegar/water for cleaning windows and surfaces (it is a mild sanitizer as well). Check to make sure your bleach bottle reads 5% sodium hypochlorite.

Incidentally, sodium hypochlorite is effective only on CLEAN surfaces. If you are trying to sanitize a soiled surface, you need to scrub a bit first.

Full disclosure; spent 20 years in food manufacturing.

[scenic route]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senior Chief . By adding vinegar, you alter the pH and interfere with your solution's ability to sanitize. Just use bleach, about an 1/2 ounce per gallon of water for sanitizing your water connection. .

Well, I guess sometimes MORE is not always better...good to know. Thanks, Senior Chief. Bob