Community Forums

tnedator · 07-20-2019, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandDescape

I am using a Pura 2 canister system with UV in the right canister and a Camco big blue filter at the spigot with a pressure regulator on the coach side before the hose.

My daughter complained about water taste all the time in the Canyon Star with just the single housing. No complaints with this setup in the Ventana.

Interesting. Where did you buy it? This looks like a great setup for the limited Ventana space.

I'm very interested in that for dual canister plus UV.

Did you add the 110 outlet yourself? Where did you get the power from?

JerryP · 07-20-2019, 11:31 PM

When you have a single 10" filter like I have on my Canyon Star (or when you put a single filter inline in your water hose ), you need to be aware of the flow rate of the filter. A 1 micron rated filter will do a good job of filtering, but may only have a flow rate of 1 to 2 gallons per minute. My water pump on the coach will generate a flow of 3.5 gpm. Run that through a 1 micron filter and you have a very weak shower.

I use a 5 micron carbon filter for the built in filter or when using city water. I add the 1 micron filter to the hose when I'm filling the fresh water tank.

Regards,

Jerry

RandDescape · 07-21-2019, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnedator

Interesting. Where did you buy it? This looks like a great setup for the limited Ventana space.

I'm very interested in that for dual canister plus UV.

Did you add the 110 outlet yourself? Where did you get the power from?

This was one mod I was lazy on and had my selling dealer include install at purchase. I was taking delivery in Dec and didn’t want to be messing with my first foray in RV plumbing while it was below freezing and hard to test. I also wanted it done before our first trip. It was about $300-400 for the labor.

It is online at places like freshwater systems.com https://www.freshwatersystems.com/pr...iAAEgJoSfD_BwE.

I had them pull power from the outlet in the storage bay right in front of the pegboard bay. They removed the pegboard and had access to the back of the outlet and a clear path to run the wire to that outlet through the water bay.

With 3 physical filters in the line (UV doesn’t restrict the flow at all) my water flow is a little lower. Most places it isn’t an issue even for showering. For the parks where it is an issue we just let the water pump supplement the pressure.

tnedator · 07-21-2019, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandDescape

This was one mod I was lazy on and had my selling dealer include install at purchase. I was taking delivery in Dec and didn’t want to be messing with my first foray in RV plumbing while it was below freezing and hard to test. I also wanted it done before our first trip. It was about $300-400 for the labor.

It is online at places like freshwater systems.com https://www.freshwatersystems.com/pr...iAAEgJoSfD_BwE.

I had them pull power from the outlet in the storage bay right in front of the pegboard bay. They removed the pegboard and had access to the back of the outlet and a clear path to run the wire to that outlet through the water bay.

With 3 physical filters in the line (UV doesn’t restrict the flow at all) my water flow is a little lower. Most places it isn’t an issue even for showering. For the parks where it is an issue we just let the water pump supplement the pressure.

Thanks for the explanation.

This and the water fixer posted above seem very similar. Looking at the picture, I can't tell where the UV light actually goes. Is it inside the right canister, or is it a small tube that runs across the two canister.

With the water fixer and most other systems, there is a dedicated tube where the UV treatment happens.

RandDescape · 07-21-2019, 09:38 AM

The Pura UV B systems have a short 10-12” UV tube inside the canister. Concentric view of the right canister outside-in would have canister wall, then unfiltered water, sediment filter, sediment filtered water and 1/2” UV tube in the very center.

TechWriter · 07-21-2019, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryP

A 1 micron rated filter will do a good job of filtering, but may only have a flow rate of 1 to 2 gallons per minute. My water pump on the coach will generate a flow of 3.5 gpm. Run that through a 1 micron filter and you have a very weak shower.

I use a 5 micron carbon filter for the built in filter or when using city water. I add the 1 micron filter to the hose when I'm filling the fresh water tank.

Remember that those filters only affect when you fill your water tank and when your water pump is off.

As soon as you turn your water pump on, you're drawing water directly from the tank.

Flanz · 07-21-2019, 02:44 PM

Since we fulltime, I installed a number of filters to clean up the water as best as possible. No UV here, didn't think it was needed.

I've also eliminated the wimpy RV water pressure regulator and plumbed in a house water pressure regulator. Its set to 55psi and when the campground supplies at least 55psi - our pressure, through out the coach, has been awesome.

So, in my wet bay I've added a couple of pressure gauges. The large one in the background is for the input to the regulator and the other gauge is the output of the water pressure regulator. In the same compartment I modified the plumbing of the 10" filter to be used by the fridge and the sink. The sink is the small spigot used for cooking. I changed the filter to a 1/2 micron carbon block filter. And behind the removable panel is the house pressure regulator.

In the bay next to the Aquahot I added three 10" filters, a water softener, and a DI water system for cleaning. In the same bay, and attached to the DI setup, I've added a 1600psi electric power washer. Both the DI setup and pressure washer are a must for cleaning the coach and the Harley. I use three filters and they are in order, 10 micron, 5 micron, and a 1 micron carbon block. At the output of the filters I added a pressure gauge that I use to determine when/if the filters need to be changed.

So far, after three and a half years, this setup has stood up well and our water has been super clean......

TechWriter · 07-21-2019, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flanz

Since we fulltime, I installed a number of filters to clean up the water as best as possible.

. . . and clear filter housings to boot!

Flanz · 07-21-2019, 06:22 PM

Yup, the clear filter canisters, as well as the water pressure gauge, helps to let me know when the filters need changing. Same with the DI setup. If the filters where subjected to sun light I would have used white. I also have a water meter in line. This allows me to get a feeling for how much water we use.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that the water softener can be regenerated and back flushed without being taken out of the compartment. Saves time and strain on the back.

wagonmaster2 · 07-21-2019, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NealC

This is the one I ended up using. I bought a system from RV Water Filter Store and wasn't happy with it in the end, replaced it with this one and is working great for me, GREAT water pressure. Just replaced the filter with the same one that comes with the coach (0.5 micron - https://amzn.to/32xlFoP).

https://amzn.to/2JMzrLF

Would this .5 micron filter by any chance also be the initial one that would have come on my 2015 Dutch Star?
When I replaced it with whatever filter I could find at Lowes that did more than just filter out sand and taste it cut the water flow down so much we could hardly shampoo or take a shower. It had a very small hole at one end (about the size of a pencil eraser) and no hole at the other end. Finally just took the filter out and left the canister empty.

tnedator · 07-21-2019, 07:51 PM

That waterfixer option looks real good, especially as they are claiming 4 GPM, but while they claim to have sold them for 22+ years, they give off the feeling of a mom and pop shop. For instance, their FAQ references a new version of a filter that they plan to release in 2013.

You can create the same solution, as evidenced by this thread, but that's a very nice, compact package they've designed.

I'm thinking about getting one and then several spare bulbs, quartz tubes and maybe a ballast or two, just to have parts to last just in case. I'm sure I could always replace the UV with a different one if they weren't around, but it would be simpler to have their parts on hand.

tnedator · 07-21-2019, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wagonmaster2

Would this .5 micron filter by any chance also be the initial one that would have come on my 2015 Dutch Star?
When I replaced it with whatever filter I could find at Lowes that did more than just filter out sand and taste it cut the water flow down so much we could hardly shampoo or take a shower. It had a very small hole at one end (about the size of a pencil eraser) and no hole at the other end. Finally just took the filter out and left the canister empty.

Whether or not that was the one they were using with the 2015's, if you have a single 10" filter housing, it should work fine. I opted to go with the Pentek FI-CFB-PB10.

I think that's a better filter than the VOX that Newmar uses, but I can't say for sure if it the water flow is higher/lower. I do find more times than not I use my water pump to boost pressure, so maybe water flow is less than the original.

richard5933 · 07-22-2019, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TechWriter

That's why I added a UV filter . . . which can now be had for about $200.

In most cases I think this is impractical for an average RVer.

Looks like you guys go through quite an effort on your coaches to get your water filtered - far more effort than most do in their stick & bricks houses, even those that use a well.

Have any of you actually tested the output of the water from your tanks to see how well all these filters work and if they are actually necessary?

Just curious because those photos show way more filtration than I thought was possible to shove into a wet bay.

tnedator · 07-22-2019, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richard5933

Looks like you guys go through quite an effort on your coaches to get your water filtered - far more effort than most do in their stick & bricks houses, even those that use a well.

Have any of you actually tested the output of the water from your tanks to see how well all these filters work and if they are actually necessary?

Just curious because those photos show way more filtration than I thought was possible to shove into a wet bay.

I think one of the reasons is that RV park water is an unknown, while people's home water is known.

From wells to people hanging the end of their sewer hose over the spigot to clean them (disgusting, but I've seen pictures), it's simply an unknown what you are going to get from RV park water.