Community Forums

Loggenrock · 08-21-2016, 09:15 PM

FWIW, UV light doesn't kill organisms, it makes them sterile so they can't reproduce in your gut. It's the problem with vast numbers of them that make you sick. Even with UV, you likely want a filter... I keep it simple - good sediment/charcoal filter on the intake to fresh water tank. I also carry bleach and an eyedropper. See Making Water Safe in an Emergency | Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene-related Emergencies & and Outbreaks | Healthy Water | CDC
The chart shows how many drops of bleach per gallon (based on the concentration of the bleach). If there are questions regarding the quality of the water, such as when visiting Newfoundland, since many of their water sources are surface sources, the filter takes care of particulates, and I can disinfect a portable 2.5 gallon jug to make it safe for drinking. Water used for cooking is boiled, anyway, rendering it safe. Bottled water can be just as suspect as tap water IMHO! ST

TXiceman · 08-22-2016, 08:15 AM

Some folks are genuine germophobics. We are concerned about water quality from the solids and excess hardness. We run a sediment filter, a carbon filter and a water softener on the RV full time.

About once a year I will sanitize and flush the fresh water tank. When parked long term, I will put in about 1/2 tank and usually fill it in the winter for freezing weather. I add a small dose of chlorine and fill the tank through the filtered water system.

We keep about a dozen small bottled waters for emergency use. Once a year we will either use or toss them and replace. I hate to use bottled water and think it is a giant waste and a big polluter. As volunteers, I can not tell you how many empty plastic water bottles we pick up a year...a total waste on money.

We have never had a water issue or an illness due to water. I guess it maybe due to getting some germs in our system to stay healthy.

Ken

dexters · 08-22-2016, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Okplowboy

As you can see from the number of posts DW and I are new to RVing. Will pick up our new 5W in early November. Our plan is to FT starting mid-2017. Boondocking, while not our primary method, is certainly in our plan. Many on this site rely upon bottled water for drinking, cooking, etc. I have read about, and interested in, UV Light being used to purify water. Just like a S&B application I think it can be plumbed into a RV. Would appreciate any first hand knowledge of such systems being used in the RVing community. Even without first hand experience, I would appreciate your thoughts.Thanks in advance.

I would go with bottled water for drinking.

There are many things to be aware of with drinking water:
Bacteria
Viruses
Heavy metals
radiation - this is a concern in places like Moab and other areas

Ray,IN · 08-23-2016, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dexters

I would go with bottled water for drinking.

There are many things to be aware of with drinking water:
Bacteria
Viruses
Heavy metals
radiation - this is a concern in places like Moab and other areas

Yet the folks in Moab are alive and well, go figure.

dexters · 08-23-2016, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Yet the folks in Moab are alive and well, go figure.

Well ... some may be ... but for how long?

Uranium mining left a legacy of death | Deseret News

Is The Colorado River Becoming Radioactive from Upstream Uranium Mines? | PlanetSave
She blames upstream uranium mining, especially in the Moab, Utah area, so I decided to take a look and see what’s happening up there.

28,000 Gallons Radioactive Pollution Seep Into Colorado River Daily
Contaminating the Colorado River from a dump site near Moab, Utah, prompted radioactivity tests downriver at Lake Powell and Lake Havasu. Both lakes showed about one-third the level considered dangerous.

Ray,IN · 08-23-2016, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dexters

Well ... some may be ... but for how long?

Uranium mining left a legacy of death | Deseret News

Is The Colorado River Becoming Radioactive from Upstream Uranium Mines? | PlanetSave
She blames upstream uranium mining, especially in the Moab, Utah area, so I decided to take a look and see what’s happening up there.

28,000 Gallons Radioactive Pollution Seep Into Colorado River Daily
Contaminating the Colorado River from a dump site near Moab, Utah, prompted radioactivity tests downriver at Lake Powell and Lake Havasu. Both lakes showed about one-third the level considered dangerous.

Your first link is 15 years old
second link 8 yrs old
third link 16 yrs old.
Hardly relevant today.
I really doubt anyone boondocking will fill their water tank with this runoff anyway.

dexters · 08-23-2016, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Your first link is 15 years old
second link 8 yrs old
third link 16 yrs old.
Hardly relevant today.
I really doubt anyone boondocking will fill their water tank with this runoff anyway.

The half-life of uranium-238 is about 4.47 billion years and that of uranium-235 is 704 million years,

Moab UMTRA Project | Grand County, UT - Official Website
The Moab Project ships 1 trainload of tailings Monday and Wednesday. The trains have up to 36 railcars, each holding 4 lidded containers, for a total of about 5,000 tons of tailings per shipment. Tailing shipments began in April, 2009, and are expected to continue through about 2032, depending on annually appropriated funds

https://books.google.com/books?id=Hg...tivity&f=false

TechWriter · 08-23-2016, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dexters

Contaminating the Colorado River from a dump site near Moab, Utah, prompted radioactivity tests downriver at Lake Powell and Lake Havasu. Both lakes showed about one-third the level considered dangerous.

We camp in Lake Havasu City, and what worries me about their water (and much of AZ I hear) are the high TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) levels. I measured TDS levels there well over 700.

This is where an RO system shines, reducing levels like this to under 100.