Water Filters

[Deafdude]

Greetings all,

I know that Carriage installs the housing unit for 3M Water Filters. I don't know if they install these water filter housing in all Carriage units. Do most other units install water filter housing units normally or do people often add water filters in line with the water hose leading into your RV

I was wondering how many of you all use these filters?

How effective are they?

What do theses filters do for you? (This might seem like a duh guestion) But in asking about what these filters do - do they just purify the water? Or do they also act as a Water softener?

Do they make a small water softener for RVs? Does soft water have any effect on the black water and the chemicals used to help break down waste?

If these 3M filter don't act as Water Softener what would happen, if anything, if you put a water softener inline before the filter. How would this effect the water filter?

Sonny

2009 Cameo
2008 Chevy Dually
Why drive a little truck

[paz]

Some RV manufacturers install filters, some don't. Even with a factory-installed filer, some RVers use an additional in-line filter, and some install an under-counter filter at the kitchen sink for drinking water only. We use a Pur filter pitcher because we like to keep drinking water cold in the fridge.

Some filter systems have 2 or 3 filter housings, some have only one. Most of the housings will accept standard 10" filter cartridges, which are available for a variety of purposes such as removing sediment, taste and odor, harmful chemicals, cysts, etc. If you have multiple filters, you may have a coarse sediment filter in the first and a taste and odor filter in the second. We only have one filter, so we use a combination cartridge like this one from Hydro Life.

There are portable water softeners like these that are intended for RV use. They can be used in combination with water filters. If you use a portable water softener, you may want to add an additional sediment filter ahead of it.

Water softeners exchange sodium for calcium and magnesium in the water, which are the chemicals that make the water hard. The sodium is in solution and should not bother a filter located downstream.

[Brigadoon]

I do not know anything about 3M water filters or water softeners but I do know this:

Do not leave home without at least a sediment filter. I found out the hard way when we pumped sand into our water system at an rv park. That was about 8 or 9 years ago.

I immediately set us up with a two filter system utilizing a 1 micron sediment filter followed by a 1 micron carbon block filter. Both filter the water prior to the water entering our water system.

Additionally we use an under counter carbon filter at the kitchen sink to again filter all drinking and cooking water.

You can learn about filters and water here: rv water filters, rv water regulators, rv water pumps, rv water softeners, rv water hose

I purchased all of our filters, housings, hoses, and regulator from The RV Water Filter Store. I do not have any connection to the store, I'm just a satisfied customer.