Higher water flow

[docque]

we have the single inline water filter and it works fine. The pressure in the RV is low. I am getting 40 lbs before the filter so it is the filter which I already knew.

I am just wondering what we need for filtering. First, we don't drink the water so I am wondering what we would require for a filter.

I assume of course that we need at least a filter to remove sediment. But what would be the next stage? Do I still need to filter out viruses and heavy metals if I am using the water to shower?

Just curious because the pressure is not too bad but would be nice to have more.

 

[WhittleBurner]

I think those single filter clog much faster than using a dual or triple filter. Id dump the single inline and go with something like this one in either a double or triple. We only use the single inlines for overnights

One thing we were advised to do (by a trusted Dometic tech) at one of the early Rallies is to use a filter and watersoftener to extend the life of both the water pump and water heater. using those we have had very little sediment build up and no red stains in the sinnk or toilet.

Unless a park has poor water pressure we run our adjustable regulator at about 60#s of pressure with no issue using 3 filters and water softener

 

[trailrydr]

we have the single inline water filter and it works fine. The pressure in the RV is low. I am getting 40 lbs before the filter so it is the filter which I already knew.

I am just wondering what we need for filtering. First, we don't drink the water so I am wondering what we would require for a filter.

I assume of course that we need at least a filter to remove sediment. But what would be the next stage? Do I still need to filter out viruses and heavy metals if I am using the water to shower?

Just curious because the pressure is not too bad but would be nice to have more.

We too dont drink the incomming park water. We use it only for toilet, shower and dish washing.

On our trailer, we use a single stage screen filter primarily for our RV water softener. Its a spin down type that allows for flushing any sediment out of the filter element by simply opening a valve on the bottom of the filter bowl with city water pressure.

It has never had any real sediment build up on the screen that required flushing. But, because some of the parks may have older in ground plumbing, thought it may be a good idea to have some kind of filter to keep out any large sediment. Outside of that, if not drinking the water, would not be overly concerned about anything else. Attached is similar to what we use.

https://www.amazon.com/Rusco-Spin-D...a882417361aac5dd09104ac81f1&gad_source=1&th=1

 

[Riverbug]

Agree with others that if you do not drink the water, filtration other than sediment isn't really necessary. We have had previous RV's that were 15 years old or more, still had the original water heater, water pump, etc., and back in the day few people used any filter at all, but all appliances still worked just fine. I don't put much stock into the cheap filters that you install at the faucet as they typically clog up more quickly or have loose material inside where water can actually create a tunnel and water goes straight through. However, some of the newer ones do have better cartridge style that don't allow that to happen. I'd opt for a 20 micron cartridge style and call it good, if I weren't drinking from the water supply.

 

[geotex1]

I think some of my fellow RVers camp a lot of areas of decent campground water... Sediment is a no-brainer, but odor can be a huge deal, especially if you have something like an Oxygenics shower head and are camping in one of the ancient volcanic basins, for instance. A second stage of GAC is a good idea.

 

[kb0zke]

On our old Foretravel I had a single replaceable filter, which I replaced regularly. When we were at The Ranch I found that it didn't need replacement nearly as often because of the RO water system there. While out on the road I sometimes found that I needed to replace it more frequently because of the water in an area.

I now have a dual filter (and larger filters at that) and a water softener. Seems to work well for us. We use only the water from our fresh water tank.

 

[jstchilln]

We use a three stage filter with sediment and .5 carbon filter. We have had good results with this set up and we drink the water after we filter in our Berkey and we have never had any bad taste with the water. But, I am worried about hard water calcium build up and I have noticed a majority of long time campers have soft water systems so I am adding one next week.

 

[traveldawg]

I think that because one can get into some really nasty water at campgrounds some kind of filter is needed. I have a ClearSource triple stage and water softener. And a good, home rated regulator set at 60 PSI.

I have never experienced a reduced water flow even when the filters are due for replacement (at around 2000 gallons). Even with the single filter that GD had installed I never experience low pressure because of a filter.

40 PSI is OK. But it seems low so any restriction might affect it. Still - I don't blame the filter.

It would be good if [MENTION=47665]docque[/MENTION] would try it without any filter cartridge and report the pressure.

oh - how come every always says "...we don't drink the water..." and then lists flushing and showering as acceptable uses but no one ever mentions brushing their teeth or washing dishes or making ice?

 

[trailrydr]

I.......oh - how come every always says "...we don't drink the water..." and then lists flushing and showering as acceptable uses but no one ever mentions brushing their teeth or washing dishes or making ice?

We...... purchase water and ice from store. Cook, brush teeth with store bought bottled water. Wash dishes with soap and CG water.

Just opted not to drink the water from RV fed from city/local well/whatever. BTW.... Dont drink the city supplied water in Mexico, and, some European, Asian, South American or African countries either...... but you still need to bathe/shower when there right? ....just do it with your mouth closed.

Maybe you never traveled somewhere that they recommend not to drink the water?

 

[Hoopy Frood]

"Maybe you never traveled somewhere that they recommend not to drink the water?

We have, but not in our RV. We haul 5 gallon jugs from home, mainly because we don't want to mess with sanitizing the system. And we use the bottled water for toothbrushing. But the whole thing is really no big deal. We'll drink out of the faucet if we run out of bottled water.

On Edit: Full disclosure, we do have the OEM filter that came with the trailer.

 

[jstchilln]

I think that because one can get into some really nasty water at campgrounds some kind of filter is needed. I have a ClearSource triple stage and water softener. And a good, home rated regulator set at 60 PSI.

I have never experienced a reduced water flow even when the filters are due for replacement (at around 2000 gallons). Even with the single filter that GD had installed I never experience low pressure because of a filter.

40 PSI is OK. But it seems low so any restriction might affect it. Still - I don't blame the filter.

It would be good if [MENTION=47665]docque[/MENTION] would try it without any filter cartridge and report the pressure.

oh - how come every always says "...we don't drink the water..." and then lists flushing and showering as acceptable uses but no one ever mentions brushing their teeth or washing dishes or making ice?

I have wondered about this and need to do some testing when I'm at home. In the fire service we see a drop of approx 5 PSI after each appliance and I have also assumed that there would be a drop after a filter or water softener.

 

[trailrydr]

"Maybe you never traveled somewhere that they recommend not to drink the water?

We have, but not in our RV. We haul 5 gallon jugs from home, mainly because we don't want to mess with sanitizing the system. And we use the bottled water for toothbrushing. But the whole thing is really no big deal. We'll drink out of the faucet if we run out of bottled water.

Absolutely...... on the drinking tap water if you dont have any bottled. Got keep hydrated!

But only in countries (and places where theres not a boiling order) where they say its safe.

 

[WhittleBurner]

oh - how come every always says "...we don't drink the water..." and then lists flushing and showering as acceptable uses but no one ever mentions brushing their teeth or washing dishes or making ice?

The 3 filters don't get rid of the smell of FL water out of the tap. For water we intend on drinking and for coffee gets run through a Berkey filter system. That does great and gets rid of the smell and taste of FL water .

 

[Capt Bob]

The 3 filters don't get rid of the smell of FL water out of the tap. For water we intend on drinking and for coffee gets run through a Berkey filter system. That does great and gets rid of the smell and taste of FL water .

You must be using a source containing an elevated concentration of hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell). This is found along the east coast or deep wells in South Fla. Ground water farther north comes from the source. No foul smell up here. Most water treatment districts deal with its removal through tower aeration. Camp grounds, probably not.

 

[Riverbug]

I think that because one can get into some really nasty water at campgrounds some kind of filter is needed. I have a ClearSource triple stage and water softener. And a good, home rated regulator set at 60 PSI.

I have never experienced a reduced water flow even when the filters are due for replacement (at around 2000 gallons). Even with the single filter that GD had installed I never experience low pressure because of a filter.

40 PSI is OK. But it seems low so any restriction might affect it. Still - I don't blame the filter.

It would be good if [MENTION=47665]docque[/MENTION] would try it without any filter cartridge and report the pressure.

oh - how come every always says "...we don't drink the water..." and then lists flushing and showering as acceptable uses but no one ever mentions brushing their teeth or washing dishes or making ice?

I say it's okay because we're not talking about traveling in Mexico or using designated non-potable water. I think most would agree that the water going into your rig is non-toxic with very few exceptions within the USA. Once in the rig it's still very likely safe enough to not make a person sick when showering and brushing teeth (depending on how long it sits in a fresh tank, water lines, if system is sanitized regularly or never, etc.). So yes, I would say that if you are showering and brushing teeth (not drinking it or making ice cubes as that would be a form of consuming), you have very little chance of the water being toxic enough to make you sick. I mean, 35 years of RVing and me, my wife or friends have never been sick from the water. Until a few years ago we never drank the RV water. We do now because we've installed 20 and 2 micron filters at the inlet, and a .2 micron filter at the cold water line for the galley where we fill our Brita pitcher for drinking. Now, my teen nephew who drank from a lake because he was thirsty got very sick; that I do not recommend.

 

[WhittleBurner]

You must be using a source containing an elevated concentration of hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell). This is found along the east coast or deep wells in South Fla. Ground water farther north comes from the source. No foul smell up here. Most water treatment districts deal with its removal through tower aeration. Camp grounds, probably not.

We're on the Gulf Coast in Bradenton, it's city water and definitely on the hard side. More of a fish stink than rotten egg. We keep hoping the park updates the plumbing, in a month our filters (2 filter system and a filter on the softener) are pretty gross looking. Until we got the Berkey it was strictly bottled for drinking, now it's drinkable.

 

[RV2600RB]

Drinking faucet water hasn't killed me yet. As long as it smells/looks ok, no problem. My wife only drinks bottled water, she prefers the taste. I grew up drinking from the faucet and garden hose, not a problem.
Being a germaphobe isn't in my nature.
Rich

 

[Capt Bob]

We're on the Gulf Coast in Bradenton, it's city water and definitely on the hard side. More of a fish stink than rotten egg. We keep hoping the park updates the plumbing, in a month our filters (2 filter system and a filter on the softener) are pretty gross looking. Until we got the Berkeley it was strictly bottled for drinking, now it's drinkable.

Danger: Thread morph.
Bradenton water source is surface fed but… they can also store and reuse excess supply (heightened reservoir levels) during rainy season. That might be part of the smell source but old infrastructure can also attribute to that smell. Very interesting.

 

[lorend]

Drinking faucet water hasn't killed me yet. As long as it smells/looks ok, no problem. My wife only drinks bottled water, she prefers the taste. I grew up drinking from the faucet and garden hose, not a problem.
Being a germaphobe isn't in my nature.
Rich

Rich, you live on the edge. Next, you will be telling us you rode a bicycle as a kid without wearing a helmet. Never mind, they didn't have helmets back when we were kids. Easier, simpler times.

 

[trailrydr]

"Maybe you never traveled somewhere that they recommend not to drink the water?

We have, but not in our RV. ...

Have seen this from our great state of MO before? Several are CGs.... Not to mention other possible states that may have similar issues.... its still a "to each their own" thing.

I think we will stick with the bottled water for consumption.....