Water Treament

[freestoneangler]

I curious if any on the forum use any type of water treatment system in their RV and if so what type of system and for what purpose? Certainly most water connections are meeting EPA requirements, but one never knows for sure; particularly in out of the way places.

 

Also, for those who travel to the southwest, and do extended stays at parks, do you need to treat the incoming water hook up? I hear it has high saline content and most homes use RO systems and have a little "fresh drinking water" faucet at the kitchen sink.

[freestoneangler]

I did just find the thread from Kerry on this subject from 2015... did not come up on my first search . No mention of any point of use (POU) UV light units... anyone using these?

[Zulu]

Also, for those who travel to the southwest, and do extended stays at parks, do you need to treat the incoming water hook up? I hear it has high saline content and most homes use RO systems and have a little "fresh drinking water" faucet at the kitchen sink.

 

I've found AZ water to be extremely hard -- TDS levels over 700 -- and use an under-the-sink RO setup to reduce these levels.

 

 

I did just find the thread from Kerry on this subject from 2015... did not come up on my first search . No mention of any point of use (POU) UV light units... anyone using these?

 

I use a UV filter as part of my water filtration system.

[freestoneangler]

 

I've found AZ water to be extremely hard -- TDS levels over 700 -- and use an under-the-sink RO setup to reduce these levels.

 

 

 

I use a UV filter as part of my water filtration system.

 

Fantastic blog and treatment system. That looks like a very well engineered set-up and, in light of the increasing number of water borne disease outbreaks we're seeing, a smart thing to consider for RV travel. Thanks for sharing!

[fly2low]

I have a UV filter in my setup. Had cryptosporidium once - do not want to repeat that experience

 

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/DWUV.htm

 

Current setup is

into tank

1. 5 micron sediment filter

2. H20 softener

out of tank

3. 1 micron carbon block

4. UV filter

 

I also will decontaminate the whole system every 6-9 months

 

works for me. YMMV

[freestoneangler]

I have a UV filter in my setup. Had cryptosporidium once - do not want to repeat that experience

 

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/DWUV.htm

 

Current setup is

into tank

1. 5 micron sediment filter

2. H20 softener

out of tank

3. 1 micron carbon block

4. UV filter

 

I also will decontaminate the whole system every 6-9 months

 

works for me. YMMV

 

I presume you mean a chlorine shock treatment? Is the media filter the only item that needs to be removed and replaced when doing this? Thanks

[fly2low]

I replace both filters after shock treatment

[fly2low]

Zulu

nice system

[Yarome]

From 'any' source I use dual 10" filters, a water softener tank and a UV light chamber. A 5 micron and a 1 micron.... or a .5 micron depending on where I'm getting my water. I drink/cook from my fresh water tank and sanitize every 4 months... or sooner if I've been using a lot of "wild" sources. It's probably not necessary to sanitize that often.. just a personal preference.

[Zulu]

I have a UV filter in my setup. Had cryptosporidium once - do not want to repeat that experience

 

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/DWUV.htm

 

Love the RV Water Filter Store, but I think the UV filters he sells have flow rates that are too low -- 2 to 3 gpm.

 

I frequently see water flow rates at 3 gpm and greater which could make these UV filters non functional. UV filters are rated in maximum "dwell" times -- that is, the fastest flow rate (in gpm or lpm) the filter can tolerate and still function.

 

I'd suggest getting a UV filter rated for at least 5 gpm. See www.freshwatersystems.com or www.h2odistributors.com.

[BigTexRex]

I have a UV filter in my setup. Had cryptosporidium once - do not want to repeat that experience

 

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/DWUV.htm

 

Current setup is

into tank

1. 5 micron sediment filter

2. H20 softener

out of tank

3. 1 micron carbon block

4. UV filter

 

I also will decontaminate the whole system every 6-9 months

 

works for me. YMMV

I use pretty much the same setup except I use two 1 micro carbon filters, but one of them also has a ceramic core and I do not use a UV filter.

[Shadow Catcher]

Since we have a teardrop trailer and we do serious boondocking I set our water purification to handle water from lakes and streams. A Dalton ceramic pre filter (scrub-able) a .5 micron carbon block and if water quality in serious doubt a General Ecology water purifier good for NBC (nuclear biological chemical).

[57becky]

WOW!! That last treatment system would make it possible to boondock for months without needing any additional water, just re-circulate waste water.

[Yarome]

'd suggest getting a UV filter rated for at least 5 gpm.

 

X2. Mine has a fairly large UV chamber, but is limited to 4gpm's.. although.. I can't really fill much faster than that anyway when using the .5 micron filter. It makes for fairly slow fills.

 

WOW!! That last treatment system would make it possible to boondock for months without needing any additional water, just re-circulate waste water.

 

They make some good gear, but they aren't cheap. Filters for some of their under counter models run $100+, process 1gpm and come out to around $.10 per gallon (not considering the unit cost.).

 

I 'do' use one of their first need portable purifiers. They will process 2gpm and if you happen to have a convenient water source nearby it's a great way to extend your tanks.. filling your cooking pot or water bottle with fresh water on demand. They are even more expensive to run per gallon over the larger units, but if you're like me.. (a bit of a water snob) I'm not going to pass up purified fresh cold mountain water that's only a few pumps away. I don't think anyone really "loves" warm two week old stale tank water.

 

One additional feature of the portables (not sure about the larger units) is that they can be gravity fed.. purifying rain water from your roof/awning passively and feeding directly into a sealed container. Portable filters work out to around $.30 a gallon.

 

I do like some of the RO systems, but they tend to take up more space than I really want to devote in my little rig.

[fly2low]

The UV filter I got from them is a 5gpm, but it is not on their list right now. Not sure why

 

I have a RO filter in my S&B. Love it, but like Yarome, don't have room for one in the RV

[Al F]

In my opinion all this "water treatment" stuff is a waste of time, money & effort. We have camped for 47 years and have never treated the water. I do taste the water & look at it in a clear glass before filling our water tank, but that is all.

 

This year we will have been on the road for 8 months, including 4 1/2 month trip through Canada and Alaska, only spending 2 days in an RV park. We used water from the CG's or the potable water fill at dump stations.

 

The water treatment issue reminds me of the topics about "Do you put chemicals in your black water tank". Those who do, swear by the chemicals, those who don't wonder "why waste your time and money".

[Kirk W]

The best system depends largely upon the sources you use for potable water. We use only water that is found in RV parks and other tested sources like Al but we do use a carbon block filter for all of it since that helps keep sediment out of the RV and improves taste. Like most things we deal with, a great deal is dependent upon each person's unique needs and preferences.

[Yarome]

The best system depends largely upon the sources you use for potable water.

 

a great deal is dependent upon each person's unique needs and preferences.

 

X2. Sticking with CG's and clearly marked potable water sources that's regularly maintained/tested.. with your own hoses.. you're "probably" ok. It would still be smart to have at least a "little blue" $20 camco type filter if you drink from your tanks.

 

For anyone that's ever had a water born illness before I'll betcha they'll be looking very seriously at filtration/purification options.

 

As Kirk mentioned though.. for some.. it's not practical to not have a decent filtration/purification system in place.

[fly2low]

For anyone that's ever had a water born illness before I'll betcha they'll be looking very seriously at filtration/purification options.

I have twice had the good fortune to be exposed to "bad" water, once crypto. Water looked good, not malodorous.

I wish continued good luck to those who do nothing

[whj469]

We don't worry about water in our fiver. We don't drink it! Ever!

We filter the incoming water but we don't drink it.

We use bottled water to drink and make coffee. We do refill

the bottles with our well water when we can. I have had it tested and

it is good tasting. I does pose problems if we are gone for a long time and then we buy

bottled water.

[coachmac9]

 

In my opinion all this "water treatment" stuff is a waste of time, money & effort. We have camped for 47 years and have never treated the water. I do taste the water & look at it in a clear glass before filling our water tank, but that is all.

 

This year we will have been on the road for 8 months, including 4 1/2 month trip through Canada and Alaska, only spending 2 days in an RV park. We used water from the CG's or the potable water fill at dump stations.

 

The water treatment issue reminds me of the topics about "Do you put chemicals in your black water tank". Those who do, swear by the chemicals, those who don't wonder "why waste your time and money".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same here on both issues. Never had a problem.

[richfaa]

We use a simple water filter system in Florida because the water taste and smells bad. We have used the same in Az for the same reasons other than that we just drink the water.