Need water filter that removes AZ minerals

[Pat]

Besides removing AZ minerals, is there a filter that removes odor and taste from water?  Also, it needs to hook up outside.  I have no room inside, plus those minerals need to be filtered before the water enters the motorhome.  (Unfortunately 3 winters of rock hard deposits have already collected.)

I'm thinking of something that easily hooks up to a hose.  Nothing fancy or big or expensive.

--pat

 

[jerryarlyne]

Besides removing AZ minerals, is there a filter that removes odor and taste from water?  Also, it needs to hook up outside.  I have no room inside, plus those minerals need to be filtered before the water enters the motorhome.  (Unfortunately 3 winters of rock hard deposits have already collected.)

I'm thinking of something that easily hooks up to a hose.  Nothing fancy or big or expensive.

--pat

WOW, You really are asking a lot. I have used an RO system I bought at Sam's Club for $160.00 for two years now in Yuma. It has kept about 98% of the minerals out and has a great taste. It could be hooked up outside but I mounted it in an outside bay permanently. Don't know if that will meet all of your criteria but it sure does the job for me.

rvjer

 

[John From Detroit]

RO filters are likely the best there are for most applications,  Here is a URL that has information on filters

It is a filter company (Of course) but you can take the info you get there and apply it to other products from other companies as well

http://www.rainfresh.ca/productinfo/solutionguide.html


This is not an endorsement of Rainfresh products, I've never tried them and thus can give no recommendation either for or against

But the website was helpful

 

[Pat]

Could you kindly explain RO a little bit?  I checked the website, and probably the first option with the sediment is best for AZ.  Lots of stuff floating in the water there.  The infrastructure in the RV park is very old, which also adds rust and sand to the water.  I take it these filter systems are not electrical or anything?  I don't belong to Sam's Club.  How about Home Depot? 

--pat

 

[Jim Dick]

Pat,

I'm no expert on water filtration but I would think you could hook up another filter in line with the one you have but use a charcoal insert. I think that would help remove some of the odor and taste from the water. This could be accomplished by an additional housing placed outside the bay if necessary. They have standard water hose fittings.  I'd probably put the charcoal filter after the sediment filter.  RO probably would be the ideal way to go. Additional filtration might slow down the flow a bit. I haven't tried it myself.

 

[John From Detroit]

Well, there are many types of filters

Charcoal filters do primarly taste and order and sedement, How good they are at anti-bacterial and chemical contamanation depends on the filter and the contamanate

Charcoal will also remove clorine that cities add to the water however they don't last long this way

Ceremic filters are "Finer" than Charcoal, they will remove smaller stuff that can make it past the charcoal, these will remove or block more bad stuff, but are more expensive

RO (Reverse Osmosis) removes still more, however it's also more expensive,  But a top quality RO filter you can darn near input sewage and output labtorary grade distilled water.

In fact when I studied physics and chemistry... The lab used a Reverse Osmosis filter to distill water for experments

Note: that not all R.O. filters are that good  (in fact I don't think I've ever seen one that good for an RV)

 

[Ron]

Costco has i good RO system for $139.00.  http://www.costco.com/Common/Search.aspx?whse=&topnav=&search=reverse%20osmosis

Charcol filters become a culture for bacteria once bacteria is introduced unless you are using a silver impregnated charcoal filter.  Very important to change charcoal filters often.

 

[Pat]

Costco it is.  I need to borrow somebody's membership card. 

Venture Out RV Park in Mesa where I winter has a couple water vending machines.  I believe there is a choice between distilled and RO.  I used to get the RO, and it tastes bad and has stuff floating in it occasionally.  I tried the distilled, which was no improvement.  So I bought bottled water.  However, I need to filter out the calcium and other contaminants to keep them from collecting any more in my water system.  I still run water for flushing, dish and hand washing, etc. 

--pat

 

[Pat]

Ron:  I read the Costco descriptions for the $259 and the $139 systems.  The cheaper system does not say it reduces chemicals and sediments in the water, which the $259 does.  Since my main goal is to keep hard sediments from collecting and solidifying in my water system, will the $139 system do the job?

Also, that's a whole lot of stuff to lug around.  It all sits outside?  Is this a household system?  I wonder if there's something more useful for a small RV. 

--pat

 

[Ron]

Pat,

If the water had stuff floating in it it wasn't RO water which would also count for the reason it tasted bad.  RO water is pure enough to safely use when adding water to batteries.

The $139 system should work just fine.  It is similar to what we have in the Eagle. 

 

[Pat]

Ron:  Both systems at Costco looked large.  I'll go in and see them, if I can find somebody here willing to lend me a membership card.  I know I can get a card in Mesa.  I found a website rvwaterfilterstore.com that has a lot of info and systems and other things like many lengths of white hose.  They're in Roseburg, about 100 miles from here.  However, they don't seem to have a storefront but just travel to shows.  I've emailed them to see if I can pop down to Roseburg and learn a bit.

--pat

 

[BernieD]

Pat

You might want to try a couple of filters in tandem. Unfortunately, your choice right now may only be CW since I don't believe Home Depot or Lowes carries what I would suggest. What I have is 2 filter holders in tandem, the first containing a sediment filter and the second a KDS filter. The KDS filter has the same filtration that I have in my West Valley home and the pipes there are still good after 7 years  ;D  I got our filters and holders at an FMCA rally but the filter guys are at many RV rallies and Quartzsite. The whole package should run about $50.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Pat,
You can use any home-type "under the sink"  filtration unit if you add water hose adapters to them.  Most any home center or hardware store should be able to provide adapters for hose thread, which allows you to couple the filter to your water hose.  There are several grades of filters available for these residential units. The cheaper filters will remove larger sediment, e.g sand. The better grades have a finer filter material and remove smaller pieces of sediment, including minerals. Charcoal in the filter removes most objectionable tastes.  Look over what is available in large stores and decide what level of filtration you want.

A lot of people build a small box or modify something like a plastic milk crate to carry the filer and to set it on the ground at the campsite. I think CW also sells a special purpose container for them.

With any filter, the water flow rate suffers becasue the water has to force its way through the filter.  The better the filter, the slower the flow. (The same is true of a Reverse Osmosis unit, so pay attention to flow rates when you select one.)  Some people put two filters in parallel to increase the total flow so that there showers don't get too wimpy..

 

[Pat]

The easiest thing to grab right now would be the Hydro-Life system from CampingWorld.  I definitely need the sediment and smell-odor filters. I'd like to do the 3 in tandem, at the very least:  Large sediment, small sediment, charcoal.  I think the RO system at Costco has a small holding tank that, I guess, holds water to overcome some of that slow flow problem.  I read of another RO system that uses the fresh water tank to hold a supply.  I'm used to really awful water pressure in RV parks.  It's probably all the sediment in my pipes and hoses.  I'm going to replace my curly blue water hoses with white ones.  The rvwaterfilterstore.com has quite a large selection.  I have a problem with the thick white hoses and storage, but I've started carrying them lashed to the bike rack on my back latter. 

Is there agreement that carbon filters are not the dangerous bacteria collectors I've read in a few places.  Rvwaterfilterstore.com seems to be very much in favor of carbon.

I don't want to buy something sight unseen, because storage and portage are major issues.  Fortunately my first month in Mesa I will be house sitting, so I'll have time to look around.

--pat

 

[Ned]

If you are going to put the filters outside, be sure to use the opaque cannisters.  I have a transparent cannister and when I left it in the sun, it turned into a huge biology experiment   I now have it plumbed inside the utiltity bay where it's kept dark all the time.  I use a single sediment filter and change it about once a year.  It has no noticeable affect on the flow rate.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Pat,
I doubt if your pipes are clogged with sediment, but the screens at the faucets likely are and that can all but stop water flow.  Sediment washes through until it reaches a screen or filter, so cleaning the faucet and shower screens is a necessity.  Mineral scale can build up from years of hard water use, but that is not usually a problem in plastic piping.

The basic problem is that your RV (like nearly all of them) is plumbed with 1/2 inch tubing right from the water inlet and that is barely adequate for decent water flow under the best of conditions. Low pressure (less than 45 psi) or low flow rate in the campground just makes it worse.

 

[Pat]

Gary:  I'm so used to low water pressure, it's normal.  I do clean the little screen by the utility door where the hose is connected, and the kitchen screen is cleaned.  The bathroom is rarely used.  My place is so tiny, I just come out to the kitchen.  Easier than reaching over the litterbox. 

I'm thinking of buying various size white fresh water hoses from rvwaterfilterstore.com.  Just have to figure out what sizes.

My new Grohe Ladylux Plus Stainless Steel with Soft Black kitchen faucet arrived today.  Bigger than I thought it would be.  I hope it doesn't look awkward.  It's a beauty.  I'm not going to try to install it myself, if I can get hold of the plumber in town. 

--pat

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I'm thinking of buying various size white fresh water hoses from rvwaterfilterstore.com.  Just have to figure out what sizes.

Size as in length or in diameter?    Since you have 1/2 inch plumbing in the RV, any diameter over 5/8 is a waste of money. Probably 1/2 inch hose is sufficient, but a little extra diameter (especially in longer lengths) makes sure you are delivering all your Rv can accept.

As for length, I carry a 10 footer and two 25's, each with a quick-connect fitting.  If 60 feet won't reach a water faucet, I fill the tank and run that way.

 

[quapaw]

First of all, reverse osmosis water is not distilled water.  Big difference.  Even if you install a RO system you will still have to install a sediment filter before the RO unit.  The RO units you can purchase water from also chlorinate the water to disinfect and then filter thru a charcoal filter.  Without chlorination, the reverse osomsis does not disinfect the water.  Distilled water is taken to a temperature at boiling point and the steam created is condensed therefore furnishing distilled water  They generally filter with a sediment filter before being distilled and it is not necessary to have a charcoal filter as no chlorine is introduced.  Normally the cheaper the RO unit the shorter the lifespan of the membrane which is the main item in the unit.  In an RV this may not matter to you.  It isn't used as much as normal household useage.  As far as I know there are no filter units that disinfect water.  Many claims are made but are not true.  Boiling, disinfection with chorline, iodine and a couple of other elements along with ultra violet light are the way most water is disinfected to become considered "safe".  One of the reasons to use proper filters is that chlorination does not get rid of parasites and cysts such as cryptosporidium and giardia which may be present in water systems that use reservoirs such as lakes and rivers.  Normally well water does not contain either but in rare cases giardia (a cyst that cause stomach problems) exists in a poorly constructed well.  Cryptosporidium, the most prominent case being in Milwaukee, Wi., was determined to have caused several deaths after ingestion.  It is common in animal waste and organs of animals such a cattle.  Over 40 years in the water business. 

 

[Pat]

I thought a 10 and two 25s, but also I might get a 5 or 6 footer.  I'm going to have to carry them on the ladder bike rack.  You use quick connectors?  Also, I saw on the CW website a right angle connector so that the hose isn't hanging sideways out of the water connection. 

Sounds like the disinfecting systems are useful in Mexico, or so my neighbor tells me.  I'll be in OR and AZ. 

--pat