Is a Water Filter Really Necessary?

[Ruggybuggy]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

I guess anybody with a house that's 50+ years old better sell.

The town we live near has pipes over 100 years and I haven't heard of anyone getting sick from the water.

[NMWildcat]

We went down the water filtration road at the beginning.
Had all sorts of setups with all kinds of filters. you start off with the simple ones, then find out they really don't do much of anything. Then you advance to this micron, that micron, carbon, ceramic, sand, supposed to remove bacteria, and on and on.
I got tired of setting it up and tearing it down every time we moved. Got tired of the decreased water pressure/flow, got tired of the expense.
And if you don't maintain and replace the filters regularly, they will grow stuff that makes you sick, which is what you are trying to eliminate.
Too much work, too much expense, not enough benefit.
So I threw all that crap away. We sanitize our tank and hoses a couple times a year and use bottled water for coffee and cooking.
MUCH happier

[frank4711]

Yes -- No -- Maybe .... sure we use inline and have the one on the camper so water is filtered twice ... water used for showers dishes and my coffee ... no smell and clear ... we pack bottle water and Propel more for convenience than any other reason grab one from frig or cooler ... we make ice from RV for cooler and I have no problem using it for drinks... I always run city/campground supply before I hook up hose until it runs clear...

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Ruggybuggy

So why even bother?

My residence is in a rural area and we have a 495' drilled well and I use a charcoal filter system. The filters are there just to prevent sand and minerals from getting through and it removes the iron smell from the water. The water is bacteria free.

I really can't imagine that municipal and well systems are contaminated with bacteria and feel the water is safe. By law they have to be. I would just use a inline charcoal filter in those cases to remove odour and taste issues.

I don't when at home. I KNOW what that water is.

We've been in several FL campgrounds where sand was an issue so I simply have got into the habit of always using a filter at any place other than home.

Again, it has nothing to do with sanitization and everything to do with debris filtration/odor.

[wanderer44]

The main reason I use a filter is, to help keep faucets from plugging up. There are always particles in any water system that come loose and flow. I have the filter attached to the hose fill fitting when set up. I have removed the filter inside and replaced it with a sediment bowl like is at the water pump. This way I hope to strain out anything that may flake off the fresh water tank. This is what works for me! TO EACH, HIS OWN WAY!!!!

[Black]

Remove the chlorine taste !
And it really works good at this.
I don't think the water really needs filtration before drinking as you say.

[-lenny-]

I'll join in! We almost exclusively stay in RV parks. We have a two canister whole house filter, plumbed in before the water softener. For us, it is worth it to get the sand and whatever else out, without generating a bunch of waste using bottled water.

Below, filters on left are new. Filters on right were in use for 3 months, all RV parks on city water. Mainly southern California and Arizona. Bottom of the first canister was covered in sand.

[mikel68]

Just wait until you have to clean out the valve behind the toilet on you hands an knees from hard water sediment build up. it'll happen. If you ever start notice your toilet not quite having the pressure/flow it used to...bam! no filter.

[TxTraveler08]

With as many water systems in SO MANY areas, do you go to the water district and ask for a summary report on there treatment? In other words, you are putting YOUR health on faith of another person whom YOU do NOT know. So much easier to be safe than sick!

[Jeff from Burlington Ont]

I use bottled water for drinking and coffee - campground water for showers and dishes.. never hooked up a filter

[DrLewie]

Personal experience: At a campground in rural Washington, my neighbor asked if my fresh water was brown. He showed me what was coming into his rig...definitely brown. Mine was crystal clear. My trailer came with an in-house filter. I took a look at the filter, and it was brown. Water stayed clear for the three days we stayed and I put in a new filter before we left. My neighbor went out to find a water filter.

[madsledet]

I didn't think those filters killed pathogens. I use one to kill off oders and sand.

[wanderer44]

We use bottled water for drinking

[NCRoy]

Originally Posted by Ruggybuggy

I'm not sure why a water filter is necessary. When getting potable water the source would most likely be municipal water which by law is safe. Even in area where the RV park may be from a well the source still has to be safe to drink by law. So why is a filter a good idea?

Just use one for 30 days,open it and look. Then you decide. I use one every where we go. Just a cheap set up I bought at Lowe's.

[Ed Picardi]

A filter is a good idea even if the water is safe to drink as the filter also removes fine particulate matter which can build up in the tank, in the pump, and in the hot water tank. I have needed to replace both my pump and my hot water tank due to deposits from the water in the tank even though I only permitted safe drinking water in our camper. A filter helps keep the tank, the pump and the hot water heater cleaner for a longer period and extends the service life of those units.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by Ruggybuggy

I really can't imagine that municipal and well systems are contaminated with bacteria and feel the water is safe. By law they have to be.

Originally Posted by Ruggybuggy

The town we live near has pipes over 100 years and I haven't heard of anyone getting sick from the water.

Have you forgotten all the news from Flint Michigan??? Still shows up periodically on our local news shows.


With that said, I have a filter setup on my home well to grab the sand that comes up. Before using the filter, my sprinkler system valves were failing to close due to embedded sand in the valve seals. So I also use one on my trailer.

[Tundra 2014]

The Camco blue filters are cheap insurance for catching sediment before it gets into your trailer faucet plumbing. It really takes a better filter to improve the taste. Also, using a fixed pressure reducer is recommended, they come preset @ 40 psi or 50 psi. I prefer the 50 psi for showers, as it is reduced even more from the filter. You can also get gauge reducers that are adjustable. I prefer 2 of the 50 psi. $9 each. One starts to leak, I change to the other and replace. We camped in South TX after the park had experienced heavy rain for a week, the water pressure maxed my gauge. I hate to think what that would do to pipes in an older trailer. I told the park, they found they had a pump valve stuck on a well pump.

[NXR]

We use a blue Camco and it's supposed to be 20 micron filtration. The motorhome has a factory Pur filter that is 5 microns. Supposedly good filtration is 0.5 microns.

We sanitize twice a year and only use bottled water brought from home for the dogs. They cannot tell us if they're sick. We're still iffy on the motorhome system even though it's new. We use it for everything but drinking and cooking right now but I expect that will change eventually. I currently use it for toothbrushing and so far so good.

Ray

[Jakieboy]

Many years ago my wife and I traveled to Connecticut for one of my college reunions. We drank water from the local motel, and my wife developed a severe case of dysentery caused by infectious amoebas in the water supply. From that day on, we have never drunk the water from any of the fresh water supplies available at campsites. We drink only bottled water or from jugs of water we bring from home. We use the fresh water supply strictly for washing, showering, and flushing. Since we never actually consume the water from camp site sources, we do not use a filter.

[bedubya]

For me, a water filter would not be necessary. I'll still drink out of a garden hose. But DW was buying cases of water bottles at Costco until I installed a reverse osmosis system at home. For camping, I start with 6 1-gallon jugs from home for coffee and drinking. But I still fill the FW tank with a filter. And I use a filter for city water. And If we use up the water from home, for coffee and drinking, the filtered water goes through a PUR filter jug. If she's happy, I'm happy.


It comes down to personal taste.