KW1 water filter between trips

[Cabe16]

Hi...I'm a rookie RV'er in a new MicroLite. I installed a new KW1 on our maiden voyage a few weeks ago. Is it ok to let the water filter sit between uses/trips, or do I need to remove filter to dry it? Do I need to sanitize it some how? ...I'm simply lost when it comes to water and plumbing...

Thanks for any advice...

[A32Deuce]

Leave the water in. I drain all water in the fall. City water so far in 8 years has not gotten funky sitting for a couple weeks/months.

[NMWildcat]

Read the instructions with your filter. Some say to remove, backflush, and dry, some say to put it in a baggy in the refrigerator.
And it depends on how often it will be used and how long it will be stored.
We experimented with about every filtering system there was, from cheap single filters to triple filter systems.
We found all filters can grow bacteria if not maintained correctly. It got to be where filter maintenance was very time consuming and expensive. They can also cause as many health problems as they prevent.
One day we decided it just wasn't worth it and chucked the whole shooting match. We haven't used any filter for over 6 years and are much happier. We use mainly bottled water for drinking and coffee. Sanitize the fresh tank about twice a year, and don't put any water in our tank that isn't chlorinated.
No problems. In fact, I think we get intestinal problems less frequently

[SecretSquirrel]

X2 on what NMWildcat said. Unless that filter media is silver impregnated IT WILL GROW bacteria when sitting (i.e. no flow though and very warm). Don’t assume if you’re using city water it’ll be ok. One of the main purposes of activated carbon in a filter is to remove the chlorine (Usually the main purpose). Once the chlorine is bound up by the carbon any bacteria still alive has a great breeding ground. Take it out if more than a day or so and refrigerate it in a zip lock bag. Refrigerating will retard the bacteria growth.

[A32Deuce]

Did not know I was doing it wrong for the past 8 years!
I always thought it needed air to grow not just submersed in water.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

Did not know I was doing it wrong for the past 8 years!
I always thought it needed air to grow not just submersed in water.

Same here

I go one further. If my TT has sat still, unused, for a month or more I just drail whatever is left in the tank and refill when getting ready for next trip. To keep all that nasty algae from growing (along with any other bugs) I add Clorox at the rate of 3.5 tsp for a full tank (40 gallons for mine). Just enough "Chlorine" to treat the water about the same as a water utility would.

Rather than the sanitizing "shock treatment" recommended prior to every season I prefer the continuous treatment method. The Factory installed filter gets treated while also filtering out any residual chlorine taste.

If I'm doing it wrong it hasn't killed me yet and I'm almost 80.

As for trouble/hassle with my factory filter? Once a year I take less than 15 minutes and change the element. Most of the time is removing and replacing the screws to open the access door. Run the pump with the winterizing port open (where antifreeze is sucked in) for a minute or two with a faucet open and half to 2/3 of the water in the canister is forced out. No spills when removing the canister.

[NXR]

I leave my KW1 in until its annual replacement or until I sanitize the system. The KW1 will remove chlorine so it cannot be in the housing when sanitizing because it will remove the chlorine needed for sanitization.

Be aware that you might want to use a hose-end filter like a Camco as well. On our unit, the 5-micron KW1 filters all water coming out of the City Fill hose and all water coming out of the fresh water tank but not the water going into the fresh water tank from a hose. Sand, dirt, sediment, it will all go into your fresh water tank. I use this hose-end filter and change it annually. It's supposed to be 20 microns:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

After about 7,000 gallons my KW1 just looks slightly gray. A friend with the same motorhome did not use a hose-end filter and his KW1 was a dark brown after six months. Some campgrounds use a well system so I figure a hose-end filter is good insurance to keep crud out of my tank and out of the KW1.

HTH,

Ray

[SecretSquirrel]

I work in the pure water industry for research and clinical. I’ve seen numerous bowl filter housings containing a carbon filter turn completely green with algae. The sediment filter before the carbon housing was still clear because there was still sufficient free chlorine in the city water to keep it in check. We often have to decontaminate deionized water loops in research buildings for this reason. Ever feel the inside of your filter housing and it feels slick/slimey? That’s called biofilm and it’s basically made by bacteria/micro organisms. Titanmikes chlorine treatment regimen is what’s key here.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by SecretSquirrel

I work in the pure water industry for research and clinical. I’ve seen numerous bowl filter housings containing a carbon filter turn completely green with algae. The sediment filter before the carbon housing was still clear because there was still sufficient free chlorine in the city water to keep it in check. We often have to decontaminate deionized water loops in research buildings for this reason. Ever feel the inside of your filter housing and it feels slick/slimey? That’s called biofilm and it’s basically made by bacteria/micro organisms. Titanmikes chlorine treatment regimen is what’s key here.

Another reason I prefer the single canister sediment/carbon block filter. Nothing filters out he chlorine before the last filter in line.

Out here in the PNW we get some pretty good water from mountain reservoirs so I don't bother to filter when I fill tank at home. With every other person in our state being either an environmentalist or health nut our water systems are well cared for.

[Villagerjjm]

Oh boy!! Here goes.... I am going to open a can of worms!

My KW1 filter is 5 years old. It is now nearly at the end of it’s life cycle based on the water used timeframe on the manufacturers website. I go by the volume of water that goes through the filter. Central to this calculation is knowing how much water I use (or have used). When I am finished on a camping trip, I pull the filter and dry it. I dry it with filtered air and utilize an unfiltered ultraviolet light to sanitize it. The charcoal will reactivate itself as it dries. The carbon loses a little more of it‘s efficiency each time you do this. Then I vacuum pack it and freeze it. This procedure will virtually stop ant further deterioration of the filtering ability.
The KW1 filter is good for 10,000 gallons of water passing through it. Our fresh water tank I has a 40 gallon capacity. That breaks down to about 250 refills of the fresh water tank. The one year limit comes into play if you do nothing with the filter after the first use and keep it in place. Do that and yes, they deteriorate fast. Also, if you do not pull the filter before sanitizing the water system with chlorine, you will need a new filter within a week because the chlorine will destroy the carbon in the filter. As you use the filter it will begin to turn tan in color. As long as the filter looks uniform in color, you are good. If there are lighter / darker areas, replace it! We hook the trailer up to my daughters well water when we go up north. The sulphuric content in her water is incredible. The KW1 filter totally neutralizes it.
I also utilize my county health department that will do a free water test twice a year for bacterial contamination. The test we have gotten back for this year shows that the filter is working to a very satisfactory level. All the test results are within the safety limits for my county.
The KW1 filter is one of the best filters I have seen. I know I will be buying a new filter this year, but if I can get another 5 years out of it, it will be worth it.

[SecretSquirrel]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Another reason I prefer the single canister sediment/carbon block filter. Nothing filters out he chlorine before the last filter in line.

Out here in the PNW we get some pretty good water from mountain reservoirs so I don't bother to filter when I fill tank at home. With every other person in our state being either an environmentalist or health nut our water systems are well cared for.

Mike, just from reading your posts over the past year or so I believe you camp (utilize your trailer anyway) quite frequently and that’s key. It’s letting them sit wetted and stagnant that’s the real issue. For what it’s worth I only ever use point of use filters when I use anything. I have a Pure brand on my kitchen faucet at home and only because my well water has some sediment. In the camper we use bottled water for drinking, coffee etc. I do brush my teeth with water straight from the faucet though. For most people if the campground water supply is city water nothing else is needed. Most of the time.

[SecretSquirrel]

Originally Posted by Villagerjjm

Oh boy!! Here goes.... I am going to open a can of worms!

My KW1 filter is 5 years old. It is now nearly at the end of it’s life cycle based on the water used timeframe on the manufacturers website. I go by the volume of water that goes through the filter. Central to this calculation is knowing how much water I use (or have used). When I am finished on a camping trip, I pull the filter and dry it. I dry it with filtered air and utilize an unfiltered ultraviolet light to sanitize it. The charcoal will reactivate itself as it dries. The carbon loses a little more of it‘s efficiency each time you do this. Then I vacuum pack it and freeze it. This procedure will virtually stop ant further deterioration of the filtering ability.
The KW1 filter is good for 10,000 gallons of water passing through it. Our fresh water tank I has a 40 gallon capacity. That breaks down to about 250 refills of the fresh water tank. The one year limit comes into play if you do nothing with the filter after the first use and keep it in place. Do that and yes, they deteriorate fast. Also, if you do not pull the filter before sanitizing the water system with chlorine, you will need a new filter within a week because the chlorine will destroy the carbon in the filter. As you use the filter it will begin to turn tan in color. As long as the filter looks uniform in color, you are good. If there are lighter / darker areas, replace it! We hook the trailer up to my daughters well water when we go up north. The sulphuric content in her water is incredible. The KW1 filter totally neutralizes it.
I also utilize my county health department that will do a free water test twice a year for bacterial contamination. The test we have gotten back for this year shows that the filter is working to a very satisfactory level. All the test results are within the safety limits for my county.
The KW1 filter is one of the best filters I have seen. I know I will be buying a new filter this year, but if I can get another 5 years out of it, it will be worth it.

The chlorine doesn’t “destroy” the carbon in the filter if you leave it in while sanitizing. Activated carbon has an affinity for chlorine ions and as water passes through the filter bed the chlorine attaches to the carbon. There is a limited removal capacity (size of bed, kind of carbon, etc) and by leaving it in and exposing it to the high levels required for sanitization just uses up its capacity.

I’m not sure what you’re referring to with “unfiltered” UV light. UV for strictly germicidal effects has to be in the 254nm range And you’d have to have it in a sealed vessel (sometimes called a reactor). FYI if you were exposed to directly it’s like looking directly at a welding arc. It’ll burn your corneas and skin as it’s in the UVC range and should have a UV radiation hazard sticker on it. We use several variations of UV lamps (different wavelengths for different purposes) in the pure/ultra pure water industry. Oh, contrary to popular belief this wavelength doesn’t kill the bacteria. It disrupts their DNA so they can’t reproduce and as bacteria in water have very short lifespans the effect is the same.

[Tundra 2014]

I just leave the city water in the filter. It has chlorine in the water and is a closed system-no evaporation of chlorine. No problem for a month or so. I have done it this way for 10 years. If using the FW tank my wife prefers using bottled water for drinking anyway.

[Wolverine 1945]

I was told by a RV Dealership owner, that we could soak our filter in water & Bleach, before flushing & reusing ???

[SecretSquirrel]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

I was told by a RV Dealership owner, that we could soak our filter in water & Bleach, before flushing & reusing ???

I wouldn’t. If it’s a carbon filter you’d deplete it as mentioned above. If it’s just sediment filter you could actually cause it to just let loose of all the stuff it trapped into your system albeit now dead. Depends on the filter media, lots of variables. Generally speaking none of these filters fall into the reusable category.

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by SecretSquirrel

X2 on what NMWildcat said. Unless that filter media is silver impregnated IT WILL GROW bacteria when sitting (i.e. no flow though and very warm). Don’t assume if you’re using city water it’ll be ok. One of the main purposes of activated carbon in a filter is to remove the chlorine (Usually the main purpose). Once the chlorine is bound up by the carbon any bacteria still alive has a great breeding ground. Take it out if more than a day or so and refrigerate it in a zip lock bag. Refrigerating will retard the bacteria growth.

So I camp every other weekend, 10-11 days between trips, water system is dry (well, let's say damp) between trips. So you mean after every trip I'm supposed to empty out 1/2 of my pass-through storage area, take the screws out of the back wall panel in there, remove the panel, crawl in through there to the space under the bed, and take that darn filter out and put it in a baggie in my refrigerator? Then when I go camping the next time, reverse all that?!?!!!!

Wow. Good thing the salesman never mentioned that....

[SecretSquirrel]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

So I camp every other weekend, 10-11 days between trips, water system is dry (well, let's say damp) between trips. So you mean after every trip I'm supposed to empty out 1/2 of my pass-through storage area, take the screws out of the back wall panel in there, remove the panel, crawl in through there to the space under the bed, and take that darn filter out and put it in a baggie in my refrigerator? Then when I go camping the next time, reverse all that?!?!!!!

Wow. Good thing the salesman never mentioned that....

I could be wrong but I think you’ll find a lot of people here will by-pass a filter and use an external one.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

So I camp every other weekend, 10-11 days between trips, water system is dry (well, let's say damp) between trips. So you mean after every trip I'm supposed to empty out 1/2 of my pass-through storage area, take the screws out of the back wall panel in there, remove the panel, crawl in through there to the space under the bed, and take that darn filter out and put it in a baggie in my refrigerator? Then when I go camping the next time, reverse all that?!?!!!!

Wow. Good thing the salesman never mentioned that....

Pay no attention. I haven't and have been drinking water from my last two TT's since 1995. If there was a problem you'd think I'd be dead by now, especially after reading some posts.

I replace my filter element once per year.

Those that want to bypass the filter and only drink bottled water are well within their right.

That's America.

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Pay no attention. I haven't and have been drinking water from my last two TT's since 1995. If there was a problem you'd think I'd be dead by now, especially after reading some posts.

I replace my filter element once per year.

Those that want to bypass the filter and only drink bottled water are well within their right.

That's America.

I suspect that my routine is the same as about 90+% of RVers who do anything at all:

End of season: crawl into that space and remove the filter cartridge and throw it away. Put the water heater in bypass mode. Winterize the plumbing.

Start of season: Dewinterize the system. Crawl back into that space and put the water heater back in service. Sanitize the system with bleach. When that is all done and ready to go, crawl back into that space one more time and install the filter cartridge and button everything up.

During the season - do nothing at all with the installed filter cartridge.