How long does a water filter last?

I change my under the sink filter every other six months season, two years. And outside blue filter every six months season, yearly.

MitchF150 wrote:
My filter is only connected in line to a specific faucet on the sink. The rest of the system is just what's in the tank or city water connection.

I've changed it once in 14 years... ;)

Guess I'm about due now, since it's been about 7 years just to say I did it.. :)

Really, the only time we use that faucet is for the morning coffee, so we probably put a gallon or two thru it on a long weekend trip about 5-6 times a year..

Anyway, haven't gotten sick, or died yet! :) We always use our own water tank for water from home anyway, so no real worries... It's only a 30 gallon tank, so no big deal hauling it.

Good luck!

Mitch

You could easily add an inline hose filter. They do help quite a bit.

"High temps. in the summer are not good for filters. Some filters are breeding grounds for bacteria like paper element sediment cartridges."

I cringe when I see water filters hanging on the side of a RV with the sun blasting on them especially in hot weather.

My 1/2" filter housing is mounted inside my basement. Fulltiming I replace the filter about every 3 mo. I buy quality CFB-Plus10 Pentek Replacement Filter Cartridge at discountfilterstore.com for $9.99 ea.

And to add. Our trailer has a "whole house filter" capeable of filtering up to 10,000 gallons. I'll only buy one if we are going to be camping with no water hookup and I have to fill my tank. Otherwise I just run a simple online water filter. I do have a drinking water filter at the kitchen sink. I use all of these for one season, April through oct.

We use a pur filter on the sink faucet only. After every trip I remove it and shake out the water and put it in the freezer until next time. I also without thinking about it ,drain the hot water heater after each trip.

Canadian Rainbirds wrote:

Filters should not be stored wet or damp. Especially carbon filters. They trap the contaminates in tiny pores in the charcoal. Left damp these can become breeding grounds for bacteria.

Carbon filters typically have KDF or silver in them which is designed to kill bacteria on the exterior of the filter cartridge, not inside it. KDF or silver won't kill 100 percent of biological contaminants and it takes only one single bacterial cell sitting inside a filter or water lines to multiply. Some think the KDF or silver will prevent bacteria and organisms from getting through, but not so.

High temps. in the summer are not good for filters. Some filters are breeding grounds for bacteria like paper element sediment cartdridges.

Not sure what the recommended practice is for RV-ers that go camping 1,2 or 3 weeks apart and have filters. Taking them out after each trip out to dry or put in the fridge can be a pain. We have 3 x 10" filter cartridges inside and taking them out is a nuisance. One of these days I'm to take a water sample into a lab to see how our filter setup is doing in the summertime.

That Camco filter above has a micron rating of 100 as shown here.. The screen strainer on a city water inlet has a #50 mesh sieve size that is equivalent to approx. 300 microns. They do make inline filters with a much smaller micron rating. At 100 microns it isn't doing much but will last longer. Our sediment filter is 5 microns. Also, that Camco filter isn't NSF certified and isn't complying with any standards (other than lead content) and you won't know how it really performs.

If you are referring to the simple in-line water filters you can purchase almost anywhere, even Wall Mart, they say "1 season".

I have found it depends upon the quality of the water. In time, they will begin to clog up and water flow will become very slow, very, very slow! When that happens, simply turn it around and force water through the other direction. This will break up the impacted gunk, and you can continue using it. Eventually, the filter will just not clean out any more, or will clog up extremely fast again. When that happens, the filter is pretty much dead.

I have had success with these simple filters. I had one last 3 years, and then I had one last 2 months. It really all depends upon the quality of the water being filtered and how much the begin to clog up.

Thank you so much for the input. I decided to change it every three months, just like the filter in my Keurig coffee maker.

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
As a full time couple, we have a two stage filter. I change the cartridges every 3 months. I could probably go longer, but it is easier to make the changes on a schedule.

Before we were full-time and when I used the basic blue filters, I would change it a couple times a year. If I didn't use the rig for over 30 days, I'd install a new filter when we'd go out again.

I've always be unwilling to trust that nothing grew in the filter in a month. Better safe than sorry.

If I am not going to use my filter for a few weeks or more I drain it well, put it in a zip lock bag, and put it in the freezer. Like PawPaw said "better safe than sorry"

Safe travels.

As a full time couple, we have a two stage filter. I change the cartridges every 3 months. I could probably go longer, but it is easier to make the changes on a schedule.

Before we were full-time and when I used the basic blue filters, I would change it a couple times a year. If I didn't use the rig for over 30 days, I'd install a new filter when we'd go out again.

I've always be unwilling to trust that nothing grew in the filter in a month. Better safe than sorry.