Anybody tried the home water filter instead of...
.. of those in line ones you buy that are made for the RV? The in line units look like they cost $30 each. The cartridges for the home units are like $7 at any hardware store.
Forum Discussion
Carbon filters 'may' cause problems. They are known to support the growth of bacteria. Also from Wiki:
"Active charcoal carbon filters are most effective at removing chlorine, particles such as sediment, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), taste and odor from water. They are not effective at removing minerals, salts, and dissolved inorganic substances. "
They generally will not remove dissolved metals tho some specially treated carbon will reduce the levels of lead. Also from the WCP (the authority on water analysis and treatment):
"these research teams found significantly higher bacterial levels in water flowing out of activated carbon filters than in the corresponding influent water (Tobin, Smith and Lindsay, 1981). Over the normal useful lifetime of a water filter, naturally occurring bacteria present in the influent water colonized the activated carbon inside water filters. One significant cause of filter contamination is improper hygiene during filter installation. Using gloves to avoid hand contact with the filter and wetted housing components should be common practice during filter replacement."
20 micron is laughable anyway and would only remove the bigger chunks in the water. To remove bacteria a lab would use 1 micron down to 0.45 micron. Water passed thru a 0.45 micron is generally considered semi sterile tho some small virus will pass thru that. For general filtering of water I'd use a 5 micron. The problem with small pore size is that it takes more pressure to force water thru those smaller pores.
"Active charcoal carbon filters are most effective at removing chlorine, particles such as sediment, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), taste and odor from water. They are not effective at removing minerals, salts, and dissolved inorganic substances. "
They generally will not remove dissolved metals tho some specially treated carbon will reduce the levels of lead. Also from the WCP (the authority on water analysis and treatment):
"these research teams found significantly higher bacterial levels in water flowing out of activated carbon filters than in the corresponding influent water (Tobin, Smith and Lindsay, 1981). Over the normal useful lifetime of a water filter, naturally occurring bacteria present in the influent water colonized the activated carbon inside water filters. One significant cause of filter contamination is improper hygiene during filter installation. Using gloves to avoid hand contact with the filter and wetted housing components should be common practice during filter replacement."
20 micron is laughable anyway and would only remove the bigger chunks in the water. To remove bacteria a lab would use 1 micron down to 0.45 micron. Water passed thru a 0.45 micron is generally considered semi sterile tho some small virus will pass thru that. For general filtering of water I'd use a 5 micron. The problem with small pore size is that it takes more pressure to force water thru those smaller pores.
