Fresh water Hose

Connecting the ends together is a good idea to keep bacteria out. Shouldn't let the ends touch the ground where they can pick up bacteria or organisms on the ground. There can be nasty stuff on the ground that you don't want getting in the hose. I hold the hose in the air or lay it on the picnic table to drain it first. Leaving a hose for long periods with any water in it can allow bacteria to grow though. Flushing a hose before use can help. JMO...

If you ever take a water sample into a lab for analysis, you always have to heat the end of the faucet with a lighter to kill bacteria. Faucet ends and hose ends can *look* perfectly clean but may have unsafe bacteria on them. You only need one bacteria cell to be present to reproduce.

docsouce wrote:
The label says it protects against bacteria and fungus and such.

Some filters have KDF or silver in them to kill bacteria but KDF or silver only prevents bacterial growth on the filter cartridge. They do NOT prevent bacteria from getting through.

Filters with carbon in them (to improve taste & odor) are not a good idea because you want chlorine in your piping system to kill bacteria. A carbon filter is best used as a point of use (POU) filter at a sink. Those blue filters often have a high micron rating and aren't much more than a sediment filter. Filters that aren't NSF approved can have exaggerated claims so beware. Sediment filters that have paper in them promote bacterial growth. String wound cartridges are best. What's inside those blue inline filters?

Some filters can remove some bacteria, organisms and even some viruses if they have a micron rating below 1.0. Doulton has some ceramic cartridges that do this. Some organisms are chlorine resistant.