External hose water filter suggestions

I believe we use a GE filter we got at Home Depot. in addition I installed a Pur Water faucet filter. It helps to make better Ice. Otherwise it's Dasani.

myredracer wrote:
Short reply: I wouldn't use an exterior inline filter.

Long reply:

First question should be what you want to accomplish and remove or reduce. Sediment? Bacteria/micro-organisms? Chlorine? Or ...? Some don't care a whole lot about the water they use and some are the opposite. There can be a lot of technology to filtration depending on what you want to do.

Using a filter with carbon in it for exterior use is not recommended. Removing chlorine will leave the system inside your TT vulnerable to bacterial growth. If you want to remove the taste/odor from chlorinated water, use a point-of-use carbon filter on or under the kitchen sink and a sediment filter ahead of that. Filters with KDF do NOT prevent bacteria from passing through the filter. KDF makes a filter "bacteriostatic" meaning it reduces bacterial growth on and within the filter. Note that giardia and cryptosporidium parasites are chlorine resistant.

The above noted Camco filter is rated 100 microns which is rather coarse and will still let finer sediment and other particles through. I think all available exterior RV inline filters have carbon in them so you should decide if increasing the risk of bacterial and microorganism growth is acceptable to you.

When looking for a filter, look at the specs. Some have few specs or even none. Look for a filter that is NSF certified otherwise they can make exaggerated performance claims. "RV approved" means nothing. Some have a low flow rate (0.5 gpm like the Camco for ex.) and that's before it's plugged up with sediment. Look at the capacity rating (life in total gallons). The inline filters have a low capacity rating compared to larger cartridges.

If you can't or don't want to install filtration inside, I would suggest a 10" whole house filter housing on a stand like in the pic. That opens you up to a whole new range of filter specs and characteristics. I would suggest just using a sediment filter outside and then a POU filter at the kitchen faucet. I would use a 5 micron string-wound sediment cartridge as they are cheap and will not grow bacteria on them. Use a clear housing so you can see the cartridge. This filter will allow chlorinated water everywhere inside except where you use another filter. You could even use a 2nd whole house filter on a stand along with say a 1 micron ceramic cartridge (Doulton, ex.), which can remove some but not all pathogens.

In our TT, we use 3-stage filtration using 10" whole house filters, ending with a 0.2 micron UF cartridge.

FYI. The blue Camco DOES have KDF.

Amazon is currently selling the blue Camco filters at less than $16 for two.

We also use the basic Camco blue external water filter. Works fine, heavy duty, easy to use. I replace it every spring - I am more worried about the water that is left in the filter after taking it off the camper, sitting all winter in my basement.

Actually, the last few years I haven't bothered with the external filter. We use the trailer's plumbing for washing and bathroom. For drinking water (and cooking water if needed), we bring along a Brita filter jug that we keep in the TT's frig. Refilling it from the TT's plumbing seems to work fine.

We are weekend campers, somewhere around 5-7 trips a year. If we camped more I might look into a fancier filter system.

We are full-timers.

I use a standard blue external water filter. I put a new one the first of every month and throw out the old one. We typically run more water through the filter in a month than weekend/vacation campers do in a year.

I also have a built in filter that came with the rig. I change out that one on Jan 1 and July 1 each year.

The one DutchmanSport linked to is also available at Wallmart. I use this one as well as a pressure regulator. Simple, cheap, and gets the job done.

Short reply: I wouldn't use an exterior inline filter.

Long reply:

First question should be what you want to accomplish and remove or reduce. Sediment? Bacteria/micro-organisms? Chlorine? Or ...? Some don't care a whole lot about the water they use and some are the opposite. There can be a lot of technology to filtration depending on what you want to do.

Using a filter with carbon in it for exterior use is not recommended. Removing chlorine will leave the system inside your TT vulnerable to bacterial growth. If you want to remove the taste/odor from chlorinated water, use a point-of-use carbon filter on or under the kitchen sink and a sediment filter ahead of that. Filters with KDF do NOT prevent bacteria from passing through the filter. KDF makes a filter "bacteriostatic" meaning it reduces bacterial growth on and within the filter. Note that giardia and cryptosporidium parasites are chlorine resistant.

The above noted Camco filter is rated 100 microns which is rather coarse and will still let finer sediment and other particles through. I think all available exterior RV inline filters have carbon in them so you should decide if increasing the risk of bacterial and microorganism growth is acceptable to you.

When looking for a filter, look at the specs. Some have few specs or even none. Look for a filter that is NSF certified otherwise they can make exaggerated performance claims. "RV approved" means nothing. Some have a low flow rate (0.5 gpm like the Camco for ex.) and that's before it's plugged up with sediment. Look at the capacity rating (life in total gallons). The inline filters have a low capacity rating compared to larger cartridges.

If you can't or don't want to install filtration inside, I would suggest a 10" whole house filter housing on a stand like in the pic. That opens you up to a whole new range of filter specs and characteristics. I would suggest just using a sediment filter outside and then a POU filter at the kitchen faucet. I would use a 5 micron string-wound sediment cartridge as they are cheap and will not grow bacteria on them. Use a clear housing so you can see the cartridge. This filter will allow chlorinated water everywhere inside except where you use another filter. You could even use a 2nd whole house filter on a stand along with say a 1 micron ceramic cartridge (Doulton, ex.), which can remove some but not all pathogens.

In our TT, we use 3-stage filtration using 10" whole house filters, ending with a 0.2 micron UF cartridge.

That blue standard RV external water filter also keeps your toilet getting stained . the filter stops the iron from the CG wells from entering your coach.

My filter was due for replacing and when I noticed the toilet staining from the water I knew it was time to get a new filter.

The basic Camco filter works for us. If the water still screws up the coffee, I just use bottled water for making coffee. We usually keep bottled water for drinking purposes.

I've been using the same one as Burbman for several years. Once you buy the single pack, save the short hose and buy the double pack the next time. They're much cheaper but don't come with the hose.