Please school me on water filter options

[jeshoffstall]

My 2012 TT has a water filter canister that is in a very difficult to access area. We used it the first year and water pressure was just ok. After winterizing last year I decided not to replace the cartridge (left the canister attached, but empty) and bought the in-line filter at Walmart. That, coupled with my cheap brass regulator really restricts my water flow.

Thinking about buying a piece of pex to eliminate the mounted water filter in the unit and buying a canister unit that sits outside the unit. Will this provide better flow?

Thanks!
Jack

[TechWriter]

Check www.rvwaterfilterstore.com.

[down_home]

I had been using the whole house filters from Lowes. last one I bought was over two years ago. The new 10x4 in filter for the large cannister, only specs to remove sediment and chlorine.
The blue one for smaller 10in cannister at CW gets most of the nasties, but flows less than a 4 inch. Works fine though except they now cost 42 bucks each. They had 5 micron spiral wound filter for sediment.
So now I guess I'll use the blue filter and a ceramic after it.

[jeshoffstall]

I like the idea of a watts regulator and external (easy to change/remove filters for winterizing) does it matter which order I go in? I assume GC water bib==> regulator==>filter==>white hose to camper?

From the Forest River forums I have gleaned my canister/filter are proprietary to Forest River and I have to get replacement filters from them (not sure who the original MFG is).

Thanks,
Jack

[F1bNorm]

We had a similar problem and assumed it was a clogged filter. On replacement we realized the filter valve (EverPure) was partially closed. You might check.

Norm

[wa8yxm]

About regulators.. I have 4 kinds here I can test.. With 80 psi inlet pressure my Sur-Flow shows dead on 50 PSI static pressure on the lines, Open the cold water valve on the dog shower (outside shower) and the pressure drops to 10,

Measured at the regulator output, attached to the park hydrant, 1st thing is the regulator, next is teh gauge.

And the Sur Flow is one of the better regulators.

The common brass ones w/o the bright plastic grip, I'd expect about 2 psi under load

The HIGH FLOW ones (With the bright plastic grip) Perhaps 5 (Will have to test)

But ... once I get my Watts repaired (or fix it myself, one of my projects this week is trying to fix it again) .... Well.... I'd expect perhaps 45 PSI out of that one under load, if not 50.

[nomad297]

enblethen wrote:
I have used this one the last couple of trips and seems to do OK. It is all setup with hose connectors.
Adjustable water regulator

Yup. That one will work, too. You can't buy a real water pressure regulator for twenty bucks. You need to expect to pay somewhere around eighty for one that will give you the flow you need.

Bruce

[enblethen]

I have used this one the last couple of trips and seems to do OK. It is all setup with hose connectors.
Adjustable water regulator

[nomad297]

As far as your pressure is concerned, buy a real pressure regulator. One like mlts22 mentioned. The cheapo deals fom the RV dealer are nothing more than a flow restrictor and will do very little to give you good working pressure.

Bruce

[nomad297]

mlts22 wrote:
What you could do is use two pressure regulators, two Camco inline hose filters, get two "Y" connectors, a male to male adapter, two female to female adapters, and run both the filters and regulators in parallel. Twice the flow, same amount of pressure. You can keep the inside filter, and because the inline hose filters will get the worst stuff, the inside filter will last a lot longer.

Nope. As soon as you bring the two lines back together, you end up,with the same flow. You can't get something for nothing. I see what you're thinking, but it just won't make a difference.

Bruce

[mlts22]

A lot of people move to the Watts regulators and have had excellent luck with those.

[wildtoad]

I have not done intense testing but I suspect the flow problem is as Bud mentioned the regulator not the filter. I'm OK with the reduced flow when using my holding tanks as it help to prolong the time between dumps. If I just use the blue filter, flow is great. Add the brass regulator and it makes a big difference.

Have you tried a different filter in the canister as if like the one I had at my last house they had several options in regards to particle size captured.

[mlts22]

What you could do is use two pressure regulators, two Camco inline hose filters, get two "Y" connectors, a male to male adapter, two female to female adapters, and run both the filters and regulators in parallel. Twice the flow, same amount of pressure. You can keep the inside filter, and because the inline hose filters will get the worst stuff, the inside filter will last a lot longer.

[nomad297]

THIS is the filter system I use. It gives me 8 GPM which is more than enough water for any RV. I usually use the AP110 cartridge for sediment, but will use any one of the AP110, AP124, AP117, AP420 cartridges depending if there are other things I am trying to filter out. All of these cartridges give me excellent flow. The system comes with a stainless steel bracket which I mounted on my RV right next to the city water inlet. I hang the unit here when I hookup. You can also just lay it on the ground and it will filter fine.

Bruce

[nomad297]

The filter will never have an effect on the pressure -- only on the flow. Go to Aqua Pure's website and look for the filter type that suits your needs as far as what you are trying to filter out. Then, look to see which model will give you the best flow (GPM) . Most of the in-line hose-type filters have a very dense medium that severely restricts the flow, and you don't have much choice of what, exactly, you are filtering out of your water. Your best option is to buy a brand like Aqua Pure, which has been around for years, who offers many options of filtering medium and flow rates. You will always be able to buy replacement filter cartridges for an Aqua Pure filter.

Bruce