Need to add water filter - looking for advice

RTrider wrote:

Not sure if I made much sense in my ramblings, but I am quite surprised that there has not been any major water incidents (that I am aware of) in RV parks.

Makes a lot of sense. Thanks for posting that! Puts a new spin on things...

Perhaps you could comment on a few questions I have (apologies if it gets long).

Until last week, I was going to use a combo whole house 10" filter in our TT and I had bought a couple of cartridges. It is 0.5 microns, is a carbon block and sediment filter and removes some micro-organisms and has an excellent flow rate. Based on comments by Jbarca in the other thread referred to above, I have abandoned the idea of a carbon block filter for the whole TT. Then it seems like 0.5 microns is just too small and more likely to plug up quickly.

I'm now thinking of just a sediment whole house filter. Maybe 10 microns, but not sure yet.

There is the question of bacteria growth in some filters depending on the filter media. I'm now leaning towards a sediment filter with a polypropylene core that is bacteriostatic. Problem is, the flow rate isn't that great. (2 gpm at 2 psi differential drop)

I was thinking of maybe trying the spin-down filter I posted above as a pre-filter. Not sure if this would help much or even work at all due to insufficient flow rate to make it work.

Part of what I've been trying to accomplish is better water quality for drinking plus reducing "crud" that may be in the CG supply. In addition to a whole house sediment filter, am thinking of a 5" carbon block filter right under the kitchen sink. The filter I was looking at is 0.5 micron, carbon block and removes some micro-organisms. The problem on this one is that it is not bacteriostatic and it could sit there for a week or two between use. Not keen about the suggestion of freezing it between trips.

The photo below (which I posted in the other thread) is the strainer on the water inlet on our TT after the end of the last season. I really don't want this kind of stuff getting into our system. I have no idea what it is. Too late to culture it in a lab test. Does not look like any kind of sediment and more like some type of growth such as algae or iron bacteria and it looks attached to the screen. In light of what you posted, if this is some type of growth, if a CG supply was adequately chlorinated, would it have prevented it? In other words, for CG systems with poor or low chlorine levels in the water is the stuff on our strainer likely to show up again? This is one reason why I want some decent filtration, but if the chlorine is low is it going to thrive in a sediment filter (even if bacteriostatic) or combo filter as well?

I'm pretty sure the stuff on the strainer came from a CG we were at on the west coast of Washington. It was a large CG, quite spread out and with a swamp/wetland in the middle. The electrical system was in pretty sad shape and I'm guessing the water system was probably similar. As well, it was at the end of the season and not many were still there so as you say, the chlorine may have dissipated.

It sounds as if one is at a busier CG that is on a larger public water system, you are likely okay. But it seems like there are some CGs that could be higher risk.

Are chlorine test strips any good or is there a low cost tester that works okay for use at a CG? Not sure on the difference on free vs. combined and if testing is different.

I drink a lot of tap water when camping and use it in a Sodastream pop machine (diet flavors) and really want to know it's going to be okay. Not sure if I can get DW to ever drink the filtered water though.

I can see it now - having to tow another trailer with a water treatment plant in it. Maybe bottled water is the simpler way to go :(

Thoughts? TIA