Filtered water

[Alaric.H]

Bottled water is killing my storage room any one using a home or boat filter off the water tank I was thinking of this one it is 12 volt is there something better?

THE MODEL 500

The WaterFixer uses a 2 Stage sterilizing system while allowing a 1.5 gallons per minute flow rate; perfect for single point of use applications.

STAGE 1 - The activated carbon cartridge removes particles down to a half micron (0.5) which removes fine sediment and chemicals while improving your water’s odor and taste. It is equally effective filtering Cryptosporidium and Giardia cysts.

STAGE 2 - The big difference is the system’s final step. Your water is exposed to high intensity germicidal ultraviolet light in a stainless steel disinfection chamber. The UV light effectively destroys any bacteria or viruses that may be present.

NO CHEMICALS USED....
Like Mother Nature, the Waterfixer’s ultraviolet high intensity lamp provides the same germ destroying protection as that produced by sunlight.



NO WAITING...
The Model 500 WaterFixer's 1.5 gallon per minute flow rate means no waiting to fill your glass or containers.

NO WASTED WATER...
Reverse osmosis systems can waste as much as 4 gallons of water to flush out its system for every 1 gallon delivered. No precious water is wasted with the WaterFixer's unique design.

NO SEPARATE WATER TANK...
Other technologies require separate water tanks that use valuable space. WaterFixer's method of sterilizing water at a high flow rate makes a separate tank unnecessary.

NO DANGER FROM INFECTION...
The ultraviolet chamber kills germs which may grow on activated charcoal filters and in water tanks. Unlike other methods, the WaterFixer does not store unprotected water.

NO SPECIAL TOOLS...
Easy installation requires very little time and simple

[deides]

basically this is a brita filter system with an extra ultraviolet light. ultraviolet will only kill bacteria and things that live. so i guess that is good! Unfortunately, i dont think the pump is strong enough to power a reverse osmosis, which is the cleanest water you can get.

[madspaniard]

I replaced the water hoses from the tank to the faucet, plus the water filler hose, installed new pump, new Shutflo faucet and cleaned water tank with a bleach solution so I can dump bottled or drinking water in the tank and drink as I please.

Others have installed an in-line Britta filter, I think Shurflo has a similar filter too, you can find them at West Marine
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1991 Westy auto w/ Peloquin TBD

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad” - Salvador Dali

[Alaric.H]

[bibbylauer]

Storing and drinking water from the tank should be fine if your system is clean. Since I haven't gone through my plumbing thorouhly yet, I've generally used mine for non-potable uses like cleaning up and giving the dogs a bowl as I carry a separate 3 gallon expandable jug and several nalgene bottles for drinking water. I've found I stop frequently enough when camping at places that have potable water for refills.

If you're concerned about using the tank, a good cleaning/chlorination (the bleach solution should roughly get to 100 ppm free chlorine) as madspaniard did should take care of bacterial concerns and you could always have the water tested cheaply by dropping a sample off with the local health department or lab to be confident that the quality is acceptable and the system is clean.
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85 Westy

[Alaric.H]

[madspaniard]

well, if you travel for extended periods of time like you say, then the unit you posted about looks like a great idea for peace of mind when using the water tank and water from an unconfirmed source.

You say it is 12v but in the pic I can see a 110v plug and white cord.
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1991 Westy auto w/ Peloquin TBD

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad” - Salvador Dali

[presslab]

I bought this:

http://www.filtersfast.com/Pentek-CBC-5-water-filters.asp

and this:

http://www.filtersfast.com/Pentek-158003-Filter-Housing.asp
http://www.filtersfast.com/Pentek-244047-filter-mounting-bracket.asp


I am mainly worried about Giardia that's why I went with the 0.5 micron filter. The UV light seems like a cool idea though.
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1986 Vanagon Westfalia EJ25
1988 Subaru GL-10 EJ20G --- 2000 Honda XR650L
2010 Titus El Guapo --- 2011 On-One 456 Ti

[randywebb]

info on plumbing ?
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1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans.

[rockfish]

I have an in-line filter that I use with my "sanitary" fill hose --- picked up both at a local RV supply store. Works great for us --- I just fill the tank with the filtered water --- tastes great!
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89 Westy
GW 2.5 5-speed trans

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
- John Wooden

[keving]

[DAIZEE]

Something I never understand is, if water is good enough for a dog to drink, then why is it deemed not okay for a human? If you won't drink the water (you being anyone) why give it to the dog?

[thatvwbusguy]

Well, you don't need to leave the lid down to keep me from drinking out of the toilet like you do with a lot of dogs I have known. I don't generally eat stuff off the ground in various stages of decomposition either. This leads me to believe that dogs have very different bacterial flora in their stomachs than we do and that they can generally handle more funky stuff than we can.

At home my dog gets the same filtered water that we drink, but the fact that all dogs are the direct descendants of wolves unquestionably makes them more tolerant of impurities in their water and food sources than we are.

On the odd occasion that we use the water system in the Westy, I use a simple inline carbon filter like the Culligan RV-600 that connects directly to a garden hose. It doesn't eliminate bacteria, but I wouldn't drink anything that comes out of the water tank without boiling it first anyway. For the city water inlet at a campground the RV-600 will remove the chlorine taste from the water as well as any small debris that may be suspended in the water supply.
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Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[scobax]

[DAIZEE]

Great comprehensive replies.

I always put any toilet seats down but I'm a woman. We all have our opinions. If I won't drink it, then I won't give it to my dog. That's my opinion. Reminds of a rather famous Bishop Sheen book many decades ago. He was stranded in the desert and he survived by drinking his urine. The human body can tolerate a lot more than we think in emergencies. In the mean time I feed my dog well and provide potable water. The modern dog is not born, not in its genetics anymore, to tolerate what a wolf did but then in those days water was purer and they killed their meat so it was fresh. They were in fact quite discerning eaters.

[scobax]

Ahh yes, but urine is, in fact, sterile... As a matter of course, I too refrain from relieving myself into the onboard water tank! Just a personal quirk, I guess.

Humans and our comparatively fragile constitutions conditioned by generations of clean water and cooked food to no longer need the robust gut fauna of our ancestors or quadrupedal friends, alas, are fairly susceptible to the fungal growths oftentimes found in a water system such as that in the Vanagon with it's many low points in the plastic tubing that are hard to clear of standing water.

Thus, it is a fair precaution against distress to treat the water in this system as suspect. filtration is a reasonable measure if one intends to drink from this tank, though some with heartier immunities and cleaner water systems may never experience any difficulties. It's a roll of the dice, I suppose. I, for one, choose filtration.
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87 Syncro Westy w/ Suby 2.5
RIP: 2.1 WBX. You were a good dog 'ol feller

“The word adventure has gotten overused. For me, when everything goes wrong, that's when adventure starts” -Yvon Chouinard

"It's not expensive, its priceless" -Unknown

[climberjohn]

[syncroserge]

man a lot of good, semi-off-topic info...here's a little more...

The trouble as mentioned with extended trip is water of various quality.
I have found that filtering the water before putting it in the tank allows
"stuff" to grow in there more easily. So whenever I can I fill up with
chlorinated city water. I also get water tank chlorine from RV places.
I hate the taste but it's the only way I have found to keep the whole
system clean. And you can always use a brita to take the taste out.

[bjrogers86auto]

I haven't used my water tank or system yet. We are fortunate to have an abundance of good water in most places we wander to. I did clean the system last spring and it was in really good shape.

On another note, passing through Regina last summer we stopped at the info centre for lunch and give the kids a break. Afterwards I made myself a coffee. As I was swallowing the last mouthful my lovely wife asked (with a smile on her face) "How's the coffee?"

Turns out on the brown post, on beige cardboard wrapped in a light coloured see through tape were the words...NOT SAFE TO DRINK.

I'm OK...huh..what? I said I'm OK...who are you talking to...You...Me? huh.

Brian
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86 Vanagon GL Westfalia 2.1
18 Nissan Frontier Pro 4X
19 Honda Civic Hatchback

A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin and Hobbes.

[DAIZEE]

Well seeing as I haven't really been anywhere yet my plans are to fill 2 inflatable jugs with city water. I'll only use the tank for cleaning. As I drink a lot of water, I mean a lot, the jugs will get alot of use. Will keep some bottled water for back up.