Filtered water

[tam_shops]

THANKS Kamz, as always you give the best answers and have the best smilies too! LOL I've opened all links and will read by the end of the day!

I already looked under the sink and those lines were nice and white, thought the nasty ones may have been hidden under/inside something else. I did pull the beside stove cubby apart when I cleaned and didn't see any (or look) for any nasty hoses. I hope I'd have noticed something like that! Sure I'd have wondered what they were and/or how to clean them! LOL Will check again anyway! Suspect someone replaced them recently. Lucky me!

Will also ask water guy about clean nasty sludge and the implications of drinking/teeth brushing with it, just out of curiosity. I won't be doing it anytime soon! I've never camped anywhere with out potable water so can't see it being a problem for the next few years anyway...

tam

[debbiej]

Well, they say it is purer water, filtering out up to a pretty small size of particulates and other impurities. although I don't leave water in the tank for a really long time, I figure the more pure the water, the less of a culture of bacteria you grow.

There aren't that many hoses to check. I also fill the tank from the inside, I've seen more nasties in the those kinds of hoses with the "ripples". And don't use my outside filler. It is corked off in the tank.

[debbiej]

Haha. Well, RO filtered water stays fresh in the wintertime.
Typing my response above made me remember the water had been In the tank a while. Well, the hose from the top of the tank to the faucet was still nice and clean, but the hose from the pump to the fitting in the top of the tand, and the tube that runs to the pump were slimy and starting to grow a black fuzz. Gross. Added bleach to the tank, wiped hoses down, ran faucet till it was running bleach water. I'll let it slosh around, rinse several times and ler it dry. So much for my theory.

[GypsyDriver]

I was in Lowe's today to get some stuff and stopped by the water filter section. I remembered the reasons why I bought the one I did. It was advertised as next level filtering rather than 'standard' chlorine odor and taste with sediment. This one says is filters cysts. Don't know about you, but I don't like cysts in my water. Don't know how they get in there, but I don't like to drink them.

The second reason was I remember measuring the cabinet and this was the only one I could find that fit in the top of the cabinet and didn't require me to modify the shelf. I think there's a GE product out there, but it has a lower filter rating.

Its on clearance now for $28. A good price for cyst-free water, if you ask me. Don't know if that means Lowe's will stop selling soon. I imagine so. Amazon has them. Replacement filters are spendy at $25 apiece.

[Merian]

cysts are a hard to kill dispersal form of many parasites - no, you do not want them in your water

[kourt]

For those looking for the filter/UV combo device in the first post (look for the 12vDC model), $395:

http://www.waterfixercompany.com/order500.html

The RV Water Filter Store also has a 3-stage filter plus UV model (also available in 12vDC) for $479, for those who are planning international trips and want to dump municipal water from foreign countries into their tanks:

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/WCUVSystems.htm

For an interesting DIY take on this last idea, see Drive Nacho Drive website for their home-brew filter/UV system, built into a clever floorpan/false floor system in their van:

http://www.drivenachodrive.com/about-nacho/water-2/

They traveled the entire world, took potable water from all countries (Central America, South America, etc.), drank only from their van, and never suffered intestinal maladies. They also built a true enterprise system, with on-demand hot water capabilities from a separate 15 gallon tank.

I'm using a 10" standard filter canister from RV Water Filter Store. These canisters have tons of filter options that are available cheaply and everywhere:

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/DWStandardCanisters.htm

...with an F1Pb 0.5 micron cartridge:

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/RCComboCartridge.htm

My setup costs about $65 shipped. This mounts under the sink and filters all output coming from the tank to the Shurflo faucet. My philosophy is that I want to trust all the water coming out of the faucet, no matter what. We use water sparingly, so filtering everything doesn't bother me. I want it to taste good and have no particulates. A modest capful of bleach in the tank, filling the tank with treated municipal water, keeping the tank clean, and this 10" filter system buys me the confidence to trust the Westy water tank. It helps that I replaced all the lines when I bought the van. I think the next time I upgrade the system I'll go to the 3-stage UV filter system.

kourt

[westyventures]

Pentex 5" filter housings in multiple options:
http://www.freshwatersystems.com/c-108-5-10-20-slim-line-filter-housings.aspx

Filter, carbon block .5-micron:
http://www.freshwatersystems.com/p-777-pentek-155169-43-cbc-5-carbon-block-filter-05-mic.aspx

Inexpensive 12V UV purifier:
http://www.freshwatersystems.com/c-161-ultra-sun-tech.aspx

This is the system I have in my Westy currently, driven by a Flojet 35 psi, 1.0 gpm valved pump and accumulator tank. A .2-micron ceramic filter is better yet but not sure there is an element available for the 5" housing.

(I'm sure someone will pipe in here to say my system is 'insufficient', as in the past. It works, I no longer carry bottle water.)

For the upcoming Sprinter build, I am using this unit, which will accept std. 10" filters where ceramic .2-micron elements are more easily found:
http://www.safh2ouv.com/Model-500.html

[kourt]

That's great info, Karl. This thread is now a perfect reference. I'm going to try those less expensive UV units this year.

kourt

[singler3360]

Yes, thanks Karl. Would the 5" be the way to go for under sink or does the filter need to be changed too often compared to the 10"?

[williamM]

[westyventures]

[svenakela]

[morymob]

[Honuak]

This is my filter project. My cabinetry is a bit modified but with minor changes this setup would work on any van. Decent flow as this unit is designed for RV/Marine, unit is a bit larger than the others I looked at. I cut a hole in the removable cabinet bottom. The whole thing is easy to remove/replace and the water really does taste better. I usually put filtered water in the tank but its nice to have options.

[kourt]

Update on my filtered water setup:

I am a very heavy Westy sink/water supply user. After a year of using the system with the filter always in the pathway of sink water, I wanted to upgrade the system to allow the filter to be optionally switched on or off.

The method for doing this involves using a 12v 3-way ball valve controlled by a single SPST switch.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OH73OVE/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00979P8TS/

The valve required some 1/2" BSPT > 3/8" barb fittings:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018501YZ6/

Plus a 3/8" barb tee, new 3/8" tubing, and a new sink pump.

The use of a SPST switch required two separate relays to accommodate the desired simple interface design and wiring demand.

The overall result is a switched water filter setup. Totally more complex than necessary, but I really like having the option. Now I can put a T4 shower tap in place of the Shurflo and have great water pressure for showers, or turn on the filter and have high quality, good tasting, trustworthy water from the tank.

kourt

[avernon82]

wow kourt, that's complicated! I think i'm going to do the same thing, but with a dpdt switch. should work?

[kourt]

It might work, but the design intent of my system is to make sure the valve is not consuming current after it has been actuated, and to provide a simple interface that requires no explanation. You can probably get very close to those same conditions with the DPDT switch and not use the relays.

kourt

[avernon82]

this is from the description:

Wire type: CR01, function as below:
1.Connecting SW and OPEN, the valve moves from the position 1 to position 2, automatically power off, the valve remain in position 2.
2.Connecting SW and CLOSE, the valve moves from the position 2 to position 1, automatically power off, the valve remain in position 1.

Could always use a momentary DPDT. Would be hard to tell what setting the valve is by looking at it, though.

[kourt]

Exactly. So instead of making myself the perpetual steward of a less-than-intuitive system (I always have guests in my van), mine is a little complicated behind the scenes but incredibly easy to understand in its interface and operation, requiring less work for me over time.

Kourt

[shagginwagon83]

Any filtered water projects going on recently?

Planning on going to Baja, Mexico, and looking to add a filter between the Westy tank and faucet.
_________________
Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan