Whole-RV Water Filtration Systems

Water quality can vary greatly from location to location and some municipal water supplies throughout the country can contain high amounts of sediment, impurities, chlorine, iron and toxins. These impurities can impart odors and cloudiness as well as health concerns. When traveling on the road one must constantly adapt to different tasting water, differing water odors, and different hardnesses of water. One solution to this problem is a multi-stage filter that will addresses sediment, bacteria, heavy metals and chlorine.

NSF Water Filter Ratings

The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) tests water filters and rates their effectiveness at removing chlorine from water. To receive a Class I rating a carbon water filter must remove up to 75% to 100% of the chlorine present in the test water. For a Class II rating the filter must remove 50% to 75% f the chlorine, and 0% to 50% to get a Class III rating.

 A filter element’s ability to screen out a certain material is measured in microns (1 micron = one thousandth of a millimeter). A five micron filter will screen out any particle that is larger than five microns. The smaller the micron rating, the smaller the screened particle size. The down side of water filters with a low micron rating is that they tend to clog faster and can restrict water pressure. Generally, the larger the filter, the less it will restrict water pressure. For this reason, you will want to purchase the largest filter or filters that the space will accomidate.

Water Filter Types

Each type of filter is designed to remove a different component in the water. Sediment filter cartridges are designed to catch dirt, minerals, metal particles, and sand. Sediment cartridges usually have a paper filter element and are available in micron sizes ranging from 1 to 20 microns.

Carbon filter cartridges are designed to remove contaminants that can affect odor and taste. These filters use activated carbon in granular or solid block form. High quality carbon filter cartridges can remove bacteria, chemicals, giardia and cryptosporidium cysts. They are also designed to remove lead and other heavy metals.

Doulton ceramic cartridges are “bacteriostatic” and are designed to remove sub-micron particulate matter such as bacteria, cyst and fine sediment.

Combination filter cartridges are designed to remove sediment and remove taste and odor problems. Combination cartridges usually contain paper and carbon filter ellements.

A Reverse Osmosis, or RO system forces water molecules through a semi-permeable membrane achieving a high level of filtration for minerals, salts and sediments but allowing a small amount of contaminates to escape the brining solution. RO systems also produce a lot of waste water (brine), only filtering about 20 to 30% into pure water. Additionally, RO systems require adequate water pressure (over 50 psi) in order to function properly.

An Ulta-Violet water filter system can provide the highest level of filtration for biological pathogens such as cryptosporidium, coliforms, and giardia.

Multi-Filter Systems

A multi-filter system will effectively address several problems at once without significantly restricting your water pressure. If you do not have a pressure regulator, you will want to add on to maintain your water pressure at a constant psi ranging from 40 to 60 pounds.

Whole RV Water Filtration System

RV Filter Product Overview

        They have various types of filters that will filter most anything. One of the main concerns is chlorine …

Installation and Operation

Installation required fixing a bracket to the wall of our utility compartment that would hold the two extra canisters. Also measuring to make sure that all of the connections were made to the proper length then installing quick connects for easy connection to the water source. Finally the filters are placed into the canisters making sure to lubricate the “O” ring on top of the canister with a small amount of vaseline. The sediment filter should be replaced about every six months and the others about once a year.

Which filtration method is right for me?

There are a lot of things to consider, the one thing that people consider most is cost. Like any filter used for anything, they need to be replaced periodically. The carbon filters especially or any other that uses a chemical base to help control and filter certain tastes. The water softener “filters” are small replicas of what you would find a residential set up

Only until recently have flat-panel televisions become an available option in most RVs: anything from 10″ under-the-counter mount to a 42″ flip-down LCD to a combo TV/DVD on an articulating arm, and everything in between. For those unlucky RV owners that did not have the luxury of this option, this mod is for you.

With so many different TV mounting options available, chances are your flat panel TV mod will be custom. A flat panel TV is obviously much thinner than a standard CRT or tube type TV and is considerably lighter. So a direct replacement in your RV is typically not possible without modifications. And now with the analog to digital TV signal transmission change, most CRT type TVs won’t be able to handle the over-the-air digital signal type without a converter box. So out with the old and in with the new.

There are two types of flat panel TVs: plasma and LCD. LCDs are a better choice for an RV. They are more durable and consume less power than a plasma TV, two attributes all RV owners can relate to. The most common sizes for RVs range from 15″ to 19″. This size range will accommodate most RVs, like truck campers and travel trailers. 5th wheels, class A’s, and class C’s typically have larger TVs as standard equipment, so LCDs up to 32″ are possible to install.

Features found in most of the newer flat panel TVs include built-in speakers, HDTV tuner, HDMI and VGA cable inputs, and even built-in DVD players. If you don’t understand all the terminology, don’t worry. Stick with brand names with the newest offerings and you won’t go wrong. Keep in mind too that the TV in your RV doesn’t have to be as sophisticated as the one in your home. It can be if you want to invest the money but the occasional movie over a weekend outing requires only basic TV features.

The most popular mounting option is to use an articulating arm, an arm that allows the TV to be positioned at different angles for optimum viewing. It’s popular because the TV can be mounted in almost any location in the RV provided there is a solid surface to fasten the mount. Some mount the arm inside the original TV cabinet in such a way that when the arm is collapsed, the flat panel TV rests flush with the cabinet opening, providing a very clean look. Often times, the stock TV location is not in a good spot for all to view. Having the ability to pull the TV out and angle it toward the viewers is a great alternative. There is also an under-cabinet mount flip-down LCD TV/DVD combo unit that’s perfect for smaller RVs. These units not only flip down but rotate nearly 360 degrees. They also have built-in speakers so wiring the unit in is as simple as plugging in the AC cord.

Of note, some LCD TVs have a seperate power supply that converts 110 VAC to 12 VDC, which plugs in to the back of the TV. It might be possible to directly wire the TV’s DC power input to the RV’s 12-volt system. Use caution though. When the batteries are charging, the 12-volt system can reach as high as 15 volts. Make sure the TV is rated to handle this high of a DC voltage. You can usually find the specifications in the owners manual.

When planning where you will mount your LCD TV/DVD combo unit, be sure to take in to consideration the clearance necessary to insert the DVD. Some of the DVD slots are on the side while others are on the top of the TV. If you mount the TV too close to a wall or the ceiling, you won’t be able to put the DVD in!