Water softener and/or filter help please!

[Furry_people]

We just purchased a shiny new 2015 Bullet 272BHS. There is no water treatment system and knowing how funky campground water can be, we would like to add a system to give us decent water that tastes good and won't stain the fixtures or gunk up the pipes. Suggestions please. Thank you!(tx)

[JRTJH]

For us, we just carry drinking water for making tea, coffee and for cooking. We use campground water for washing dishes, showering and for the toilet. Been doing that for a number of years and have never had any issues with plumbing damage or illness. Of course, I wouldn't suggest you do this if you're camping in an area where there is known "hazardous" or "bad" water.

There are available RV softener systems as well as the complete array of water filters from simple faucet attached systems to "whole house reverse osmosis systems" and everything between. What you install (if anything) really depends on your "concern for the quality of the water" and "how thick your wallet is"......

[bsmith0404]

For us, we just carry drinking water for making tea, coffee and for cooking. We use campground water for washing dishes, showering and for the toilet.

We do the same thing, but do add a Camco Taste Pure filter on the hose before it enters the camper just to filter out the gunk and help prolong the life of the fixtures. These are the little blue filters that you can get from Walmart or just about any other store/amazon etc. for about $15. Typically go through about 4-5 per year, depending on the quality of the water at the parks.

[bg71361]

Put this together some years back, made the bracket to hang on bumper. It definitely filters out the crap, inexpensive sediment filter.http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_141821_0_2506982c1ffac75f86d81d39358a1b23.jpg[/URL][/IMG]

[kellydog98]

Definetely buy an in-line filter. Wal-Mart carries them. Depending on use, change as instructed.

[bobbecky]

We've been using a Watts RV Pro 10,000 water softener for well over a year now, full timing, and it definitely does stop the crud from building up on the fixtures. If we suspect the water quality in a park, we use the Camco in-line filter, or just run off the water we carry in the fresh tank and fill it up when we do have good water available. These portable water softeners like we have use table salt to recharge them, and we seem to only need to recharge about every three months, which takes maybe 30 minutes.

[Furry_people]

So you run the water softener plus the in-line filter?

[bg71361]

So you run the water softener plus the in-line filter?

Just depends on how picky you are, for me the sediment filter suffices but depending on where you camp and the quality of the water....

[outwest]

I use an inline filter as well, but, use a 5 micron one (bought on amazon). The downside is that it gets clogged quickly. For one campground I stay at, I would prefer a better system because it's in a town where the water supply is contaminated with volatile organic compounds (petrol products (you can get a triple filter system that installs under sink that filters even the worst of stuff). Since I haven't done that yet, I use distilled water in that town (imported from another city).

[Kristi]

More info on water quality at some campgrounds can be found here http://water.epa.gov/scitech/datait/databases/drink/sdwisfed/drinkingwaterwatch.cfm or here http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/ccr/index.cfm?OpenView Not all systems are listed but you can request a CCR from the campground water supplier.

[JRTJH]

More info on water quality at some campgrounds can be found here http://water.epa.gov/scitech/datait/databases/drink/sdwisfed/drinkingwaterwatch.cfm or here http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/ccr/index.cfm?OpenView Not all systems are listed but you can request a CCR from the campground water supplier.

Is it really practical to go to this extreme for an overnight or even for a week long stay at a campground? Apparently, somewhere along the way I've missed out on the difference between "safe water" (which is available everywhere in the US and AFAIK in Canada) vs "filtered water" ???

[bobbecky]

Don't assume that all water is safe in the USA. We've stayed at an RV park between Midland and Odessa, Texas, and when you check in, you are told to grab some cases of bottled water stacked up in the office, to use for drinking and cooking. Their well is contaminated by some real nasty chemical in the water aquifer, and you can shower and wash dishes, but it is not advised to drink. If we are only there a day or two, we use our water on board, otherwise, we use a filter, then flush the system out at our next campground.

[outwest]

Don't assume that all water is safe in the USA.

Ditto. The water in Hutchinson, KS is contaminated with volatile organic compounds (petrol products) and smells like paint thinner. The city has installed an expensive water filtration system but the water in the RV park still smells funky and like petrol products. Lots of water wells in that region are messed up due to the aquifer being contaminated.

[JRTJH]

Don't assume that all water is safe in the USA. We've stayed at an RV park between Midland and Odessa, Texas, and when you check in, you are told to grab some cases of bottled water stacked up in the office, to use for drinking and cooking. Their well is contaminated by some real nasty chemical in the water aquifer, and you can shower and wash dishes, but it is not advised to drink. If we are only there a day or two, we use our water on board, otherwise, we use a filter, then flush the system out at our next campground.

I agree completely with you on this point. Checking locally or looking at signs/notices for any temporary restrictions at the campground is prudent (if you're concerned). There's a certain amount of "having to rely on the local sources" for current information. As an example, I went to the "national EPA website" listed above and checked on "Hutchinson, KS" since it was given as an example of "questionable water supply" in the previous post. At the EPA site, the following statement is given for all the water supplies around Hutchinson:
"Your water supplier does not currently store their water quality report on our online system. Please contact your water supplier for additional information."

While I wouldn't criticize the EPA for "trying", for someone to rely on a national website to report the everchanging condition of the nation's water supply "might eventually" reflect an issue, but it won't be anywhere near the "current status" of any particular well or water system.

Just this past week, there was a sewage spill in Traverse City, MI. About 3500 gallons of raw sewage was spilled into a local stream and found its way to the bay on Lake Michigan. Local "boil" advisories and warnings not to drink the water were posted everywhere, on all hotel, motel, restaurant doors, on airport restroom doors, etc. That information was never posted on the "national EPA website".

I still believe that the "general assumption" is that the nation's water supply is safe for human consumption. Few of us would think twice about getting a drink from a public water fountain in an airport, nor do we refrain from washing our hands after using the restroom at a rest area or at the local "McDonalds" when we stop while travelling. Any exceptions to that general rule are clearly and publically posted in the affected areas, but not on a national website hosted by the EPA. It simply changes too often to be "current information".

By the way, if you go to that website to check on water safety at any location, chances are you'll get the same "disclaimer" to check somewhere else. After 17 pages of reading the above statement on the EPA website about Michigan, I stopped counting.

[HappyCamperMN]

I agree completely with you on this point. Checking locally or looking at signs/notices for any temporary restrictions at the campground is prudent (if you're concerned). There's a certain amount of "having to rely on the local sources" for current information.

Agreed. My assumption is that the water is safe wherever we go unless posted otherwise. But just to be on the safe side, we still bring our own drinking water with us. It's easy enough with an RO system in the house, we fill 2x 3-gallon water jugs that come with camping for making coffee, drinking water, etc...