[JRTJH]

The last new RV I have bought with a water filter as "standard" equipment was a 1968 Airstream. It had an Everpure water filtration system installed on the cold water faucet in the kitchen. In both my "recent model" Keystone models, a 2011 Springdale and a 2014 Cougar, there wasn't even an option of getting a water filter from the factory. Of course any dealership will be happy to install one for additional charges, but very few, if any Keystone RV's come "standard" with a water filter installed.

I know many people feel the need to have "clean" water for drinking, and I wouldn't criticize anyone for their desires, but I have to question how we ever managed for the past 60+ years with city water and/or well water and no filter at home. I'm not trying to minimize the desire, but after a lifetime of "drinking from the garden hose" and believing in "chlorine to safely protect my health", I have to wonder how we make it without cases of plastic bottles filled with "unknown" water from WalMart to stay healthy while camping...... If you've kept a few of those plastic bottles around after they are empty and stored them in the sunlight, you'll notice that they smell remarkably like the local dump when they are warm and in an enclosed area. Are those plastic bottles really any safer for our health than the garden hose? I well remember the scares a couple of years ago with BPA, PBDE and a host of other chemical agents found in plastics. And, <shudder> what about the Styrofoam cup we pour hot coffee into every day? Styrene is leached into the coffee. Styrene is a potent neurotoxin that can cause significant problems in some people. So, is the water really the "issue" ???

I have to ask, is a "high dollar" filter system that sits stagnant and growing bacteria during the week (when not used) any safer or healthier than drinking from the garden hose? Maybe it's more a matter of "feeling safe" rather than "being safe" ????