- Let's talk RV water filters.
The big problem most people have with RV water filters
is they don't know what they can or can't do for them.
So before you go out and buy your next RV water filter,
let's break it all down for you.
(cheerful music)
- If you want to know why we recommend everyone
have a water filter for their RV,
check out a blog we did a few months ago.
I'll put a link for that down below.
We all have the same goal
when purchasing our RV water filters.
We want to improve the taste,
improve the smell,
remove some of the sediment
and remove some of the harmful contaminants in the water.
- In order to do that, you're going to need carbon.
As in the activated carbon filter, also known as charcoal.
This is going to remove any kind
of chlorine in the water or disinfectant byproducts.
This is going to help improve your taste
and smell immensely.
Activated carbon is full of tiny pores.
The smaller the pore, the better the filtration.
- And the next thing we want to get rid of
is we also want to get rid of sediment
and we want to get rid of harmful bacteria.
Particles found in water
are measured the same way they're measured with the,
the holes in the activated charcoal.
They're measured in micron.
Now imagine a colander,
a flour sifter, and a cheesecloth.
Now all of these will filter for you
but they will filter in different ways.
So you definitely wouldn't use a cheesecloth
for your spaghetti
and you wouldn't use a regular colander for your coffee.
So obviously each one has a purpose
and each one does a great job for what it's supposed to do.
So make sure when you're purchasing your water filters,
you look at the Micron size.
If there's no micron size listed
it's probably 20 microns or higher,
and it's not going to eliminate many
of the contaminants found in water.
- There are two types of RV water filters.
There's the inline water filter
and the canister water filter.
We're going to break down the pros and cons of each one.
So that you can make an informed decision.
Let's talk about the setup that we use.
We use the inline RV water filter.
In which the filter attaches to the hose,
then filters the water before it comes
into your fresh tank or pours from the tap.
Others talk about inline filters, canister filters.
We figured we'd come out and just show you our setup.
So as you can see here,
we have the dirt guard
and the inline attached straight to the city water
or the park faucet or spigot.
I'm sorry.
And then it just runs straight in to the wet bay.
We mentioned a quick setup with the inline filter
and the dirt guard for our setup.
I use quick, quick connects on all of my hose connections,
as you could see here
but also leave this cheater hose on here, just
so it takes a lot of pressure off of the hose going in.
And that's where I add my quick connect.
Very easy to do.
You can also use plastic quick connects
if you don't like the brass quick connects,
I'm using both.
And so far, my plastic quick connects,
I think are far better.
The reason I chose the plastic quick connects
is there's less corrosion
that I've noticed that attaches to them.
The brass ones they have calcium and other buildup on there.
And I have had in the past,
taken them off, cleaned them, soaked them in CLR, whatnot.
But the plastic ones, I don't seem to have to do that.
And they hold up pretty well.
Now this setup is great for short-term,
short termers, part-timers
or folks out of constantly on the go,
like us,
that want a quick easy set up.
- Before you go out
and purchase your inline water filter.
You should know
that there are actually two types of inline water filters.
There's a loose carbon and a solid carbon.
So let's talk about the differences in the two.
First up is the loose carbon.
And let's show you what this looks like.
So this is the blue filter that you see
at the parks all the time
and this is a loose carbon filter.
So Phil's going to show you what you get
on the inside of this filter.
- You can hear the loose granules inside.
Let's show you,
what's going on inside that blue filter that you have.
- I don't want this on my carpet.
All right.
So this is the inside of the blue filter
that you can see in and around out there.
- It's just a piece of foam.
- That goes on the end cap.
- So,
I'm probably about finger deep in there
before I feel the granules.
- [Stacy] So you can see it's all loose granules.
Now the problem with this filter
and lose carbon filters is
when the water starts going through the filter,
it actually boroughs a hole
and it pushes all this carbon to the sides of the filter.
So there's plenty of water going
through this filter that doesn't even touch the carbon.
So those water molecules are not getting cleaned.
So you're not improving the taste or the smell
of the water when it doesn't hit the carbon.
Now, another thing is these loose carbons
are 20 microns or higher.
So there's a ton of contaminants
that it cannot remove from your water.
- Yeah.
So if you have your,
your blue filter laying on the ground like this,
imagine all of the loose granules are setting on the bottom.
It's just going to skim over the top,
not really effective.
- All right.
So the second option is a solid block carbon filter.
Now that is what we use.
We use the Clear2O and it's the green package.
So you can tell instantly on the shelves,
tell the difference in the two.
Now this bad boy is solid.
So it will not allow the water to go
into your pipes without going through the carbon.
It forces it through, you can see the hole in the back here.
- [Phil] Where it was cut. - [Stacy] And then it forces,
either it seeps through the sides
or come straight out the front.
So there's not a molecule that will not make it
through this filter.
And the microns on this filter is a one-micron.
So there's a huge difference between the 20 microns
of this one and a one-micron of this one.
This one's going to take out
much more contaminants from the water.
One thing to know,
is Clear2O is the only manufacturer
with a solid block carbon.
So if you want to make sure every single molecule
of your water is filtered,
you have to go with Clear2O
and again the one-micron sets it apart from everybody else.
- Because this is a one-micron filter
we wanted something before this
to catch the bigger pieces of contamination
coming through the water.
So we added the Dirt Guard 20 micron pre-filter.
This is from Clear2O but it will work
with any brand of inline water filter out there.
The beauty of this filter is...
- I'm guessing he wants this.
- Yes.
That this polystyrene filter can be rinsed
and washed and reused, thus saving you money on filters
and making your inline one micron last longer.
- It's going to pull out all the big particles,
separate it out and then that one-micron filter
won't have to work nearly as hard.
Next up is the RV water filter canister systems.
- Easier said then done.
- That's kind of a mouthful.
Now, this system is ideal for RVers
who stay in places a little bit longer,
who want more of a filtration system
that's closer to like a house filter.
And those who want a little bit higher flow rates.
Cause the canister system will give you
a higher water flow rate than the inline system.
And this system can also offer you several stages
of water filtration.
- Stage one is your pre-filter,
which will filter out sand and sediment
much like the dirt guard on the inline side.
And then stage two is your activated carbon filter
which is just like the inline side over here.
- All right.
So let's break down the filters for the canister system
because there are many types of filters
and it can get a little confusing
and there are some that work much better than others.
- Right.
- So let's talk about each one.
First step is the string filter also can be
called a wound filter.
Now this filter actually works
by the water going through all these layers of string.
Unfortunately, once this has been used for a while
and the string starts filling up,
it will actually open up and the pores will get larger
than what they're supposed to be
as when you, you know, when you originally bought it.
So it starts decreasing
its effectiveness pretty early on in use.
Now this filter usually
is about a 20 micron filter or higher,
and it doesn't improve the taste.
It doesn't improve the smell.
And it also can't remove some
of the chemicals found in water.
It also is pretty inexpensive to purchase.
That's why, I think it's why it's really popular
because of the price.
You can not wash and reuse this filter.
- [Phil] No.
- [Stacy] Next step is the pleated water filter.
Now this is a better water filter
than the string water filter
because this one will stay consistent in the pore size
which usually is about 20 microns.
Now it is pleated to give more surface area for filtration
but this water filter will not remove bad taste,
bad smell or chemicals from the water.
- [Phil] This is only a sediment filter
much like the dirt guard.
- The next type of water filter we want to talk about
is filters made out of cellulose.
Now, cellulose filters are made
out of organic plant compounds.
While this sounds,
organic sounds awesome.
There are drawbacks.
So unfortunately this kind of filter
is not recommended for anyone who uses well water,
which is untreated water.
And that's because the filter itself can break down
and bacteria can stick to the filter
which in turn can make you sick.
- Right.
They, they do break down really fast
and you should probably change these every three months.
- Yeah.
- They're easy to find.
And they're normally inexpensive.
- Unfortunately, a lot of campgrounds do have well water.
So I definitely want you guys to be aware of that.
So make sure you read your water filter
and see what it's made of.
The next type of canister filter
is a polyester or polypropylene filter.
Now this filter is better than the cellulose filters
because it's more bacteria resistant
than the cellulose filters.
An excellent example of this
is Clear2O's sediment pre-filter for their canisters
and that's this here
and this is made out of the polypropylene.
And it also filters down to 5 microns
which is really awesome.
- See, it says it right here in front of the package.
Remember we were talking earlier
if it didn't say on the package, it's normally 20 microns.
- [Stacy] Or higher.
- [Phil] Or higher, yes.
- Those are all examples of stage one filtration
for the canister system.
So that's, what's going to be your initial filter
as the water goes through your canister.
Now let's talk about stage two.
- Carbon wrap filters are filters that are spun or pleated
and have a covering of carbon.
They reduce sediment and chlorine,
which will drastically improve the taste
and smell of your water.
Although they don't have enough carbon to filter
your water effectively, this should be used more
of a stage one than a stage two filter.
- That's right.
But there is a solution,
Clear2O does have a solid block carbon filter
for it's stage two in the canister filtration system.
Now, as you can see the difference in the two,
this little tiny ring here that is carbon
and the solid block from Clear2O is a much better option.
And also this is a 5 micron filter.
So this is going to be very effective
in removing the sediment and improving the taste and smell.
A much better job than this tiny piece of carbon.
All right, we've given you a ton of information
about RV filters.
So what's better, an inline RV filtration system
or a canister filtration system.
Well, actually they are both equally effective options
for your RV.
- Yeah. It's all depends on, on your travel style.
How long or how long do you want to take your setup?
If you want something quick and easy,
right here, the inline side is perfect.
That's what we use.
If you're looking something more
like your house filtration setup
then the canister side is more your style.
We get a ton of questions about our filters or, you know,
do we actually drink the water out of our rig?
Yes. We actually drink the water from the tap.
- [Stacy] Yes.
- Using our inline system.
And I can tell you, since we started using this,
the taste, the smell, everything has gone much higher.
- Yeah. It's much better.
- Yeah. We have a big surprise for our insiders.
One of them is going to have an opportunity
to win this Clear2O Dual Canister RV water filter
at our very first insider's giveaway.
- Right, I am so excited for this.
This canister system is set up
on a frame that is powder-coated
and you can actually mount it inside your RV
or you can use it outdoors
without worrying about it rusting.
And it also has two gauges that are oil filled.
So that's going to help you monitor your canister system
without having to take it all apart.
And it being a big old hassle.
- That's a really cool feature.
- Yeah. Now with this,
we are also going to be sending over some filters.
So they are going to get the stage one filter
which is Clear2O sediment filter.
And they're going to get the stage two
which is the advanced carbon filter.
And both of these are 5 microns.
So this is a pretty sweet package for our insiders.
Oh my gosh.
We almost forgot a filter.
- We've got one more stage for you.
- So let's just recap for a second.
So we were talking about the canister system.
So stage one is this 5 micron filter
and this is a pre-sediment filter.
So this one's 5 microns.
It's going to take down all the particles
and sediment out of your water down to 5 microns.
- Right then it's going to get
to the stage two carbon filter
which is also a 5 micron.
This is going to remove the chlorine,
the bad taste and the smell.
- And you can even add a third stage.
So this filter can go into your house filter.
And this one goes down to less than one micron
which is going to remove even more bacteria
and sediment and chemicals.
And this is going to take you to that third stage
which is what everybody really wants to achieve
with their filter system.
So like I said, less than one micron.
If you're looking to improve your water filtration system
and you want to go with Clear2O,
they are, they're really everywhere now.
- They are. - You can get them at Walmart,
you can get them at Camping World.
And then they're also available at other retailers.
We've gone over a lot of filters today.
So hopefully it's clear as mud for you.
(laughing)
- Ya, right?
- And if it is clear as mud, don't worry.
I have also made a blog post that goes into much more detail
than what we've talked about here today.
And I'll put that link down below.
It really will break down all these types of filters,
the names of them, the microns,
what each micron can filter out.
So pop over to the blog post.
I also have links in there to all of these products
and then other visuals that really will help you
understand what we were talking about here,
or trying to talk about.
- Yeah. So at the end of the day,
you're really looking for a better taste, better smell,
less contaminants in your water.
- If you guys have any questions,
you can drop it down below in the comments.
Or if you have any comments,
if you're already using this
or if you're using another type of water filter,
we would love to hear about it in the comments.
- The smaller the pore, the better of the filter.
(laughing) - Geee, blaahhh!
I don't know why I can't say it.
Let's talk about this, this, this time.
(speaking indistinctly together)
- What are we doing?
- I'm trying to get it.
(cheerful music)