Welcome back to Grand Adventure! I'm your host Marc Guido, and we are probably more excited
about this RV accessory than any other in a long, long time.
We'll explain what this is,
and the unique way that we intend to use it on this episode of Grand Adventure, so stay tuned!
When nodirtywater approached us about testing and reviewing their new R3 water filtration system,
we were immediately intrigued.
You see, we came to RV camping by way of backpacking. We'd hike into the remote
lakes of the Uinta Mountains in northeastern Utah and filter water with an MSR MiniWorks EX.
That has a 0.2-micron ceramic filter to purify water, removing giardia, cryptosporidium,
E-coli and other nasties.
Anything larger in size than 0.2 microns gets filtered out.
We love to camp next to the water, so we've often thought about how wonderful it would be
to be able to draw our RV's water from these convenient sources.
We'd be carrying far less weight to our destination,
the same advantage that the MSR filter brought to our backpacking.
This R3 water filtration system from nodirtywater also has a 0.2-micron safety filter,
so it is equally capable of filtering out those pathogens and creating safe drinking water.
We could use this R3 unit to fill our RV's tank in the exact same way that
we used to draw water from a lake or a stream when we would go backpacking.
But we realize that most RVers aren't going to use the R3 in that manner,
so let's talk about how most folks would use it.
The R3 gets its name because it's a three-stage filtration system.
First in line is a Longevity Filter to remove any large floaties from the water
and extend the longevity of the other two filters located downstream by nearly 50 percent.
Next up the water passes through what nodirtywater calls their Tasty Filter, which uses granular
charcoal and coconut shell to improve the taste and smell of the water, including chlorine.
Finally water enters the safety filter, which is where the rubber meets the road,
and any microscopic little critters get filtered out along with iron, lead,
trace pharmaceuticals, and VOC’s -- all while maintaining a high flow rate of three to five
gallons per minute despite the 0.2-micron pore size, thanks to its electro-absorptive media.
Most filters use a 0.5-micron pore size,
and this safety filter's smaller pore size means that more junk gets filtered out of your water.
All three filters are encased in stainless steel canisters within this lightweight polycarbonate
carbon fiber and aluminum frame manufactured right at the company's Portage, Michigan facility,
that tips the scales at only 13 lb.
The R3 uses 5-inch filters rather than the more common 10-inchers,
for a tidy, compact package that's the smallest three-stage filtration system on the market.
Measuring 8.25"x9.5"x14"
this fits neatly within the wet tray of our storage bay right at our water connection.
nodirtywater has thoughtfully included a set of stainless steel quick disconnects to make
connecting to water at camp or a potable water filling hydrant as quick and painless as can be.
Filters are rated to be changed every 5,000 gallons,
or each camping season if used seasonally.
Replacement filters are available either individually, or in a convenient R3 Recharge Pack that includes all three:
the 0.2 micron Safety Filter, the coconut charcoal Tasty Filter, and the Longevity Filter for the sediment, at $49.99.
As you can see behind me we are still in an RV park in Salt Lake City for the next few
weeks before we resume our spring, summer and fall travel season of Grand Adventure.
So while we're here, let's take the opportunity to test the RV
park's water for Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), both with and without the R3.
Although it will be interesting to see how effectively the R3 addresses
total dissolved solids, we should issue a word of caution about testing for TDS
as the results can actually be somewhat misleading.
Water here in the Salt Lake Valley is of excellent quality but with a high mineral content.
Minerals in the water contribute to Total Dissolved Solids,
and stripping all of them from the water using a reverse osmosis filtration system
removes a valuable nutritional element and can actually
adversely affect the taste of the water, so you really don't want to reduce TDS to zero.
We're excited to have been added to nodirtywater's
Pro Team to help them test and evaluate their products in real-world scenarios.
Later on this summer we will definitely be hooking this up to a groundwater source
and trying it out to fill our fresh water tank,
or even just to add to our fresh water tank (if it gets low) from a groundwater source.
If you would like one of these R3 water filtration systems of your own,
we'll put a link both here on the screen and down below in the video description,
where our affiliate link will get you 10% off the normal price of $524.99.
However, nodirtywater has also agreed to provide
one of you lucky Grand Adventurers with an R3 unit of your very own!
We'll put right here on the screen and down below in the video description, your link
for how you can enter the contest giveaway for your chance to win an R3 unit for free.
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