Fresh Water - Drink? Filter? Neither?

Gherzig

Our new (to us) 2021 400 BD came with a Water Filter Store system and an inline disposable filter.
The Water Filter Store System takes filter cartridges down to 0.5 microns (sells for about $175) and the inline Camco disposable filter filters out particles greater than 10 microns (sells for about $25). Questions:
-As either will only filter water entering the system, I presume that they would only work for filtering city water or to fill a perfectly sanitized fresh water tank.
-Do some use city water for drinking and not use water from the fresh water tank?
-I am inclined to use water from the fresh water tank for cooking, coffee, etc but not for drinking.
-Are either of these filters advisable for drinking water or necessary for cooking water?
All thoughts on use of fresh water are appreciated.

VictoriaP

I know nothing about the water filter store system you have. The Camco really is meant to keep particulate out of your trailer’s pipes and tank; that’s important for the trailer, but it won’t protect you against bacteria or viruses. If it were me, I’d do a bit of research on what exactly the more expensive system is capable of filtering out before I drank any water processed through it. 

I ended up with a pitcher based filter that can be used to make water that’s under a boil order potable again. So I have no qualms about drinking from my tank once I pour it through that. There are those who think that’s going overboard & say the Camco filter alone is enough, and those who will only drink bottled water. You need to figure out where you are on that spectrum of acceptable risk.

(Even if you never drink from your water system, you’ll want to sanitize it at the beginning of every camping season and dump the lines/tank between trips, because bacteria does grow in there and can get smelly.)

qhumberd

We tried the Epic Nano pitcher and have never gone back. The filter meets boil water requirements and lasts 2 people at least 4 mos of use. Water tastes better than any other filters we have tried. We use the Camco for the fresh plumbing at the spigot hookup.

VictoriaP

@qhumberd Yep, love mine.

Sharon_is_SAM

We use Epic Nano for drinking water.  We don't drink out of the tank.  Thanks @VictoriaP for doing the leg work on that model filter.  

Dutch061

We drink out of ours all the time, I sanitize it in the spring and maybe once during season. We carry a Brita but never use it. So, it needs to stay home going forward. We also backpack, so we have plenty of options for treating water if needed. 

Brad

BrianZ

We were both microbiologists in our former lives (met in the clinical lab where I trained), but I don't see a problem with boiled tap water for coffee or tea. We don't have a filter system (other than the one on the city water line), but usually take along a couple of gallon jugs of drinking water, either from the store or refilled from our home tap, and small bottles for the frig.
Edit:
PS:  Regarding water quality, I used to have the best nose in our house, but about 7 years ago I lost my sense of smell.  I only discovered it when three other people smelled propane leaking from an outdoor gas grill, but I could not.  I cannot trust my nose for anything now, which can be both a blessing & a curse.

qhumberd

Speaking as an old Army physician here, I can advise that sanitizing the fresh tank with bleach as recommended will keep the water potable if you continue to refill from campground treated water sources. Of course in rural locations some campground water supplies may be suspect for contamination, and you might get GI upset or worse. Though that is unlikely, it only takes one time to learn the lesson. Then there is the issue of taste, which is quite variable from person to person. I personally note the "plastic" flavor of water in our fresh tank even when sanitized and flushed, and so I use a filter to improve the taste. Thus we find that we can drink from multiple sources and the water always tastes the same. Everyone has their own comfort level and risk tolerance.

Slackers

We do the same as BrianZ but mostly bring Brita filtered water jugs from home for our style of camping.  On a side note, neither of us are microbiologists, but my father was.

VictoriaP

Sharon_is_SAM said:

We use Epic Nano for drinking water.  We don't drink out of the tank.  Thanks @VictoriaP for doing the leg work on that model filter.  

@Sharon_is_SAM You’re very welcome, glad you’re happy with it. 

@qhumberd It’s funny you mentioned being able to drink from multiple sources and it tastes the same. I stayed with my late husband’s parents for several weeks last fall and didn’t bring the Nano because I was flying. They have a whole house system, so it was clean, but….even my tea and coffee tasted off. And don’t get me started on restaurant water, it all tastes gross now after a year or so living with that filter.

N7SHG_Ham

We have one of the inexpensive camco filters which may or may not do much. For drinking we use a Berkey or bottled water. Recently watched a video by "Changing Lanes" on water filters and I think to do a decent job, something like they use is probably a must. I have been thinking of adding one of those systems AND a whole RV water softener. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDh30pgTFAE

Hoogie69

Along these lines, I use a Camco inline filter on the hose from the shore water.  What do you guys do with that kind of filter in between trips? Do you dry it out by draining it and leaving the ends open somewhere? Do you plug the ends to keep critters out of it? 

Sharon_is_SAM

We drain the water and cap the ends.  They say it is good for a seasons use.

dragonsdofly

We full time now in our Keystone Laredo trailer. We use a camco filter when hooked up to municipal water supplies. Since we have been back in Michigan (May 1st) we are on our second filter. We change every 60 to 90 days. This is just our utility water, dishes and showers. We purchase filtered/purified water for drinking and cooking. Our utility water is always from a municipal source, and we filter it with the camco filter. Even when out west where water is scarce, we purchase clean water to drink and put in our fresh water tank. I don't think you can be too careful, and I do exercise an unusual standard, because I am in a highly compromised condition. 
Before that, travel in the t@b was the simple good life and we used the filter for a single season like @Sharon_is_SAM said. I miss those days....

pthomas745

I use basic water filters at home to help with scale on my espresso machine.  Which is nice.

But, anyone buying a 500 dollar water filtration system should really understand the NSF standards for water filters. 

https://www.nsf.org/consumer-resources/articles/standards-water-treatment-systems

Binghi

We drink from our sanitized fresh water tank. Too much hassle and weight and memory strain to supply our trailer with individual potable water containers. After all, isn’t that why we sanitize the tank?

bergger

We use an inline filter when filling the tank then fill our pur water filter pitcher from the sink for our drinking water. We stopped using any water that comes in plastic bottles or containers.  With the current filters available there is really no reason to use so much single use plastics for water consumption. Using the water pitcher also saves us more storage space for other items that used to be used for water bottles or jugs. 

MarkAl

We sanitize the tank spring & fall and drain between trips (every 2-3 weeks), 1/month in winter. No filters but bring a 3 gallon jug w/ home water that lasts about 3-4 days then fill from camp water. Use the tank water for coffee/washing and rarely refilling bottles. But then I don't mind drinking from some streams while hiking/camping. I do keep emergency iodine crystals for suspect water though.

Michigan_Mike

We do sanitize the tank but when using other water sources really don’t know the quality of their water.  We carry bottled waters in the truck and drink that, while using the FW tank water for bathing, dishes, etc.  We do not have a reverse osmosis system but do use one st home that Culligan maintains via filter change outs.  You should go with what works best for you and what you are comfortable with as everyone of us has different preferences, coffee, etc.  😃

Denny16

We use the Berkey water filter to filter our drinking water in thenTaB.  We sanitize our water tank every spring and fill it from our home water supply, which is filtered and O3 (ozone) processed.  We drain the water tank between trips.
 Cheers 

Maxcamp

Just returned from six+ weeks in Newfoundland, nearly all sources had boil water advisory or were truly undrinkable with dark brown tannic tundra runoff and well water.  Boondocked 3-7 days at a time in no-service Provincial Parks (bucket brigade from remote spigot to camper pump) or just great spots.

After using a five and then seven gallon portable square water carrier, based on this forum we bought a $69 Epic Nano filter pitcher for the trip, and used it to keep a gallon jug full in the camper from the tank.   
It worked well but stopped filtering  at all in less than two weeks, with no visible particulate.  Is this planned obsolescence with swellable filter media like bentonite?  
Bought a $49 Brita pitcher which ran the water through in no time and failed to filter taste at all.  Literally money down the drain.

A four-gallon square bucket with lid sourced from ULine (must buy three minimum) replaced our former round drywall bucket, fit the tub better and was easier to carry around full.  Use it for water fills, sanitizing, and sometimes for greywater dumps.  

We carry a small size bleach container (sodium hypochlorite) in the front tub and add a bit to new water sources going into the tank, and to sanitize all water handling gear including the hose. 

Everything sanitized flushed and drained after the trip.