Today I want to discuss water filtration in your RV. I receive lots of questions about RV water filtration and drinking water quality. A lot of these questions are directed at the importance of filtering the water in your RV and how to go about doing it. There are many reasons to be concerned about the water we drink, cook with and wash with, especially when it comes to RVs. Let’s take a look at why and how you should filter the water in your RV.

I have always been an advocate for filtering the water in our RV. When you travel and use water from a different source on a regular basis you don’t know anything about the quality of the water you are using or drinking. And you hear more and more about what is in our drinking water and how it can impact our health. It is not uncommon for drinking water to have contaminants, pesticides, and microbes, and our treated water is known to include potential carcinogens. That answers why we should filter our drinking water, now let’s talk about how to do it.

If the primary concern is to filter the water you use for cooking and drinking you can install an in-line water filter under the sink, or sinks you drink from. It is a pretty straight-forward installation and most under the counter water filters provide a water filter bypass line that can be installed when you winterize the RV.

If you are more concerned with filtering all of the water coming into your RV, including the water you shower with, you have a couple different options.

One option is to purchase an inline water filter that connects directly to the incoming water supply and the RV drinking water hose. This is a quick and easy way to filter all of the water going in to the RV.

A more complete method is a water filtration system that uses either a single filter cartridge or a two-cartridge system that is plumbed directly into the RV’s water system. These water filters are usually larger, last longer and offer a better “whole-house” type filtration system.

A dual cartridge filtration system usually equates to a sediment filter and some type of carbon filter for maximum water filtration.

Keep in mind there are numerous manufacturers and brands of water filtration systems to choose from, and many are designed specifically for RVs. Read what the filter capabilities are and make sure it is the best filter based on your specific needs.  There are sediment filters that remove metals as well as other unwanted contaminants and there are carbon activated filters that remove potentially harmful chemicals and contaminants as well as improve odors for better tasting water.

RV water filters are not difficult to install, you can do it yourself, or take the RV to your local RV dealer and have the installation done. Regardless of how you do it, filtering the water in your RV is a smart decision and you can rest assured the water you drink, cook with and shower with is safe to use. Happy Camping!