We didn't think about the quality of our water while camping because we installed what most RV campers do.... a Camco water filter. Yet, when we dug a bit deeper into this issue, we discovered that it wasn't doing the job as much as we thought. Our sense of security with our water was washed away!! Sure, sediments over 100-microns were being filtered out with the Camco filter....but it wasn't removing the harmful contaminants such as Silt, Bacteria and Giardia. ICK!! We discovered through our research that ClearSource is the system that actually removes harmful contaminants. Each of the components is high quality, from the stainless-steel connectors, to the oversize canisters, NSF rated filter elements, and powder-coated chassis. It’s bullet proof. And our sense of security was restored!!
Unlike other canister systems on the market, ClearSource is engineered specifically for RV use. The stand-alone chassis is the only one of its kind on the market. It allows the system to be placed outside, on the ground.........between the hose connection at the RV park and the hose connection on your rig. The system delivers excellent water flow. This topic is discussed a bit further in the video below.
The ClearSource system does a great job executing on its primary purpose – filtering water. The two-canister set up removes silt and sediment in the first stage, yet strips out harmful contaminants with the half-micron in the second-stage carbon block filter element. Exactly what we were looking for.
Two performance measurements we talk about in this video (and below) are:
1) Contaminant removal
2) Water flow
A bit more on Contaminant Removal. Filters are rated by the size of their pores. A 100-micron filter will reduce sediment, but not much else. A 5-micron rating is better, but only a filter rated at .5 micron or smaller will effectively treat Bacteria and Cysts like Giardia. This is taking out the nasty parts with the potential to cause harm! It will give you much cleaner water than a filter rated only to remove sediment.
On a side note: You should assume a filter with no published rating has no better than a 100 micron element. In other words...not that awesome.
Water Flow. Water “pressure” is a measurement taken when the system is closed – meaning all the valves and faucets are off. Water flow measures the amount of water coming out of the system when it is open (such as when you have a faucet on). Water flow is stated in gallons per minute.
Water flow, more than water pressure, determines how your shower feels. Think of it this way: both a garden hose and a firehose can be measured to show 60 pounds per square inch of water pressure. But the firehose will deliver much more water, because it’s can allow more water through.
In the end, ClearSource is the best match for us when connecting water to our RV. You might consider it as well.