Hi there Do all caravans have a water filter? I have a Bailey Orion and what I thought was the water filter says on it water surge! So that's not the water filter! Ive looked everywhere else and cant find one!
Many vans come fitted with the Truma water inlet/filter system, but a lot of folks, me included, remove the filter as it's recommended life span is only weeks once first used and it's very expensive to replace (circa £14). With most site water supplies it's unnecessary if you keep your water barrel/pump clean and reasonably sealed from creepy crawlies getting in.
A nice wet filter matrix left stagnant for a couple of weeks between outings, the more so in todays temperatures makes a great culturing venue for a lot of microbial life.
Take it out after each outing and leave it to dry out, or do away with it is my take on these things. Thankfully, our present van was never built with one.
Given many features of a van's water system, its materials, its usage pattern etc, I will not drink unboiled water from a van, full-stop.
Quote: Originally posted by moorlander999 on 28/6/2019
better off with a Brita filter jug for drinking water.
Off topic but relevant..I have used Brita for years and was never confident the filters actually did very much. My kettle still furred up fairly quickly and the water didn't taste any different to out of the tap. I tried cheap filters off eBay they were worse.
I have just changed to BWT and what a difference! The water is really palatable and refreshing and I can drink lots of it whereas before half a glass was about all I could manage in one go.
BWT filters also add magnesium which is good for you and which other filters remove, apparently.
Praise where praise is due and my kettle is remaining clean since I started using BWT.
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 29/6/2019
Many vans come fitted with the Truma water inlet/filter system, but a lot of folks ... remove the filter as it's recommended life span is only weeks once first used and it's very expensive to replace (circa £14). With most site water supplies it's unnecessary
But if most site water is very clean it should not be necessary to replace the filter very often. But it is still there to catch the occasional creepy crawly that might get into the Aquaroll. I cetainly don't replace mine every few weeks.
The Truma filters I believe are impregnated with Silver to prevent microbial growth, and have activated charcoal that is supposed to remove any 'taint' flavours from the water. As I don't use the piped water in the van for drinking, both 'features' are wasted on me, hence disposing of the filter. My only concern is particles getting in the pipes/taps, but keeping the water barrel clean pretty much covers that.
My Service Engineer said he had seen the microbial growth on a filter under a microscope and that's why he recommends NOT to use one, or if you really must, change it VERY often!
Quote: Originally posted by Dr Zhivago on 29/6/2019
But if most site water is very clean it should not be necessary to replace the filter very often. But it is still there to catch the occasional creepy crawly that might get into the Aquaroll. I cetainly don't replace mine every few weeks.
This misses the point, the issue is not the filter getting overloaded with debris, but the degeneration from standing, stagnant for days on end when not in use.
The reality is if they were in constant use they would be a great deal more satisfactory, than as with most of us the van sitting in storage with a wet filter.