Another Drinking Water post

[BruceK-ClassB]

As cheap as bottled water is for camping, this is the path of least resistance for us.

One thing to keep in mind is that there are microplastics in bottled water. No one really knows what drinking these microplastics do to our health, but there is growing consensus that they are definitely harming the environment. I am a new Class B owner and have not decided what I want to do about drinking the water out of the tank, but I know I want to avoid bottled water, especially that which comes in small bottles like you would purchase at a gas station.

https://www.businessinsider.com/what-drinking-plastic-does-to-your-body-2018-3

 

[Johnnyfry]

Having read about this problem also, it appears that these particles are almost ubiquitous in both the city water systems and in many types of bottled water. Unfortunately, the article did not state the size of the particles so it is not possible to determine what type of filter would be necessary to remove them. The answer is probably a filter but I have no clue as to the type required.

 

[elayjay]

Unless those of you who take plastic jugs of water with you take the plastic home to recycle that is an enormous amount of waste. It has been proven time and time again that the federal and state laws for water purity exceed any water you can buy except perhaps true spring water. Perhaps it is the taste you prefer but please think about the waste stream you contribute to vs really needing filtered water. My choice would be a Brita pitcher for drinking and filtering any water as it hits the tank. And Brita cartridges are recyclable.

 

[BruceK-ClassB]

Having read about this problem also, it appears that these particles are almost ubiquitous in both the city water systems and in many types of bottled water.

I have not had time to do all of the research that is necessary, but here is what I have been able to find quickly.


This paper by Mason et al. found an average of 325 microplastic particles per liter of bottled water. - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2018.00407/full

Kosuth et al. looked at particles in tap water. They found that the range was 0 to 61 particles/L, with an overall mean of 5.45 particles/L.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0194970

The size of the particles ranges between 0.1 micron to 5 mm. A more in depth search might be able to turn up a size distribution, but I do not have time to look for that right now.

What do I take from this:

1) Bottled water has A LOT more plastic in it than tap water.

2) A 0.5 micro filter would remove most of it. (But of course the small stuff may be more dangerous - who knows at this point?)

Caveats:

1) These papers are from 2018. Water treatment professionals have been looking for ways to remove plastics from drinking water. If there has been progress on this since 2018 the numbers for drinking water may be high.

2) These numbers are specific to the types of water they tested. The numbers could be different in different regions of the world/different brands of water.

 

[otr]

drinking water

In our 2000 RT 190V we carry a 5 gallon collapsible water jug for all drinking, eating, etc purposes. We also refill our water bottles from it as anything we can do to make lass plastic waste is a goal, recognizing, of course that just starting the engine of an RV creates plenty of waste.
We use the main tank for everything else and are happy to fill it from taps at campgrounds or wherever. The effort to clean, sanitize, drain, etc the main tank is a challenge when you consider things like RV antifreeze residue, vinyl in hoses... easier for us to just a separate tank for any purpose where it goes into our mouths!

 

[PleasantonMac]

Not to ignore all the issues with microplastics, but there is a more practical reason for us to opt for the filter and tap: storage is at a premium. We're already carrying too much "stuff" (yeah, I know, we'll need to work on that), so being able to free up precious storage space is attractive to us.

 

[booster]

Not to ignore all the issues with microplastics, but there is a more practical reason for us to opt for the filter and tap: storage is at a premium. We're already carrying too much "stuff" (yeah, I know, we'll need to work on that), so being able to free up precious storage space is attractive to us.

It looked like the information on the plastic showed the smallest at .1 micron and up to 5 mm, which is wide range. Many of the good filters are rated at very high removal rates of .5 microns and with .2 removal rates very high also. Over 90% at .2 IIRC, so using tank water, that doesn't have much plastic anyway, and a filter to make it safe, or UV also, seems to me to be a reasonable option. Doing nothing because you can't be 100% is not a good way to go, and making the van unusable because of hauling water jugs or other ways, doesn't look great either, so reasonable is good enough for us.

 

[dcawd]

OP. Have you considered the Acuva eco NX UV filtration system? Seems good but pricey and with the UV unit and filter may exceed your space limitations. Slower than some of the other units mentioned here, at 0.3 gpm. No first hand experience, just something I’m doing my due diligence on at the moment.

 

[PleasantonMac]

OP. Have you considered the Acuva eco NX UV filtration system? Seems good but pricey and with the UV unit and filter may exceed your space limitations. Slower than some of the other units mentioned here, at 0.3 gpm. No first hand experience, just something I’m doing my due diligence on at the moment.

I remember seeing that one, and discounted it because of the 0.3 gpm and the power requirements. Right now, https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/ultrapure-under-sink-water-filter-system is on my shortlist, mostly due to the 1 gpm. There are better filters than 0.5 micron, but 1) they quickly get more expensive, and 2) the GPMs go down quickly. I decided that the 0.5 gpm would irritate me too much after awhile.

 

[booster]

This is the one we will be going to and that I mentioned earlier.


https://www.filterpure.com/product/everpure-2fc-ev9691-56-water-filter-replacement-cartridge/


.5 micron, 1.5gpm, and 6000 gallon capacity @ $43.00.


We still have a couple of the 3M cartridges to use up first, so no experience with it yet, but expect it to be very similar to the 3M that was basically invisible to us in use.

 

[Davydd]

Ah heck, if you are worried about your tank and bottled water, then drink beer out of a glass bottle. That’s what I do, for my hydration. The wort is boiled for over an hour. It’s gotta be safe.

 

[dcawd]

I remember seeing that one, and discounted it because of the 0.3 gpm and the power requirements. Right now, https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/ultrapure-under-sink-water-filter-system is on my shortlist, mostly due to the 1 gpm. There are better filters than 0.5 micron, but 1) they quickly get more expensive, and 2) the GPMs go down quickly. I decided that the 0.5 gpm would irritate me too much after awhile.

Got it. Not to hijack the thread (happy to take this offline if you'd prefer) but I have perhaps the opposite problem that you have-v little undercounter space (shallow depth and width) means I can't accommodate the triple filter set up. Anything you've come across with fewer filters that might still do the trick? Thanks.

 

[booster]

Got it. Not to hijack the thread (happy to take this offline if you'd prefer) but I have perhaps the opposite problem that you have-v little undercounter space (shallow depth and width) means I can't accommodate the triple filter set up. Anything you've come across with fewer filters that might still do the trick? Thanks.

The filter I linked above is used as a standalone.

 

[michaelingp]

I will buy a 99 cents water jug from WalMart, probably use up less space too, refill it at the stores if you don't want to keep buying.

We do the same, but not all Walmarts sell filtered water (to fill your own jug). Many (if not most) do. I think it's about 35 cents a gallon. It's a bit of a hassle to find they don't sell water after you've brought your jugs in, and finding the machine can be a bit of a hurdle but otherwise it works pretty well for us.