The water filter store has been a great source of information as well as offering competitive if not the lowest costs on their products. I was looking for a system that would allow us to have confidence in being able to use and drink the water stored in our airstream, horse trailer and truck camper so we would not have to carry extra containers that take up space, are more expensive, pollute the environment, break or otherwise leak. RVs are designed for this, but we get skeptical about the condition of the systems that are used intermittently.  Anyone who has "drunk the water" in areas where we are told "don't drink the water", knows what I'm talking about. So we tend err on the side of not using these systems as they were designed or in a reduced capacity. While that’s understandable,  I wanted to find a way to move past my paralysis, so I starting researching my options in online forums and found the RV Water FIlter Store along the way.

First, we try to ensure only good water enters our system. We use a two stage portable filter system cartridge system that is physically located between the source and the RV. One cartridge removes sediment and the second remove critters down to .5 microns. This is about 200x better than the standard Camco filter (which is still better than nothing, imo). We use a high quality food grade hose between the output of the filter and the input to the RV for either city water or for filling up the freshwater tank. We use a lower quality food grade hose between the source and the filters. We also have an adjustable water pressure regulator attached to the inlet side of the filters which help manage the variation in pressure that comes for the various sources we encounter without concern of either over pressurizing the filters and more importantly the internal plumbing of the RV.

Second: we use a solution called Purogene which is a chlorine dioxide based product that leaves no aftertaste. The aviation community has been using this for years. When larger quantities of this solution are mixed with citric acid (lime juice), and left in the RV’s system for about an hour it will sanitized it, ridding it of any thing that may have grown in it. A simply flush and fill (another flush and fill if you’re anal retentive) and you’re ready to go. Follow the directions on the bottle and plan to do this at least once a year. I think this is a better alternative than using cups of bleach which can be poisonous and leaves a nasty aftertaste and skin irritation, should it not be flushed thoroughly. It may also cause damage to some of the system’s components, too. Once sanitized, you can then add a small amount of Purogene to a tank of fresh water which prevents the water from stagnating and is effective for about 30 days. This provides some flexibility so you don’t have to constantly flush and fill tanks in-between usage. If you go longer than 30 days you may want to flush and fill or sanitize the system again depending on your comfort level.

Third, while I think the above would satisfy 99% of my goal for clean water, our airstream has an under sink filter that we use that just helps the water taste a just little better. Before investing in the system we bought a Berkey system which does a good job of filtering drinking water. We still use this and love the taste. Because we start with good good water, the Berkey filters don’t have to work too hard and stay very clean. It just does not produce water very fast.

This system is much better than what we had in our home in terms of taste and scale. We use to have to descale our coffee maker frequently and while full timing in our RV have seen no evidence of scale in over 3 months. I can’t help but think a side benefit of this investment/process is that is helps keep appliances and plumbing in better working order.

Besides costs and benefits of these components, consideration should be given for cartridge management. Some cartridges are teated so they can be used and then go for a period of time before being used again without any attention. Our under sink filter is like this. However the Berkey and external two stage filters need to stay wet / infuse with shorter durations of non use (about 5 days for the Berkey and about two weeks for the filters. Since we are heavy users of these filters we chose not to invest in the treated cartridges, but that may change in future years. We do plan to replace all filters (except the Berkey) on an annual basis. The Berkey filters last for several years but do rely on constant use, so this will come into our house when not on the road.

Last note. When in transit, I drain the hoses and connect them to themselves to prevent contaminants from entering. My goal is to keep this a closed system with only clean fresh water. I found two plugs that I use for the filters / cartridge system too. When I arrive at the new site, I connect my camco hose to the source and let is run for a just a bit in case any water has become stagnant. Then I connect the regulator filter and let it run and then add the last hose and run just a little more water before connecting it to the RV’s city water inlet or filling the FW tank.  As a side note, I have a new portable air compressor and may begin to blow out the hoses, just so there is less moisture.  I would also use the compressor to blow out the RV's waterlines, a winterizing technique, if I won't be using it in the near future. 

Main Components: Most are from the RV store, with the best customer service and informative videos:

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/

Purogene: https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/H0027.htm

Filters/ cartridges / stand: https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/B2421.htm

Replacement cartridges: https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/AA1209.htm

Watts adjustable pressure regulator https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/F3004.htm

The source to filter hose is just one of those standard white Camco hoses. The second (filters to RV) is a 6ft custom hose

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/HoseTool.htm

Undersink: Omnipure K2520 under sink filter with 1/2 npt fittings: https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/PROD.htm?Product_Code=A5202 or under sink no fittings (use existing): https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/A5203.htm

I use these caps / plugs to place on the external regulator/cartridge system’s input and outlet so contaminants don’t enter and water doesn’t spill when in transit. I could use a hose for this but it takes up more space.

End cap: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NCUWIK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Plug

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-22103-RV-Plug-Lanyard/dp/B00Y52IOHA/ref=pd_sbs_263_5/141-3039958-0638961?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00Y52IOHA&pd_rd_r=c48da7c7-7d31-4b65-bf35-211a34fac9f3&pd_rd_w=Zf0bt&pd_rd_wg=igWyb&pf_rd_p=52b7592c-2dc9-4ac6-84d4-4bda6360045e&pf_rd_r=4G461E53R0W3APGMWHXG&psc=1&refRID=4G461E53R0W3APGMWHXG