Simple Water Filtration System for your Van or RV
Background
Our Simple Van Water System has been working flawlessly in our van for 8 years now. As good as it is, the unfiltered water never tasted as good as what we were used to at home. Enter the “Easy Water Filtration System.”
Water Filtration Basics
There are varying types of water filtration that address varying problems. While we will not get into each of them here, our primary goals of this system are to:
- Improve the taste of the water;
- Remove bacteria;
- Remove sediment if using water from unknown sources;
- Easy to install & replace filter;
- All parts must be drinking water grade–BPA-free, stainless steel lines, etc
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Parts required:
Possibly Needed:
Tools required:
- Drill and Screw Driver to mount filter
- Wrench to tighten fittings
Results from Installing our Water Filtration System
We put this water filtration system to use for seven months before writing this article. The improvement in the taste of the water is dramatic. Literally it’s the difference between drinking our city water straight out of the tap and drinking the filtered water from our refrigerator. There isn’t much else to say; it just works.
Water Filter Installation
Installing the water filter is simple. The water filter comes with a mounting template and screws, two braided lines as well as two adapters to fit most standard plumbing. We stuck the self-adhesive sticker template to the wall of the van under our sink and drilled two small holes in the marked locations. Two screws hold the water filter to the van wall. Once the filter is slipped over the screws, tighten them and install the plastic screw cover.
The water filter comes with two stainless steel braided hoses. The first features a 3/8″ female hose that connects to most standard house water supply lines. In our case, we used this hose to connect to our faucet, which also uses standard 3/8″ fittings.
The second hose features a 3/8″ female end. This hose connected straight-up to the 3/8″ stainless supply line that came from our pump. If you are using our Simple Water System, you already have this hose in place. If you do not, chances are the included 1/2″ adapter may allow you to connect this directly to your pump. (Our ShurFlo pump uses a standard 1/2″ x14 NPT thread.) Your results may vary depending on your plumbing, but chances are good you will not require any additional plumbing parts.
Water Filter Plumbing Diagram
In the adjacent photo, the red hoses are the suction lines coming from the water tank. The water flows through the strainer (basically a filter), then through the pump. The orange hose in our system is actually two hoses–one is the 3/8-Inch x 1/2-Inch braided hose that makes up part of our Simple Water System. The 3/8″ male hose that came with the water filter connected directly to this line and into the filter. It is wrapped in a bike tube to reduce rattling against other hoses.
After traveling through the filter, water exits the included 3/8′ female (yellow) hose that connects directly to our faucet. (Or in our case, a 3/8″ T fitting that ties together our hot and cold water lines, since our van does not have hot water at the sink.)
The rest of the hoses here can basically be ignored. The green hoses are all associated with our faucet–one being a hot water hose and the other cold water. The blue hose is our sink drain. Finally, the purple hose is simply the pull-out faucet portion of the faucet assembly.
Portable Water System Maintenance
The filters are easily replaceable and widely available on Amazon. These are apparently good for 8,000 gallons before requiring replacement.
Conclusion
We are very happy with the this modification to our water system. It was relatively inexpensive, easy to install and has dramatically improved the taste of our water. It also provides a little more confidence when refilling from unknown sources that our water is sediment and bacteria-free.
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