RV Podcast 299: The Best RV Water Filter System

The best way to make normally yucky-tasting campground water taste good and run clear is by using an RV water filter system that fits inline, right between the water spigot and tour RV's after intake connection.  But note this: All inline RV water filter system inline cartridges are not alike! Here's a player to listen to the full podcast. The interview of the week segment about the RV water filter system is about 29:08 in.  This week on the RV Podcast, we learn about the new RV water filter system we are now using when we fill our RV fresh water tanks or when we connect to a campground spigot. It's from a company called Clear20 and this week on the RV Podcast we interview the company's CEO about a two-stage RV water filter system they sell that consists of an inline water filter and a the Dirtguard pre-filter device that takes out the sediment and particulates before they go through the inline filter. Together this RV water filter system transforms your inline water filter into a two-stage filtration approach.  This makes the water taste good and ensures that you have the cleanest possible water.  How is the bright green RV water filter system by Clear2o different than than the normal blue or gray inline filters you pick up from Walmart or a camping store? Three ways: Flitration medium, filtration efficiency and price. First off, let me note that I have no financial interest or sponsorship relationship with this company. I sought out the interview with the Clear2o CEO  after being fed up with bad-tasting campground water and doing some research that led me to get both the Clear20 inline filter and the Dirtguard pre-filter.   Both units sell for $34.95.  The Camco inline filters we had been using cost $17 or so on Amazon, or two for $30. So the Cler2o inline filter is about twice as much. The DirtGuard pre filter is $39. That's the price difference. The filtration medium difference is the way the water is filtered. The cheaper and more common inline RV water filter uses powdered charcoal. The Clear2o RV water filter system uses solid charcoal.  And that leads to the efficiency of the filtering. The cheap carbon powder filters screen out particulates and sediment down to about 20 microns. The solid Clear2o inline RV water filter system screens those particulates down to 1 micron. It makes the star cleaner, clearer and it taste better. See why I got this Clear2o RV water filter system? Here's a link to the Clear2o inline filter- https://amzn.to/2YEZ1JX Here's a link to the Clear2o DirtGuard pre-filter - https://amzn.to/3fywywn Here's a transcript of the interview I did for Episode 299 of the RV Podcast with Keith Bernard, CEO of Clear2o on what to now about an RV water filter system:   Mike Wendland:           Well, to find out more about an RV water filter system to make that RV drinking water taste a little better and be a little healthier, I'm excited to have on the other end of the phone Keith Bernard, he is the CEO of Clear20, and I just came across this process, this product really this week. I should tell you we have no commercial relationship with these guys. This is just a really cool product that I think will benefit us and hence you guys, too, out there in the listening audience. So first of all, welcome to the program, Keith, thanks for making time for us. Keith Bernard:              Thanks very much. I'm glad to be here. Mike Wendland:           Let's talk in general about an RV water filter system. I mentioned at the top of this, on how hard it was for us to drink the water that was coming out of the campground spigot. Even though I use one of those little inline filters, I always have one of those, it just didn't taste very good. So maybe you could help us all understand it. What are some of the issues involved with campground water from that little spigot that they provided at the campsite? Keith Bernard:              Yeah, absolutely. Well, quite often everybody's more comfortable with their water at home, but once you get out on the road, you nearly never know what you're going to be getting into. When you're traveling out at different campgrounds, you may find that they have well water, they may actually have treated well water, or they may be on a public system, as well. And being that there's all different types of water, all different areas of the country, you're going to experience lots of different kinds of water, and that could be bad, or it could be good, as well, but quite often, most people's experience is bad. Mike Wendland:           One of the things many of us have done is we've put one of those inline filters in. I've never really given much thought to them. I just pick them up at a camping store and usually get, replace it once or twice a year. In general to start with, is that a good approach to making camp ground water better? The complete Clear2o RV water filter system, witg the Dirtguard and the inline filter Keith Bernard:              Well, using a filter is absolutely a good approach. And so the real question about an RV water filter system is, is the actual performance of the filter itself and what you're trying to do with it. Because when you're dealing with filters, there's a lot of misconceptions in regard to what a filter is and what it can accomplish.                                And you really need to look for the right type of filter to be able to do the types of things that you're looking for. So you're using one of the most common, which is the inline, that actually works out really great for most people because it's easy to install, it's outside, and it's easy, and portable to take care of, as well as you can find them at numerous locations, as well.                                     So it's a great filter to be able to come forward with. But the particular one you're using, that's the most common one, and it's made from granular carbon. That's what's actually inside it. And they have different versions, which are anywhere from 20 to a 100 microns in performance. So that's one key element there that you want to be thoughtful about when you're for a filter is, what is the micron performance? Micron is actually- Mike Wendland:           Yeah, yeah. What is a micron? 20 to 100 microns, what does that mean? What's best? What's worst? Keith Bernard:              A micron is a millionth of a meter, just in regard to size. So, give you an idea of what that is, the average diameter of a human hair is anywhere from say 30 to 75 microns. So a single micron is very tiny overall, but a hundred micron is actually large enough for a human hair. So just to give you some kind of idea between the two, so in microns, lower is better. Here's a link to the Clear2o inline filter- https://amzn.to/2YEZ1JX Here's a link to the Clear2o DirtGuard pre-filter - https://amzn.to/3fywywn Mike Wendland:           All right. And I guess it's impossible to get everything out with a RV water filter system, but I just picked mine off the shelf at, usually Walmart is where I find mine, and there are different brands, there's those little blue filters, CampCo makes them, and a couple of others. I don't remember the brand names, but I've never really looked at them. I figured, well, those are great. Now you guys make a product, and you make two products, actually. And that's one of the things I wasn't to talk to you about, but you make an inline filter. You talked about that granulated charcoal, I think it was? Or granulated... What was the medium you talked about? Keith Bernard:              That's right. It's carbon. That's correct. That's correct. Mike Wendland:           So is that the best medium that we should always find in one of these? Or is there something better? Keith Bernard:              No, carbon is great. Carbon is a really good material overall, and it comes in different formats. So it comes in granular, it comes in powder, and it also comes in a solid carbon block. So between the filters that you're using out there, the one that you're talking about picking up at Walmart is actually granulated carbon. So it's actual small granules of carbon that are actually inside, so if you hold it and you shake it, you can actually hear it shaking inside. That's the carbon granules inside. Mike Wendland:           In fact, is that why when I turn on the spigot and I haven't hooked up the hose to it, I actually see the charcoal come out when I first put on the water? Keith Bernard:              When you first start, you will generally see all the carbon powder. That actually is part of the process of loading it in the first place, come out, that's that black that you see. And quite often afterwards, if you don't flush it first, you'll see more come out over time. That's the carbon itself that actually is coming out of the filter in a more powdered form overall. (Heres a link to the Clear2o inline filter- https://amzn.to/2YEZ1JX) Mike Wendland:           So there's that medium, now you guys offer something called a solid carbon block filter, I guess- Keith Bernard:              Correct. Right. So our RV water filter system is a little different. We use the same carbon, the only difference is in a powdered form, we actually compress it together to make a full solid carbon block. It basically is a tube that actually is created inside our filter. So ours inside is solid. So the difference between the two is when you have granulated carbon, water comes in one end of the filter and it has a tendency to flow through the filter, and it cuts small channels in the filter, because it moves the granules aside. So when you have high flow rate, that water is rushing through, and not necessarily always through the actual carbon itself. The solid carbon block inside the Clear2o RV water filter system Dirtguard                                     When we have our solid carbon block,