Water Filters and/or RO

[andrewburcham]

I'm looking to rebuild my fresh water system for a period of live-aboard coastal cruising next year. As I'm tired of lugging gallons of bottled water aboard, I'm shopping for a water filtration system. Anyone have a favorite?

The water going into the tanks will be city/marina water. I will not have a watermaker aboard.

My wife is quite picky about her water and generally only drinks reverse osmosis water. I saw a reverse osmosis filtration system at Costco yesterday for under $200 (intended for home use) does anyone have experience with this sort of system?

Thanks,
Andrew

[Gene T]

I have used them at home for many years and am very pleased. They are bulky however. I would recommend getting one with a permeate pump however which work on lower water pressure and has less waste. Try ebay, that's where I got my last one.

[eryka]

Andrew - you don't say where you'll be cruising. If US, generally the big issue with city water will be more esthetic than biological. GAC (carbon or charcoal) filters will take out the chlorine and most organic contaminants (pesticides and industrial pollutants). You can use a home product or RV product. If you're in an area where you have concerns about bacteria, try a 0.45 micron pre-filter. Caution: in some cases your water pump won't pressurize the system enough for the filter to work properly. This is also likely to be an issue if you try to adapt a home system from a hardware store or Costco designed for city pressure. Seagull makes a water purifying system designed for boats but its pricey.

[ianhlnd]

I agree with eryka, the Seagull is pricey, refills are about $65 each and good for about 2,000 gals or more. BUT, you just can't beat the quality of water that comes out of it. I've used various systems, and by far seagull is the best. I've used one now for three years, and I'm still on my first cartrige. It's compact, easy to mount, and I'll put it up against any bottled water on the market. I wish I got paid for all the seagull systems I've recommended to my friends, and they're all very happy with them.

[Artwerke]

Also in /re costco R/O system, many of these types have a 1/1 bypass, so for 10 gal. of water at the tap you'll use 20 gal. from your tank which might present a problem, charcoal taste filter will probably prove more useful. Art.

[sailingdog]

If you are cruising in the US and taste is the issue, it may be that something like an in-line Brita or Pur water filter will take care of the taste problem. Both use a form of activated charcoal-based media to get rid of contaminants.

Of course, if the drinking water is the major problem...I would just get a Brita pitcher and several filters...and just fill the Brita pitcher up and keep it topped off...and use it for drinking water...the city/marina water should be fine for most other uses...like washing dishes and such, without any treatment.

A Brita pitcher is relatively cheap, easy to replace, and readily available.

[andrewburcham]

Eryka et. al.

I'll be cruising southern california: Catalina, Santa Cruz, etc. I don't expect biologicals to be a problem. The biggest problem I forsee is satisfying my germaphobic wife.

That whole 1/1 bypass issue would seem to rule out the home RO system.

Sounds like the seagull systems are worth the scratch, I'll look at them closer.

Thanks,
Andrew

[Doug_53]

I get my fill filters at the local RV store for about $25. Or if you have a pressure water system Brita faucet attachment works.

[andrewburcham]

How about pre-filters. What mechanisms, if any, are used to filter the water on its way into the tanks (I'm thinking about dirt/rust filtering here, not flavor)?

[camaraderie]

These work well for keeping bad stuff out of your tank.
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