Reverse Osmosis Systems for RVs
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Our reverse osmosis system has changed the way I think about water.
The first 3 months of rv life we lived in our driveway but even so, our dog and I had intestinal issues with the water
We realized what the problem was by process of elimination then set to work to correct it. After a thorough sanitizing and new hoses. We thought we had the problem solved until we moved to a new location with different water. The we realized we were going to need to do more.
We started with a zero water pitcher and that worked great for a while. Then we ended up in Arizona where even that can’t keep up with the mineral rich water.
We added this water softener and that helped a lot. I mean a lot. And my hair feels good too lol. But even with that we were still using the zero water and damn but those filters are expensive.
So finally we’ve made the leap and ceded the space to a reverse osmosis or RO system.
Ro wastes an incredible amount of water so it was not our first choice but you gotta do what you gotta do. When boon docking we’ll use zero water since every drop counts in that situation.
Let’s talk about water
I remember being at a dance competition with my daughters forever ago and there being a group from Hanford California. The kids from Hanford were hilarious talking about how good the water was right out of the tap where we were. I never thought it was a big deal until i spent a week in Hanford. My very best friend lives in neighboring Lemoore and had complained about the water but I never gave it much thought before those kids. She and the kids were 100% right. The water there is terrible tasting and often smelly, so good filtering is a must.
These past couple of years full timing and moving around the country has really made the case for this. Consistent water quality means we drink more water and do it without the tummy troubles.
So how does a RO system work?
Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a water treatment process that removes solids and chlorine from water by using pressure to force water molecules through a semipermeable membrane. During this process, the contaminants are filtered out by a series of particle filters and flushed away, leaving clean drinking water.
We have more room under our sink then RVs do so we opted for this full-size system from Costco. But there are many systems designed for RVs. Some fit under the sink and some in an outside compartment.
It’s important to think about how you’ll connect yours. Having it under the sink makes it easy to tie into existing plumbing while if you opt for the outside compartment you’ll need to tap into your holding tanks for the wastewater discharge and run a water line up to the dedicated faucet in the kitchen.
There are other options for great tasting water that avoids stomach upset. There is always bottled water but that can get costly and think of the plastic waste. Many RVers swear by the Berkey system and that will work too. But for ease of use and not having to move around or store a big coffee pot looking device , that takes up valuable counter space, the under sink RO system is the solution for us.
What do you do for great water in your RV? Let us know in the comments.
