No online review is better than a review from a fellow RVer! Our Facebook group asked and answered: What are the best water filters for RVs?
It’s no secret that the water at some campgrounds is less than stellar. Not only can it contain contaminants that can make you sick. But many times, it tastes just downright awful.
One of our RV members knows this and asked our RV Lifestyle community what water filters they suggest.
We had many comments praising different types of filters, from under sink options and external inline filters, to countertops jug options.
The following are the top seven filters that fellow RVers recommend.
1. Culligan EZ Waterdrop Under Sink Filter
Preview | Product | Price | |
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Waterdrop RC 3 EZ-Change Advanced Water Filter Replacement, Replacement for Culligan® RC-EZ-3,... | $29.99 | Add to Cart |
Our first filter was suggested by RV Lifestyle member Sharon.
The Culligan EX Waterdrop filter uses a food-grade plastic casing to prevent contaminants from leaking back into your water.
It uses a coconut shell carbon block that filters out chlorine, sediment, heavy metals, rust turbidity, and Class I particulates. In other words, it gives you cleaner water that tastes better.
2. Express Water Reverse Osmosis (RO) Filter
Preview | Product | Price | |
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Express Water RO5DX Reverse Osmosis Filtration NSF Certified 5 Stage RO System with Faucet and Tank... | $159.99 | Add to Cart |
This filter uses a reverse osmosis process to filter water, reducing things like chlorine, lead, nitrates, fluoride calcium, and arsenic by up to 99.99%.
When referring to her Express Water RO filter, Tabitha said that she “installed a RO under the sink. Best decision ever.”
Inline Hose Filters
Inline filters are filters that get mounted to your water hose in an external location. While they are similar to under sink filters, they get placed between your water source and the water dispenser.
Aside from how they are mounted, they are similar to under sink filtration systems in that they remove contaminants from water to help maintain its purity.
3. Multipure Aquaversa Inline Filter
Preview | Product | Price | |
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Waterdrop RC 3 EZ-Change Advanced Water Filter Replacement, Replacement for Culligan® RC-EZ-3,... | $29.99 | Add to Cart |
Made from solid block filtration, the Multipure filter removes chlorine and other contaminants from your drinking water.
The cool thing about this filter is that it has a 90-day moneyback guarantee, so you can return it if you are unhappy with it.
It also only costs about $0.09 per gallon, which is cheaper than purchasing water at a store or jug fill station.
RV lifestyle member Ralph could not speak more highly about this water filter. He said, “Best filter you can buy. They use solid carbon block filtration. Takes all bad out and leaves what is good. I’ve been using them for years.”
4. Clearsource Ultra Filters
One member, Shawna, said that she uses a Clearsouce inline filter on the hose outside of the RV. She went on to say, “It works great!”
Many other commenters also use this same filter company but opted for the under-sink model.
Either way, Clearsource filters use a three-stage filtering system that utilizes a coconut shell carbon block filter. It removes and reduces a wide array of bacteria from your drinking water.
They are also made from durable materials so they can withstand all of the traveling you do in your rig.
5. Camco TastePure
Preview | Product | Price | |
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Camco TastePURE RV Water Filter - New & Advanced RV Inline Water Filter with Flexible Hose Protector... | $19.77 | Add to Cart |
Another suggestion was the Camco TastePure. It uses a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filter to cut back on chlorine, odors, sediment, and other things that give your water a bad taste.
It can easily be attached to your RV water hose.
Countertop Recommendations
Some RVers opt for countertop water filters. That’s because they can be easily moved from the home to the RV. They also don’t require any installation.
The potential downsides of a countertop filter are that they use up some counter space in what might be an already crowded RV.
In addition, these filters can take a while to refill. If you are trying to cook and need more than one jug of water, then it will take some time to filter. They are not “on-demand” filters meaning they only filter one jug at a time. You only have as much water as the size of the jug at your fingertips.
6. ZeroWater Pitcher
Preview | Product | Price | |
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Culligan ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour 5-Stage Water Filter Pitcher Dispenser with 5-Stage 0 TDS Water... | $34.99 | Add to Cart |
Many of our RV lifestyle followers, like Sharon and Rena, spoke highly about the Zero Water countertop pitcher.
It has a 5-stage filtration system to remove 99 percent of the dissolved contaminants from your water:
Stage 1: Removes fine particles and sediment.
Stage 2: Removes any suspended solids.
Stage 3: Removes organic contaminants and prevents bacteria from growing.
Stage 4: Removes inorganic compounds, as well as metals and nonmetals.
Stage 5: Removes ultrafine particles.
7. Berkey
Preview | Product | Price | |
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Big Berkey Gravity-Fed Stainless Steel Countertop Water Filter System 2.25 Gallon with 2 Authentic... | $367.00 | Add to Cart |
More of our RVers commented that they like to use a Berkey freestanding filter than any other filter on our page.
Stephanie commented, “(We) love our Berkey, I take it back & forth from house to 5th wheel.”
While they can be a little pricey, they also come in many different sizes. You can get a smaller one at 1.5 gallons on up to a 6-gallon size.
What’s nice about that is you can get one that fits your particular camper. If you have more room, get the larger size. Or for small RVs like the one Jennifer and I drive, get a more compact size.
5-Gallon Jugs
One member said that she does not use a filter, but takes along 5-gallon jugs of water.
If you don’t want to lug heavy gallons of water around, then opt to fill them once you are already set up. Joyce says that she fills up her jugs for $0.25 – $.50 per gallon at water vending machines outside of grocery stores.
Best Water Filters for RVs by Type
Generally speaking, the members of our RV Lifestyle Facebook group use three different types of water filters: under-sink systems, inline hose filters, and countertop filters.
Many manufacturers also offer different models. If you see an under sink filter that looks good, but really want an inline filter, see if the same company makes both.
Under Sink Systems
Under sink water filter systems are filters that get installed, you guessed it, under your kitchen sink. They are added to your water system to filter the campground water for cooking and drinking.
These filters are popular with some RVers because they are fairly easy to install and can easily be moved if needed. They are also out of the way and don’t take up precious counter space.
Join the Conversation
If you have questions or answers regarding the RV Lifestyle, join our Facebook group! Members provide lots of advice and encouragement for each other. Plus, you’ll see updates about new blogs, podcasts, and other resources we have for you.
BONUS Filters and Posts to Explore
A couple of years ago, on the RV Podcast, we learned about the 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 RV Podcast we interviewed 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.
Catch up on the blog posts on water —
- Best Drinking Water Hose for Your RV
- Yikes – What happens when my RV runs out of fresh water?
- How to Sanitize Your RV Fresh Water System (Safe and Super Easy)
- RV Podcast Episode 202: Is your RV water safe to drink?
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Last update on 2024-11-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
2 Responses to “The 7 Best Water Filters According to RVers”
Comments are closed.
April 02, 2022at1:09 pm, Scott Keck said:
There’s “clean” (taste), and then there’s CLEAN (bacteria and virus particle filtering). Would love to see more discussion of that. Also, especially in the west/southwest, or places where campgrounds may be on well water, the question of hard water and iron becomes an issue. We’ve already got a ClearSource 3-stage external filter for our LTV Wonder Front Twin. We’re considering adding a portable RV water softener to the rig for times when we’re concerned about hard water.
April 03, 2022at8:50 pm, Team RV Lifestyle said:
Good info, Scott. Thanks for sharing this — Team RV Lifestyle