Water Filter

sdagro

Well-known member
Made our 3rd trip to the dealer today trying to fine tune our decision. 99.0% sure it will be the 3670RL. My question is do they have a water filter and where?? Salesman was honest and told me there is a small one but didn't know where it was. Can someone enlighten me. Thanks and hope to be a Heartland Owner soon. Steve A. Dagro
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Unless the refer has one built into it, there is no water filter, other than perhaps a sediment strainer as part of the water pump.

Most RVers will do one of 2 things:

1. Use a throw-away inline filter at the end of the water hose or
2. Use canister-style whole-house filters (1, 2 or 3 of them) in a container, set on the ground or built into the UDC and other areas

Jim
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Jim's right. There is a sediment filter/strainer on the water pump and that's it. During your PDI, check it after the pump's been run for a while. Our's was leaking behind the basement wall. No biggie, couple of paper towels and hand tightening. I use two canister filters in a plastic tote under the rig, along with a Watts N55BG regulator.
 

MystrMagic

Magician
Hello sdagro and welcome. I recently spoke with Heartland service about the same issue and was told they do not install filters in any of their models. For me the decision was to go with a whole house filter (in the basement, connected through the wall to the UDC) and a Brita filter pitcher for the kitchen. That way I can use the canister for basic sediment/silt/chemical filtration and the nice Brita for drinking/cooking/taste.

If you do your research on filters you'll learn the $20 inline filters (used by many, many people) are not really all that great because they are 100 micron filters. To get better results you need to be in the 5 - 15 micron range as a pre-filter and in the .5 - 5 micron range (with carbon) for taste.

Each person makes their own decision based on what's important to them so there is no "right" answer to this question (in my opinion).

One big issue is where will you be filling from. Another is removing cysts (etc.) from your holding tank. That's why I've gone with the two stage concept. No need to filter water to drinking quality if I'm only going to flush it down the toilet. (However, that may change as I may decide to bypass the Brita and install another "taste" filter in the basement just for convenience.)

Keep searching this forum and you will find lots of resources for installation ideas as well as suppliers of inexpensive filter canisters and replacement cartriges. Good luck.
 

MystrMagic

Magician
Installing a carbon filter under the kitchen sink is an excellent idea... however, I have a 3914 and Heartland didn't really make the undersink access very convenient. It would have been wonderful if they had simply put an access door right on the front of the cabinet but they didn't. Easy enough to see under there but a very cramped space to try and work in and since this would involve cutting and connecting PEX tubing I just didn't want to take a chance on "fussing" with leaks and possibly throwing my back out. I'm sure some other models will have a much better access there.

The tap-mount models of Brita and Pur (etc.) concern me because the sink has a pull out faucet with sprayer and I don't want to stress the assembly and possibly cause other problems.

I think the best idea is to put either a single or double stage filter in the basement, then a carbon filter under both the kitchen and bathroom sinks but then again, that's more work and expense. That's probably why many people settle for the "easy" approach of those $20 inline filters.
 

dbylinski

NE Reg Dir Retired
We installed a whole house filter in the UDC.
 

Attachments

  • Dunno 011..JPG
    Dunno 011..JPG
    774.6 KB · Views: 106
  • Dunno 009..JPG
    Dunno 009..JPG
    719.9 KB · Views: 92

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Just for fun, I'll post a photo of my filter system again. The first is a 1 micron sediment filter (RV-SED1) in the clear canister. The second is a 0.5 micron carbon block filter (CFB-PB10) for metals, taste, cysts. The pressure regulator is a Watts N55BG. The system feeds to a manifold in the UDC. The tote keeps the filter system clean and out of direct sunlight. It also stores the hose and extra fittings. For the summer season at the campground, I just leave it all connected, but shut the valves and depressurize the system when we're not at the trailer.

Since these photos, I've put the regulator at the output side of the filters and the valve on the input side. The filter screen inside the regulator input fitting was getting crudded up the way it was.

View attachment 7789View attachment 7788View attachment 7787
 
Last edited:

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
I have a whole house filter on ours too but I have often thought that with the whole house filter I am even filtering water that goes into the toilet. That seems like a waste of filtered water but oh well.
 

lhetsler

Well-known member
I use solid carbon filters one under the sink for cold water only and one for the ice maker. If you want to eliminate bad taste from the water lines make sure the filters are solid carbon. Not real cheap about 30 bucks each and last about a year the way we use our RV.
 

lwmcguir

Well-known member
We use good carbon filters as well. Remember they also remove chlorine and carbon is bug food. Never use them over one season and change them immediately if you smell or taste anything unusual in the water. When you change them wash the filter housing with a 10:1 ratio of water to household bleach to kill the slime layer on the filter housing if it is present. Some water supplies are more challenged than others but all of them have some level of microbes.
 

aatauses

Well-known member
lhetsler---Have been thinking of doing the under sink deal---do you have any pictures? Did you use pex fittings/hose??
al
 

lhetsler

Well-known member
I got online and bought a kit that has a hose that you put in when you take out the filter to winterized. After you initially buy the kit you only need to buy replacement filters. I replaced at the beginning of each camping season. Go to campingworld.com and you can see the kit I bought. I am not sure what filter comes with it, but I now buy the everpure solid carbon filters available online. With this kit these filters just snap in and out and you snap in the hose shown when winterizing. For the ice make I use a 1/4 inch snap inline filter also from everpure. Just make sure they are solid carbon not carbon beads. Just cut the ice maker water line and push the ends in to the filter. You may have to look around for the right filters and best price but just look for the everpure brand after you get the Hydro Life Undercounter Filter Kit all you have to buy each year is the filters. With ice maker filter, you just push in the snap lock fitting and it releases the line for removing the filter for winterizing. My bad I use Model: Omnipure K2520 colder quck connect. go to http://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/RCHydroLife.htm. Then find the omnipure carbon block filter. The is a solid carbon. The problem with the carbon bead or flake is the water forms trails through the carbon particals and does not get filtered properly. The solid are more expensive, about $31, but worth it.
 
Last edited:

Ding

Member
Just for fun, I'll post a photo of my filter system again. The first is a 1 micron sediment filter (RV-SED1) in the clear canister. The second is a 0.5 micron carbon block filter (CFB-PB10) for metals, taste, cysts. The pressure regulator is a Watts N55BG. The system feeds to a manifold in the UDC. The tote keeps the filter system clean and out of direct sunlight. It also stores the hose and extra fittings. For the summer season at the campground, I just leave it all connected, but shut the valves and depressurize the system when we're not at the trailer.

Since these photos, I've put the regulator at the output side of the filters and the valve on the input side. The filter screen inside the regulator input fitting was getting crudded up the way it was.

View attachment 7789View attachment 7788View attachment 7787
can't get the attachments anymore. How can I see them?
 

sengli

Well-known member
Our landmark had small one, it was bolted to the ceiling in the basement pass thru area, behind the walls. Terrible place to put it, so I removed it and went with an external one. If you had to change out the filter, it would have dumped water all over the converter. Honestly though we dont drink the water in the system, we use our own RO water from home.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
I have been using this Beech Lane (Brand) dual water filter system for a long time. I change out the 5 micron sediment cartridge that feeds into a 0.5 micron carbon block cartridge yearly. I drilled small holes and installed 2 sheet metal screws on the lower metal lip of the water heater external frame to mate with the mounting holes on the filter hangar frame. I leave my input and output hoses connected to the filter, and when moving out disconnect the hose ends from the RV park faucet and the UDS water connector, roll up the hoses around the filter assembly, secure the hoses with a long piece of double sided Velcro strip (available at Harbor Freight Tools), then lift off the entire filter and coiled hoses assembly that goes into my truck bed next to the tailgate. This filter assembly doesn't cost much, has 2 good filters, and has worked well for me.
Here is an EBay link for the filters assembly:

Here is a Harbor Freight Link for the double sided Velcro ribbon:
 
Last edited:

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
This was the water filter system I used. First was a sediment filter, followed by a carbon filter (from RV Water Filter Store). The gage in the box is the pressure regulator going to the trailer and there's a water meter on the outside of the box. I used the water meter to determine when it was time to change filters. With the lid on the box, it sat under the kitchen slide. For storage, all hoses and accessories fit in the box. I put quick connect fitting on everything.
 

Attachments

  • Revised Filter System.jpg
    Revised Filter System.jpg
    141.4 KB · Views: 21

LBR

Well-known member
We don't drink any water from our fresh tank, as we pack our own 43 gallons of drinking/cooking water separately...thus I DIY'd my own onboard system.

It includes everything I wanted/needed.... filter/regulator/meter....and I had no need to include a charcoal/softener. It works fine for us, and is compact as I could feasibly make it, yet serviceable for all components.IMG_20231031_090932663_HDR.jpg
 
Top