“Essential RV Water Filter System” Review

By Sal & Rebecca, The Tin Can Travelers – We use affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we may receive a small compensation at no cost to you.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored review of the Essential RV Water Filter System with Blue Cage and Hose Fittings, provided by RV Water Filter Store. The system was given to us for free in exchange for an honest and candid review. This sponsorship has in no way influenced our review or opinion of the product or the company offering it. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get to the review!

Introduction

As RVers, we know the quality of water we have access to varies from one campground to the next. And as full-time RVers, this means we’re exposed to low quality and contaminated water even more frequently than the weekend warrior. But whether you’re a full-timer or part-timer shouldn’t matter when it comes to what you’re ingesting, and even bathing in. Having access to clean drinkable water is non-negotiable, in our opinion.

One of the first purchases we made after buying our RV was an external in-line water filter to work in tandem with the internal filter already installed. We had no complaints with the so-called dual system we created, but then again, we had nothing to compare it to. So, when we were contacted by Justin at RV Water Filter Store to try and review one of their Essential RV Water Filter Systems, we jumped at the opportunity.

The Product And Support

Because we have an Airstream, which provides practically no external storage or compartment to mount the water filter system within, Justin provided one of their multi-purpose cages that allows the system to stand upright outside. This was the perfect solution for our type of RV. Anyone with external RV storage, however, would have the option to mount and conceal the system within a compartment.

Justin, at RV Water Filter Store, quickly mailed our Essential RV Water Filter System with Blue Cage and Hose Fittings to the address we provided, and we received it within just a few days. The product was professionally packaged to prevent damage during shipping, and we were pleased to see only a few parts that needed to be assembled upon opening it.

Parts And Assembly

The Essential RV Water Filter System with Blue Cage and Hose Fittings comes with the “Blue Cage,” hose fittings, dual canisters, 2 sediment filters, 1 carbon filter cartridge, 2 o-rings (wrapped and attached to the instructions), and one tightening wrench.

Installing The O-Rings

Prior to installation of the filters, the o-rings must be installed in the canisters. The o-rings do not require additional lubrication and should be placed on the interior ledge of the canisters. Choose either canister and insert one of the o-rings.

Inserting The Filter

Once the o-ring is in place, insert the RV-SED1 filter into the canister.

Attach The Canister

Screw the canister into the lid mounted on the blue cage directly below the label marked “Water Input” until hand tight. Screwing in and seating the canisters by hand prevents cross-threading. We’ll use the wrench to tighten again once both canisters are in place.

Repeat

Repeat the process to install the second filter and canister on the other side: Install the o-ring, insert the F1Pb PB10 filter cartridge into the second canister, and then screw the canister into the lid mounted on the blue cage until tight.

Using The Wrench

After both canisters are attached, used the supplied wrench to tighten if necessary.

Hookup Your New System

With the Essential RV Water System properly assembled, the next step is to attach it to an external water source. You’ll need two hoses. Attach one end of the first hose to the external water faucet/source and the other end to the fitting under the top of the blue cage marked “Water Input.”

Then, attach one end of the second hose to the fitting on the other side of the blue cage. Before attaching the loose end of the hose to your RV, flush the filtration system by turning on the water source and letting it flow through the system for the time specified in the instructions.

Complete The Connection

Once the flush is complete, turn off the water source and attach the loose end of the hose to your RV. Turn the water source back on to pressurize the system and check for leaks. The setup and connection is now complete.

Care And Maintenance

The Essential RV Water Filter System with Blue Cage and Hose Fittings can last a decade or more, even with outside use. Freezing temperatures, however, can cause the canisters to burst just like a water pipe. The more they are kept out of direct sunlight and extreme temperatures, the better.

The system will work in any orientation. This is because both of the filters are solid vs granulated. In other words, while the blue cage is designed to keep the system upright, there’s no need to worry if it tips over. It will continue filtering your water without skipping a beat.

To store the filters, simply dump the water out of the canisters and allow the filters to dry. Then, put the filters back into the canisters so they’re ready to go next time you are. If your RV will be in freezing weather, dry the filters and store them in a non-freezing room in a freezer bag. There’s no need to seal it, but keep them free of dust and dirt.

Assembly Rating And Performance

The Essential RV Water Filter System with Blue Cage and Hose Fittings assembles easily. From start to finish, the entire process took approximately fifteen minutes including the ten-minute flush. The assembly required no additional tools and has a difficulty rating of a 1 out of 5 (in our opinion), with 1 being extremely easy and 5 being extremely difficult. You couldn’t ask for an easier assembly! Additionally, we did not experience a drop in water pressure, or any issues, after setup or at any time the system was in use.

How Much Does It Cost

The Essential RV Water Filter System with Blue Cage and Hose Fittings: $229.95 (this includes the cage, hose fittings, 2 canisters, 2 sediment filters and 1 carbon filter cartridge)

Replacement Sediment Filter – 2 pack: $7.49 (replace every 3-4 months) RV-SED1 filters out sediment larger than 1 micron.

Replacement Carbon Filter Cartridge – 1 pack: $24.95 (replace every 8-12 months) The cartridge filters out chlorine and odor, heavy metals, lead and 99.95% of cryptosporidium and giardia cysts. It also filters out particles greater than .5 microns and is resistant to stagnation.

For those who might think this is expensive, compare the price and the filtration quality of the Essential RV Water Filter System to what most RVers use and think is inexpensive. We’ll use our previous filtration system as an example:

External Camco Taste Pure RV and Marine Water Filter – 1 pack: $17.75 (replace every 3 months). Filters particles larger than 20 Micron

Internal Pentek GS-10RO Filter 1- pack: $10.00 (replace once a year). Removes unwanted tastes and odors from water

Did you notice the difference in price for replacement cartridges? More importantly, did you notice what is and is NOT filtered between the two systems?

How Does It Taste

We’ve already shown that the Essential RV Water Filter System with Blue Cage and Hose Fittings is vastly superior to what we were using. Just look at what our old system wasn’t filtering out compared to what the Essential RV Water Filter System does. But the lingering question is… can we actually taste a difference in the water with this new system, and does it taste any cleaner? The answer is YES and YES! Our water tastes cleaner, is fresh and crisp, and even looks clearer. The difference is like night and day! There’s also a huge difference in how we feel about drinking the water now, too.

On a more personal note, we really wish we had taken the time to research water filtration systems prior to installing our previous one. Like many RVers, we just continued purchasing replacement filters for the one that came installed in our RV, and then found and attached a cheap (or so we thought) external filter. We actually thought we were ahead of the game because we had two filters. Little did we know that neither of them were filtering much of anything. If we had done our homework, we would have been drinking, bathing in, washing dishes and cooking with much higher quality and purer water over the last three years. Take another look at the data above in bold. We would venture to guess that many RVers are filtering their water with something similar to what we previously used.

Recommendations

We would’ve liked to see the product come with male and female hose caps in order to completely seal the system for quick transport and storage. Also, a wider based accessory to increase stability on varying terrain would be welcomed. Having said that, the Essential RV Water Filter System will continue to filter your water regardless of its position.

Do We Recommend The Essential RV Water Filter System

Even though we’re pretty sure you can guess our answer to that question, no review is complete without doing so. So, as undoubtedly anticipated, the answer is… Yes, we would recommend it! The Essential RV Water Filter System with Blue Cage and Hose Fittings is a quality, robust product. Its build is top-notch, as is the customer service provided by the staff at RV Water Filter Store. Additionally, we’re very pleased with the system’s ease of use and storage.

The initial cost of the system is more than we’ve paid in the past, but the replacement filters are cheaper which will make it less expensive in the long run. More importantly, however, when it comes to the final product (filtered water), which is why we all purchase some sort of filtration system to begin with, the Essential RV Water Filter System with Blue Cage and Hose Fittings is superior to what we’ve been using, and probably what you’re using, too. We highly recommend this product to anyone in the market for a water filtration system or interested in upgrading their present setup. You can check out this product, and many others, at RV Water Filter Store.

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