Water Filters - Why not to keep them inside...

[TXBobcat]

I have had two canister water filters that I keep outside in a plastic basket. Yesterday morning I got up and went to use the toilet and the water pressure went to zero. No water. I was afraid my line to the toilet came loose and was flooding the basement. I ran outside and this is what I found.




And this was the cause....



The top ring of the canister that threads into the top literally blew off. I normally have my water filter on the shore side of my regulator so the calsium and crud does not get stuck in the regulator. The water pressure here at the CoE park is 120psi. Now yes the water pressure probably caused this, but the canister also had to have a weak spot which could have happened when inside the trailer.

I still promote that all water filters should be on the outside of the trailer because this has happened to me twice. The first tme te filter (installed by the mfgr) was inside the trailer.


FWIW
BC

 

[rick_debbie_gallant]

I keep mine in a plastic tote filled with water. Takes a long time for that much water to freeze over. I know, hindsite is always 20/20

 

[JRBEN]

I always connect a water regulator in line before anything else. Just like with the electric you never know what the water pressure is going to be. And usually, if it's high you won't find out until something ruptures.

 

[Willym]

Thanks for posting this, a good warning for the rest of us. How old was the canister that failed? Could it have been weakened from prolonged exposure to the sun? Many campgrounds use a pumped supply system and water pressure likely peaks in the night when there is little demand. I know that supply system pump starts or water hammer can cause large pressure spikes.

 

[olcoon]

I always wondered why someone would like to have the extra "junk" sitting outside their rig. Now I know there is a good reason!

 

[jbeletti]

Bob,

Thank you for sharing your catastrophe. It is hard to argue storing/using them outdoors is safer. We all decide the level of risk we are willing to take.

I got tired of humping 2 water filters and a water softener, all full of water, in and out of the RV. Last season, I mounted the filters on the outside of the RV on the ODS frame. It worked fine.

This season, I wanted to put them inside the RV in the storage area but behind the utility wall. Similar to what others on here have done. At the NC/SC rally, that's just what I did. Um, let me back up. That's what Larry did for me Love ya Larry! The benefit to me here is:
- No lifting
- No installing/uninstalling at each setup
- No space taken in the storage area
- Installed behind the wall where some heat is generated by equipment and a heater line when furnace is in use
- Won't freeze from outdoor use in below freezing temps

Of course the cons are:
- Risk of leaking water into my utility area, storage bay and underbelly
- Risk of damage to electrical items depending on the failure type (spray etc.)

For now, I am living on the edge.

Jim

 

[rick_debbie_gallant]

I keep mine in a plastic tote filled with water. Takes a long time for that much water to freeze over. I know, hindsite is always 20/20

An added feature is it takes a long time to warm up in the sun.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

We use a tote as well for both filters. Interesting idea with the water in the tote. I'll have to remember that if we get into some really cold temps. (Not likely LOL) Bob, do you feel UV could be the cause of the weakening of the canister? We've used clear canisters before and had trouble with algae in the canister. Switched to blue ones. No more algae.
On another note, I noticed the gauge on my watts regulator at 80 psi today. I relieved the pressure and checked the adjustment. When I first turned the water back on it went to 50 then it slooooowly went up to 80. Not good! I put the cheap brass regulator on prior to the watts, now I have to contact watts to see if there's something I can do to "rebuild" the unit. It's over a year old so I'm thinking no warranty. Anyone else have this occur?

 

[caissiel]

At work we had same problem with watts regulator. With water shut it would creap up so we installed an RV regutator and solved the problem. With no flow not all regulaters seam to hold back the pressure. But hose rv ones work better.
Sent from my GT-S5660M using Tapatalk 2

 

[evolvingpowercat]

I had similar failure with GE Smartwater filter housing at my home, at the 10 year old point. Luckly for me it happened right when I changed the filter and turned the water back on but it was a shocker! I had that water filter on the 130 PSI high side. Also realized as a result most plastic housing water filters are labeled max 150 PSI which is not much saftey margin if water pressure is high. Learned my lesson about putting water filter on high pressure side. Don't do it !

 

[TXBobcat]

Thanks for posting this, a good warning for the rest of us. How old was the canister that failed? Could it have been weakened from prolonged exposure to the sun? Many campgrounds use a pumped supply system and water pressure likely peaks in the night when there is little demand. I know that supply system pump starts or water hammer can cause large pressure spikes.

The canisters were perchased in 2008. Yes they could have been weakened by exposure. I try to keep them under the trailer out of direct sunlight. The pressure here has been a pretty steady 120PSI.

The reason I put the filters on the high pressure side was because the calcium and minerals keep clogging up the regulators. Filters are cheaper than the regulator. My water hoses are tested up to 200psi so I wasn't really concerned that the 120psi was to much for the canisters. I will probably continue putting the canister to the high side but only at lower pressures. If the pressure is above 80 psi I will probably put the regulator on the high side for these fewer campgrounds.

On other thing I plan to do is get a Rebuild kit for Watts N55B Regulator from the RV Water Filter Store. Hope that will help keep the regulator clean.

Hope this thread helps others to be careful with your water filters and aware of the campground water pressure.

BC

 

[porthole]

I'm surprised no one knocked on your door or shut the water off.
Reminds me of the person (this forum) who watched an individual walk around checking trailer basement doors but didn't tell anyone.

 

[JohnDar]

At least you made the tree happy. My filters stay in the covered tote alongside the rig all summer. Even with the hoses and extra fittings bag in there, it's not all that heavy to lift in/out of the basement. For the same reason as Bob, I have the regulator on the output side of the filters, followed by my water meter. My canisters have been in use since the beginning of our 2009 season.

View attachment 21759View attachment 21760

 

[wyleyrabbit]

We have our canister filter in the basement behind the UDC. We also have a residential style brass pressure regulator before the filter, so we should be safe from this.

Most campgrounds we've been in have had horrible pressure. I think I've only stayed at a couple that had more than about 45 psi. That said, I'd never hookup without a regulator.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Not knowing which model regulator I have (label missing), I took it apart yesterday. Cleaned up a little corrosion, used some plumbers lube on the gasket and assembled. Works like a charm. I think there was a little corrosion preventing some internal parts from sealing. Easy fix.

 

[TXBobcat]

I'm surprised no one knocked on your door or shut the water off.

I have done this before. I saw a M/H with the water running out of the bottom, so I turned off the water and left a note on his door. No such thing here. I am just thankful that there was no damage to the trailer and that it was not on the inside...
...

Ray
I am going to do the same thing when I get to Melissa. The RV water filter store has parts to refurbish the regulators. I use a small inline plastic regulator when we winterize it for Dec through Jan while visiiting the family.

BC