Healthy Water is Everything: Finding the Perfect Filtration System
- Hilary Valentine
- Jun 23
- 4 min read
Clean, healthy water shouldn't be a luxury—it should be a given. Yet if you've done any research on tap water quality, you know that what comes out of our faucets often contains chlorine, heavy metals, pharmaceutical residues, and other contaminants that we'd rather not consume daily.
The simple answer seems to be "just get filtered water," but diving deeper reveals it's not that straightforward. With dozens of filtration methods and systems available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. Here's how our family navigated this decision while living in an RV, and what we learned about the four main filtration options.
Our RV Water Reality Check
Living in an RV initially made me paranoid about our water quality. The thought of water sitting in a holding tank seemed unsanitary. However, I discovered that most RV parks provide direct hookups, meaning water flows straight from the source through our hose and out our tap—no tank storage involved. Tank water is only used when we're boondocking without hookups. Still, this was just the beginning of our water quality journey.
The Four Main Filtration Options We Considered
Option 1: Inline Water Filters
What they are: These filters attach directly to your water source before it enters your home or RV, filtering all incoming water.
The facts: Inline filters typically use carbon filtration to remove chlorine, sediment, and some chemicals. They're effective at improving taste and odor, and they filter water for all uses—drinking, cooking, bathing, and cleaning. Most inline filters need replacement every 3-6 months depending on water quality and usage.
Our experience: We still use an inline filter because it provides basic filtration for showers, dishwashing, and teeth brushing. However, it didn't satisfy our drinking water standards since the filtered water still travels through RV plumbing and potentially sits in tanks.
Option 2: Faucet-Mounted Filters
What they are: These attach directly to your existing faucet, allowing you to switch between filtered and unfiltered water.
The facts: Most faucet filters use activated carbon to remove chlorine, lead, and some organic compounds. They typically filter 100-200 gallons before needing replacement. While convenient, they have limited filtration capacity compared to other systems and can significantly reduce water flow rate.
Our experience: We'd used these previously, but found them bulky and aesthetically unappealing on our nice faucet. The filtration quality never impressed us, and the reduced water pressure was frustrating.
Option 3: Under-Sink Systems
What they are: These systems install beneath your sink and can range from simple carbon filters to comprehensive reverse osmosis systems.
The facts: Under-sink systems offer the most robust filtration options. Multi-stage systems can remove up to 99% of contaminants including bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, and dissolved solids. Reverse osmosis systems in this category typically include 3-5 filtration stages and often require a separate faucet installation.
Our experience: This option intrigued us, especially for accessing reverse osmosis water. However, the installation requirements and need for an additional faucet made it impractical at this time.
Option 4: Countertop Systems
What they are: Self-contained filtration units that sit on your counter and is filled from your kitchen tap or a diverter valve.
The facts: Quality countertop systems, particularly those using reverse osmosis, can remove 95-99% of contaminants including fluoride, arsenic, lead, bacteria, and viruses. Reverse osmosis works by forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane that blocks contaminants while allowing clean water molecules to pass through. The process removes dissolved solids so effectively that many systems include remineralization to restore beneficial minerals.
Our choice: This option checked all our boxes—reverse osmosis filtration with remineralization, no installation required, easy maintenance, and kid-friendly operation.
Why Reverse Osmosis Stood Out
Reverse osmosis is considered the gold standard of water filtration because it removes the widest range of contaminants. The process can eliminate:
Heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic)
Chemicals (chlorine, fluoride, pesticides)
Biological contaminants (bacteria, viruses, parasites)
Dissolved solids that affect taste and safety
The main drawback is that RO also removes beneficial minerals, which is why remineralization became crucial in our decision.
Our Final Choice: Nature Flow
After researching extensively, we chose Nature Flow's countertop reverse osmosis system. What set them apart was their remineralization process, which restores essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium that support hydration and taste.
Three months in, and we couldn't be happier. The water tastes clean and refreshing, our kids easily operate the system themselves, and even our puppy Rex seems to prefer it over his old water bowl! The convenience factor can't be overstated—no installation headaches, easy filter changes, and consistently excellent water quality.
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