Filtering Water?

[Sailor g]

We use a Fix-It filtration system with a 5 & .5 micron charcoal filters & UV light. I have an adrenal gland issue & need to be careful of water. This system worked for us in Mexico and I love the taste of the water. We put the UV separate so if we are not worried about bacteria-only taste like in LA- we still can use it. We got it in San Diego at Custom Marine Electronics. They gave great service too.

[barnakiel]

We never drink raw water from tanks. The only way we use the tank water is in tea / coffee / cooked food.

We never use water that tastes so bad that it needs filtering.

b.

[JanetGroene]

The original question was how a filter would work in a hand pump line rather than a pressure line, so this is a little off topic. Our filter is in a pressure line but has its own faucet. No point in filtering water other than for drinking and cooking. Boating in areas where potable water is always available, a chief benefit is consistency of taste. Even though water is safe, it can vary greatly in taste and that in turn changes the taste of reconstituted orange juice, ice cubes, coffee'. etc. I recommend a filter for every galley.

[troymclure]

I use one of those filtered water jugs. It's a charcoal filter and only really filters chlorine out so i add a bit of chlorine to the tank whenever i refill it.

So far so good. ^^

[The Boat Galley]

I highly recommend filtering water, both for taste and sediment. We had a Seagull that a previous owner had installed and liked it, but I'd NEVER install one myself -- too expensive initially and the filters are proprietary (hard to find and expensive). I'd go with the 10" "whole house" filters that easily go on any water line -- get the housing at any hardware or home improvement store; you can get filters almost anywhere in the world.

Even using the finest filters (0.5 microns), these work on hand and foot pumps. While ours was on the pressure side, I know at least 10 boats that had them on hand or foot pump lines and reported no problems (several of those boats I've used the pump while aboard and can vouch for it not being a problem).

Here are some photos of installations and information on the differences in the various types of filters you can get (pleated, spun, string-wound,etc.) and what you need if you just want to improve taste vs. what you need to reduce sediment vs. what you need to remove bacteria. We had no clue when we started cruising and made a lot of mistakes. These are from my blog:

Water Filtering Systems
Choosing a Water Filter

And yes, they're VERY easy to install on a standard hose when filling the water tank(s), the connector fittings can be found at most places that sell the housings. We filtered dock water going into the tank, and all our drinking/cooking water again before using it.