Would a PUR filter work (or even help) on my sailboat?

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by CarlF

Filters have made a lot of progress since the Seagull came out. Just get a standard undersink filter housing and 10" filter that meets the ANSI/NFS 53 standard. It will do a far better job than the PUR and probably better than the Seagull. I use this Pentek filter - meets the 53 standard and lasts for thousands of gallons - for $18.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can second that. We filter all water coming out of the tanks using replaceable carbon type. I think our filter is on the pressure side of the water pump. The filter flow rate is fine for running at least two taps at same time. When you filter all water, it's nice to know that when you brush your teeth or drink from any faucet on the boat, it's all good.

[tilostahl]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

I wonder if maybe your tanks need to be shocked and purged. I had a 70 gallon integral tank in my Hallberg Rassy. I left 40 or so gallons in it and added a quart of bleach and went for a sail then removed the water, flushed and refilled. Never a problem again.

The water stays fine with just a touch of chlorine. it's only the filter that generates growth.

[sophiedaisey]

Have used the PUR faucet attachment as you have shown for about 10yrs on my boat. Works great. Water tastes so much better than that straight out of the tank. 10 yrs is a long time for anything marine so could say it is reliable and sturdy.

[Flatswing]

If your current faucet fits the PUR, they work fine. Very convenient ‘cause they have a little lever that allows you to bypass the filter. They do restrict the flow, so we used ours for drinking water, tea & coffee plus cooking. Everything else - unfiltered. They also can be removed with a single button.

I don’t use them a a primary sanitizing device because I prefer to follow Peggy Hall’s advice about sanitizing tanks, pump & lines. Thereafter use municipal water & add appropriate chlorine if forced to take on well water. Then these are a simple, effective way to remove any residual chlorine. Therefore just buy the basic PUR cartridges, (charcoal).

PUR has been in the water purification business for decades. We used them backpacking in the 90’s. So if you are cruising in sketchy territories then the 2 micron filters more useful. Chlorine though is still your best friend to keep your water system safe and charcoal removes the chlorine at the tap with the PUR. Best.

[Cool Hand Luke]

This is only for water from the marina. I don’t know where the marina gets its water... well or city or wherever. But I only take in water from my marina and I also use the following Camco filter before any water goes into my boat. Then I was thinking of using the PUR filter mentioned in my original post as an additional, secondary filter. But any water they comes into my boat always goes through the Camco:

[toddster8]

No. The main concern with drinking water is disease-causing microorganisms. All filters remove bacteria for a few hours (the duration of the ASTM test). After that, all filters become a net source of bacteria. Excellent habitat. If you change them frequently, they will remove trace concentrations of organics and metals, which are very rarely an actual problem.
The most-loved filters “work” because they are kept in the refrigerator. Cold water tastes better than tepid water. Therefore, the filters work!
But don’t mind me. I only wasted half my life getting three degrees in microbiology and chemistry. Illiterate marketing goons are so much more credible!

[Letterkenny]

Originally Posted by toddster8

No. The main concern with drinking water is disease-causing microorganisms. All filters remove bacteria for a few hours (the duration of the ASTM test). After that, all filters become a net source of bacteria. Excellent habitat. If you change them frequently, they will remove trace concentrations of organics and metals, which are very rarely an actual problem.
The most-loved filters “work” because they are kept in the refrigerator. Cold water tastes better than tepid water. Therefore, the filters work!
But don’t mind me. I only wasted half my life getting three degrees in microbiology and chemistry. Illiterate marketing goons are so much more credible!

So what's the answer then?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by toddster8

No. The main concern with drinking water is disease-causing microorganisms. All filters remove bacteria for a few hours (the duration of the ASTM test). After that, all filters become a net source of bacteria. Excellent habitat. If you change them frequently, they will remove trace concentrations of organics and metals, which are very rarely an actual problem.
The most-loved filters “work” because they are kept in the refrigerator. Cold water tastes better than tepid water. Therefore, the filters work!
But don’t mind me. I only wasted half my life getting three degrees in microbiology and chemistry. Illiterate marketing goons are so much more credible!

All filters remove bacteria? This is the first time I've ever heard this claim. Given the size of bacteria, I thought you needed either a chemical treatment, a special activated filter, or a small enough physical filter getting down to like 0.2 microns.

Can you expound since you claim expertise here?

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

This is only for water from the marina. I don’t know where the marina gets its water... well or city or wherever. But I only take in water from my marina and I also use the following Camco filter before any water goes into my boat. Then I was thinking of using the PUR filter mentioned in my original post as an additional, secondary filter. But any water they comes into my boat always goes through the Camco:

In places with good quality chlorinated city water, this might not be helping. You're stripping out all of the chlorine before the water hits the tanks. So as long as you don't have an aluminum water tank, I'd plan to periodically add a tiny bit of bleach if you're filtering all of the input. That'll go a long way to keeping the water fresh for longer.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Originally Posted by Letterkenny

So what's the answer then?

That's what I was waiting for... I was waiting for the answer

[rwidman]

The key to having good potable water on a boat is to sanitize the entire water system and then put nothing but clean water into the tanks using a dedicated, drinking water rated hose that is never left where others can "borrow" it to flush out their holding tanks.

We have a Seagull filter but have never changed the ($100) element. We have good water.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by rwidman

using a dedicated, drinking water rated hose that is never left where others can "borrow" it to flush out their holding tanks.

This is an important one. Grimy hoses can gunk up the tanks. Personally, I only ever fill tanks from my own hose no matter what might be available at a dock. Hose and dock lines get flushed for a few minutes before filling (or I wash the boat first, then fill). Then when I'm done, hose gets drained and stored back on the boat, never left out for others to use.

[Peeew]

I have had good luck with an inline filter only on the galley cold tap. I only fill my tanks with a good source. Either my own RO water or good tasting city water that I filter anyway on the way into the tanks. I have chlorine shocked my system once before a long trip to a warm climate. For a while everything except the galley filtered water had a bit of chlorine smell, but not bad and I used it for tooth brushing etc. . I really don’t want another bulky tap so for me the pur and the seagull were not what I wanted. I wish I had room under the galley tap for a real canister system but I don’t. So far I’m happy with the inline setup. Lots of brands and sizes to pick from.

[KenK]

For what it's worth, we've used a faucet-mounted Brita for 17 years (changing every few months, of course) and we are still alive. If we suspect the water source might have problems we treat the tanks with a dose of Clorox as prescribed by the experts. We also pre-filter with an inline filter as we fill the tanks.

[timb7734]

Pur is inexpensive and easy to install. We used one for over a decade and it worked well for water taste. Run off tanks as opposed to shore water, always softened and whole house filtered before filling tanks. Sanitized tanks at beginning of season and when anything suspicious happened. Now have a Seagull, and the elements are expensive but seem to last for many hundred gallons, also more elaborate to plumb in and add “drinking water” faucet.