With many of us facing another enforced ’staycation’ at home, there is at least some consolation in having the time and enthusiasm to do winterisation tasks and prepare our campervans and motorhomes for next season.
One of our more important winterisation tasks is to check and change our water filter.
Like many campervan users we use a water filter between our tank and tap, and we find the winterisation decommissioning period is the right time to check and if necessary, replace the water filter cartridge.
We specified the fitting of a Wave Flostream Micro HiFlo10 water filter when we commissioned Celtic Motorhomes in Caerphilly to convert our Fiat Ducato into Voyager the campervan we call our own.
The popularity in using filters comes from their new compact size and more awareness of sustainability when on the move. In our case it came from our experiences encountered when sailing in yachts.
In the past, limitations on space either meant that campervan users carried wasteful single use plastic bottled water or had to regularly fill up jerry cans or in-vehicle tanks for drinking water. Most people would avoid drinking water direct from the tank, and even after it was boiled, it would usually taste horrible and have frothy scum on it.
The Flostream Micro HiFlo10 filter comes with 12mm push fit adapters, so it connects easily into the standard 12mm water pipes used in most conversions. The filter mounts on a stainless bracket and can be located in an easy to reach position such as under the sink or as is the case onboard Voyager under the seating area.
Once installed, it only needs to be accessed every year or so to replace the filter.
Each filter is designed to last for between 12-18 months depending on use. We recently inspected the removed filter and found lots of small particles and sediment which otherwise would have been ingested by us. And that’s in additional to all the microscopic particles within the filter that you cannot see, which have all been captured by the Flostream.
The Flostream Micro HIFLO 10 multi-media cartridge filters remove all impurities down to 10 microns. For comparison, a human hair is 50 microns in diameter, and anything below 40 microns is invisible to the human eye.
The combination of filters within the Flostream ensure that all chlorine taste and bad odour is removed, as well as heavy metals and other impurities. In addition, with its built-in bacteriostatic control, and prevents any risk of micro-bacterial growth when the water filter is not in use.
Zeb Elliot the Managing Director of Penguin, the UK-based distributor of Wave International filters, says, “With reduced use in winter and many recreational vehicles getting a well-earned rest, it’s a good time to carry out the winterisation draining of the water tank and check the state of your water filter.”
Rhales Conversion, based in Peterborough, is another in a long list of van conversion companies now fitting the Wave Flostream Micro HiFlo10 water filter as standard. Managing Director Richard Hales cites a recent customer who purchased a conversion without the filter but wasn’t happy with the taste of the water and returned to have a Flostream filter retrofitted. “Apparently the fresh water and especially the tea now tastes so good, they are considering fitting a Flostream filter into their home,” he says. “We now fit the Flostream filters as standard – after all, we want customers to have a better experience away from home than they do at home and that’s all part of our customer satisfaction policy.”
Wave products are also designed to reduce impact on the environment with all the end caps for Flostream replacement cartridges made from reliably recycled plastic. The company has also removed all plastics involved in the packaging and shipping of products and introduced digital manuals and product instructions, further reducing paper and printing.
Wave International Managing director Paul Gullett says, “Our R&D team here in the UK have already reduced use of new plastic and are now looking at how we can further reduce polypropylenes in many of our future products.”
The Flostream Micro HIFLO10 with 12mm push fit (motorhome standard specification) retails at £112.51 inc VAT, with a limited 10% discount offer on RRP over the winter refit period. Replacement filters are available for £49.50 inc VAT from Penguin Refrigeration