Top
Schoon water in de camper
Category:

As soon as you leave the Netherlands, you experience a different taste and smell of the water. This is because chlorine and sometimes fluoride are added to the water in most European countries. Dutch drinking water contains a small amount of chloride at some waterworks and fluoride at all of them. Fluoride is no longer actively added, but is found naturally in the soil and then reaches the groundwater. Chemical fluoride from e.g. toothpaste ends up in surface water. This ground/surface water is used to make drinking water.

We want to drink healthy water while traveling. That's why we researched bottled water and systems that clean the water. We tell you more about them in this blog.

Water quote
W.H. Auden
Bottles of water

Bottled water contains chloride and sometimes fluoride. When we first discovered this, we were greatly surprised. Chloride is added to tap water in large quantities in some countries to kill bacteria. Whether it is really healthier, opinions are quite divided on that. To add it to bottles of "spring" water as well, we find strange. From the NestlĂ© brand we have come across water - especially for making baby food - with the highest concentration of chloride of all. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) 

Buying bottles every time creates a huge mountain of plastic waste. Partly because of the addition of fluoride and chloride in this water and the mountain of waste we produce, the choice of bottled water falls off for us.

Water Treatment Systems

There are several methods of purifying water. By e.g. reverse osmosis or using filters. You can have systems built in or you choose a pitcher. Before making your choice, it is important to determine what you want to remove from the water. We find taste of water important, but even more important that chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals are removed from our water. A very good website we find, is Waterfilterguru.com. This American website is full of useful information and test results.

Motorhome/Caravan water tank

Our RV dealer does not recommend drinking water from the RV water tank for the reasons listed below. Also when using a filter in the water tank or a purification system under your kitchen sink.

  • With a used RV, you don't know what the previous owner filled the tank with and what chemical materials the tank was cleaned with
  • Er ontstaan altijd schimmels, bacteriën en biofilm in de tank

Partly for these reasons, a built-in system fell out for us.

Clearly filtered

Clearly filtered water pitcher

Berkey waterfilter

Berkey waterfilter

Water pitcher/tank

Berkey waterfilter
After much research, we came to the conclusion that the Berkey water filter would be ideal for us. This filter system has standard two filters that remove more than 200 contaminants. Including chloride and partly fluoride. Especially for countries where the fluoride content in the water is much higher, you can buy two fluoride filters in addition. All filters last up to ten years! The purchase is a large expense, but you are set for the next ten years. We did not buy the fluoride filters with it. The salesman told us that an active aluminum is used in those specific filters, of which some residue remains in the water. This is also mentioned in a study on Waterfilterguru.com. We purchased the Big Berkey from aHealtylife which mentions the following about the Berkey:

  • Proven to be the best
  • Filters out viruses 99.999% of the time
  • Filtert bacteriën, cysten en parasieten voor meer dan 99,9999% eruit
  • Filters out pesticides so well that it is no longer measurable
  • Filters out heavy metals more than 95% (up to 100% with fluoride/arsenic filters
  • Filters out PFOA/PTFE (Teflon) by more than 99.9% 
  • We also did our own test of lead in the water, and how well the Berkey manages to filter it out
  • Works by gravity: environmentally friendly
  • Easy to carry: enjoy clean water anywhere
  • Filters gaan jarenlang mee (2 ? 10 jaar)
  • Made of 304 stainless steel and therefore not plastic
  • Comes with 2 filters, expandable to 4
  • Preserves naturally occurring minerals in drinking water

Clearly filtered

We had just ordered the Berkey and then we came across Clearly filtered. A water pitcher with a replaceable filter. This filter removes more than 365 of the most pollutants from tap water, including chloride and fluoride. The filters, when used by 2 people, should be replaced every three months. The taste and minerals are retained. The website of Clearly Filtered reads:

The Most Powerful Water Pitcher on the Market

Traditionally, water pitchers have not been serious filtration devices. The Clearly Filtered® Water Pitcher with Affinity® Filtration Technology changes everything, removing up to 99.9% of 365+ harmful and dangerous tap water contaminants. That?s more than the 3 leading brand name pitchers combined.

  • Filter included with Affinity Filtration Technology
  • Independently tested to NSF standards 42, 53, 401 & 473
  • Targets Fluoride, Lead, BPA, Glyphosate, PFOAs, Hormones & over 365 of the most harmful tap water impurities
  • Our intelligent technology does not target beneficial minerals
  • 100% BPA/BPS-Free medical-grade Tritan materials
  • Average filter life: 100 gallons (replace every 4 months* on average)
  • Capacity: 80oz or 10 cups

This pitcher and filters come from America and you can have them delivered to the Netherlands.

Our experience

We are still very satisfied with both devices. Even before using the Berkey in the motorhome, we concluded that it is way too big for the motorhome. This Berkey is now used by our children. They are very happy with it and use the water for cooking, drinking, watering plants, rinsing vegetables, fruits, etc.

The Clearly filtered is really great! When we were in France, we only noticed how wonderful it is: you fill the pitcher with tap water that smells like chlorine and moments later you have lovely fresh water. No more hassle with buying bottles and checking if there is enough water left. The compact size makes it easy to place the pitcher in the refrigerator or sink while driving. 

Of all the accessoires that we have added over time, we think this is one of our best purchases!

In conclusion

There are lots of websites out there researching bottled and tap water. Above all, do your own research and choose what suits you best. After watching this movie you probably don't feel like tap or bottled water anymore.