You’re out in the middle of nowhere, maybe tucked into a beautiful spot in the Sierras or parked near a dusty trail in Moab, and you turn on the tap. The water smells like a swimming pool. Or worse, it looks like weak tea. This is the reality of the "shore power" life. Most people think a blue inline filter from a big-box store is enough, but honestly, those are basically just glorified screen doors for your plumbing. If you’ve been looking into the clear source water filter systems, you’ve probably noticed they look a bit different—beefier, more industrial, and significantly more expensive.
Is it just marketing hype? No.
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Standard filters usually focus on one thing: making water taste less like chlorine. But RVers face a trifecta of nightmares: sediment that clogs expensive fixtures, heavy metals from aging campground pipes, and the occasional "boil water notice" that happens more often than anyone wants to admit. A Clear Source system isn't just one filter; it’s a tiered defense strategy. It's the difference between "I hope this doesn't make me sick" and "I can actually drink the water from my fresh tank."
What’s Actually Inside a Clear Source Water Filter?
Most of these systems are built on a dual or triple-canister chassis. The magic isn't in the plastic housing, though the powder-coated steel frames are nice for durability. The real value is in the proprietary cartridges.
Take their Ultra-RV system. It uses a 0.2-micron filter. To put that in perspective, a human hair is about 70 microns wide. We are talking about microscopic levels of filtration here. This specific rating is critical because it’s the threshold for catching bacteria like Giardia and Cryptosporidium. If you’re filling up from a well at a remote campground, these are the invisible guests you don't want in your gut.
The first stage is usually a 5-micron sediment filter. It's the "grunt." Its job is to catch the dirt, rust, and silt before it hits the expensive, fine-tuned filters downstream. If you skip this, your high-end carbon filter will clog in a week. Then comes the second stage, often a coconut shell carbon block. This is what handles the chemical side—pesticides, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and that nasty sulfur smell that haunts many East Coast campgrounds.
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The Virus Problem
Here is where it gets technical. Most water filters—even high-end ones—don't stop viruses. They are simply too small. However, Clear Source introduced systems like the Nomad, which uses NASA-derived electro-adsorptive technology. Instead of just trying to "block" the bad stuff with a tiny hole, the filter media carries a positive charge that attracts and traps negatively charged particles like viruses and lead.
It's sorta like a magnet for germs.
Why Flow Rate Is the Silent Dealbreaker
You’ve probably experienced the "RV shower trickle." You hop in, lather up, and the water pressure is so low you have to dance around just to get wet. This is often caused by cheap filters. They have a low "GPM" (gallons per minute) rating.
A clear source water filter is designed with high-flow canisters. They typically use oversized 10-inch "Jumbo" or "Big Blue" style cartridges. Because the surface area is larger, the water can move through faster without losing pressure. Most users report maintaining 6 to 7 GPM, which is plenty for a high-end Oxygenics showerhead or running the kitchen sink while the toilet flushes. Cheap filters might drop you down to 2 or 3 GPM, which is basically a death sentence for your morning routine.
Real World Durability: The "Campground Trash" Test
Let’s talk about the hardware. Most RV filters are made of thin plastic that cracks the second the temperature hits 31 degrees Fahrenheit. Or, if you drop them on a concrete pad, they shatter.
Clear Source uses heavy-duty canisters and, more importantly, stainless steel fittings. This sounds like a small detail until you’ve cross-threaded a plastic fitting at 9:00 PM in the rain. The powder-coated stands are also a massive upgrade. Instead of having your filter lying in the mud or dangling from the spigot (which puts a ton of stress on your RV’s city water inlet), these systems stand on their own. They are built to be abused.
Honestly, the weight is the only downside. These things are heavy. You have to find a dedicated spot in your "basement" storage to keep it secure while driving.
Addressing the Cost: Is it a Luxury or a Necessity?
Look, $250 to $600 for a water filter is a tough pill to swallow when a blue Camco filter is twenty bucks. But you have to look at the math of your plumbing.
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- Tank Health: Silt and sediment settle at the bottom of your fresh water tank. Over years, this creates a "sludge" that can grow biofilm.
- Valve Failures: Modern RV toilets and faucets use delicate ceramic discs or rubber diaphragms. One piece of grit from a South Dakota well can ruin a $150 faucet.
- The "Bottled Water" Tax: If you don't trust your tap, you buy plastic jugs. Not only is this terrible for the environment, but it’s also a physical chore to lug that weight around.
When you factor in the cost of replacing cartridges once or twice a year, the clear source water filter usually pays for itself by the second season of heavy use. Especially if it prevents one plumbing repair bill or one "bad water" stomach bug.
Common Misconceptions About RV Filtration
People often confuse "filtration" with "softening." A Clear Source filter is not a water softener. It will not remove the minerals that cause scale buildup on your glass shower doors or inside your water heater. If you are in the Southwest where the water is "liquid rock," you still need a portable water softener (like an On The Go or similar) in addition to your filter.
Another mistake? Leaving the filters inside the canisters during storage. If you leave wet filters in a dark canister for three months in a storage lot, you are growing a science experiment. You have to take them out, let them air dry, or just toss them and start fresh each season.
Actionable Steps for Better RV Water
If you’re ready to upgrade your setup, don't just buy the first one you see. Follow this logic:
- Check your space: Measure your wet bay. If you don't have room for a permanent mount, get the standalone "external" version with the stand.
- Sanitize first: Before hooking up a high-end filter, sanitize your RV's internal lines with a bleach solution (1/4 cup per 15 gallons of water). No point in filtering water if your internal pipes are already funky.
- Use a Pressure Regulator: Always put your pressure regulator at the spigot, before the filter. This protects the filter canisters from "surges" that occur at some older campgrounds where the PSI can spike to 100+.
- Monitor the Flow: When you notice the pressure in your shower dropping, that’s your signal. The sediment filter is doing its job and is full of gunk. Swap it out immediately to save the more expensive secondary filters.
- Winterize Properly: Never let water freeze inside these canisters. The expansion will crack the heavy-duty plastic just as easily as the cheap stuff. Always drain them completely before the first frost.
Investing in a proper filtration setup changes the way you use your rig. You stop worrying about where you're plugging in and start enjoying the freedom of the road, knowing the water coming out of your tap is actually safe to drink.