Perfect drinking water for your mobile home

Blog post camping

The camping market has been booming for a long time and is currently being fueled by the Corona Pandemic. Many people choose mobile homes and caravans as the new and preferred mobile holiday home. Modern vehicles offer a level of comfort that includes not only the living room and bedroom, but also the kitchen and bathroom. Of course, the supply of fresh drinking water is at least as important as the availability of energy. This is the only way to guarantee self-sufficiency and a positive holiday feeling.

In accordance with the DIN 2001-2 standard, manufacturers of motorhomes have been obliged since 2009 to equip new vehicles with water systems suitable for drinking water. However, as soon as the water is taken from a public supply network, it is of course your responsibility to keep the drinking water clean. In addition, with this approach, the water must already be very clean and harmless when it is filled - but is that really guaranteed at every travel destination?

Odor, taste and pollutants

Almost everyone knows this - water that is stored in tanks at ambient temperature for a long time can take on a musty smell and taste. Depending on the origin of the water, dissolved pollutants such as pesticides can pose a health risk. A water filter can help. There are countless products on the market and choosing one can quickly seem difficult. Activated charcoal filters are highly recommended; block filters made of sintered activated charcoal deliver the best performance. High-quality products can be recognized by independent certifications, i.e. seals of approval. The American "National Sanitary Foundation", or NSF for short.

, is the global leader in examining and evaluating filters

The NSF issues internationally recognized certificates for various filter performance characteristics. NSF/ANSI 42 stands for aesthetic effects such as smell and taste, NSF/ANSI 53 (over 50 health-related pollutants, including heavy metals) or the NSF/ANSI 401 standard, which sets out the reduction requirements for new “modern” environmental toxins such as medicines, pesticides and other chemical residues from industry.

Viruses and bacteria in drinking water

Viruses and bacteria can have major negative impacts on human health. Even low germ counts can lead to diarrheal diseases, for example. Even after the water has been standing in a storage tank for a few hours, especially at temperatures above 20°C, the germ load in the water can increase significantly. Many plastics, such as PVC, promote the colonization of microorganisms through their bioactivity. A kind of mucous layer forms, the so-called "biofilm". Regular cleaning of the tanks and flushing of the lines is therefore strongly recommended at least before and after each trip. If the system has been flushed after a trip, it is best to let it dry. The process can be supported with compressed air, for example, but the pressure should not be too high and only air from oil-free compressors may be used. The filling and cleaning openings should remain open as long as dust protection is secured.

Sterilization using UV light

But what to do if the water in the tank is contaminated with germs on a trip or if water that is already contaminated is tapped? This is where modern LED-based UVC disinfection devices can help UVC disinfection is a well-known and tried-and-tested process that is used in public and industrial water treatment and supply worldwide, sometimes on a huge scale. But just for small, decentralized water treatment, at the so-called "point of use" the use was almost impossible for technical reasons and chemical disinfection by means of chlorination or silver ions seemed the only solution. Classic UV systems simply require too much energy and can only operate in continuous operation. Frequent switching on and off leads to a rapid failure of the lamps and the sluggishness of the switching on process does not allow for a quick tap of water.

UVC LEDs, on the other hand, can be switched on and off as often as you like and their disinfection performance is available in nanoseconds. Nevertheless, there are good and bad systems here too and, as with the filters, independent product tests and certificates help with the selection. With the NSF55 certification, the NSF offers a very high level of security against dangerous diseases. But there are even higher standards, for example the German guideline W294 of the DVGW.

HYTECON HYPRO WATER

Should you now buy an activated carbon filter and a UVC LED disinfection system? How are the devices installed? Do the filters and sterilization work together?

The company HYTECON from Switzerland has dealt intensively with the topic of chemical-free water treatment at the tap (POU) and in recent years has developed a compact device that perfectly combines filtration and disinfection with UVC LEDs. The size of a toaster, simply installed in the sink base cabinet and installed between the tank and the water tap, the camper gets a small drinking water system for his trip. The so-called HYPRO WATER has a comfortable output of 3 liters per minute. Connected to the 240V socket, the HYPRO is in an economical standby mode. As soon as the tap is opened, a sensor detects water flow and turns on the energy-saving LEDs in nanoseconds. The water is first effectively freed from odours, tastes and pollutants by a sintered activated carbon block filter and then disinfected. The HYPRO WATER meets NSF classes 42, 53, 55 and 401 and was also tested by the German DVGW Water Technology Center for its sterilization performance in accordance with W294. Perfect water with perfect taste, no matter where the journey takes you. In this way, camping enthusiasts can even do without taking less sustainable bottled water with them and reduce weight and plastic waste.

SUMMARY

1. Drinking water systems in mobile homes and caravans must be serviced and cleaned regularly to prevent the formation of biofilms.
2. The origin of the water is not always known. Depending on the country or region, the quality with regard to pollutants, viruses and bacteria can vary greatly.
3. Water in tanks heats up very quickly to ambient temperatures. If there is only slight contamination, the number of germs can rise quickly at temperatures above 20°C. Even a small amount of bacterial contamination can lead to serious illnesses.
4. Water can now be raised to the level of a German drinking water works with the right filter technology. Independent certifications and product tests, such as those by the NSF, help to select the right system and provide security for operation.
5. The HYPRO WATER from HYTECON meets all important norms and standards for water treatment and is a very good choice for discerning and health-conscious campers
6. Chemical-free drinking water treatment with the HYPRO is environmentally friendly and sustainable. There is no need to carry bottled water and there is less waste to dispose of.