Collection: Marine Water Filters

Marine Water Filters

Marine water filters treat the water in a boat plumbing system, the water that fills the onboard tank and then runs to the galley faucet, the head, and the shower. Marine grade systems from makers such as Culligan and Omnifilter are built compact on purpose, because the space under a galley sink or inside a console rarely has room for a full size residential housing.

The filters are designed to reduce sediment, rust, and the chlorine taste and odor that come with dock water, along with the flat, stale character that water picks up sitting in a tank between trips. A cartridge is not a substitute for a potable source, so the tank should still be filled from water that is safe to drink, but the filter is what makes that water pleasant to drink and cook with once it has been aboard for a while.

For a system already installed, the replacement cartridge has to match the housing it seats into, so the model number printed on the old cartridge is the place to start. For a first installation, the practical limits are the space available, the flow the pump delivers, and the fitting size on the existing water line. Carrying a spare cartridge aboard is a habit worth keeping, since a filter change on the water is far easier than a trip back to the dock.

Replacement timing depends on how much water moves through the system and how clean the source is, and the manufacturer instructions for the system are the right reference rather than a fixed calendar date. A boat that sits through the off season often needs a fresh cartridge at launch regardless of hours used, because standing water in a tank and a damp cartridge left in a housing over the winter are a poor combination. Sanitizing the tank at the start of the season and starting on a new cartridge is the routine most owners settle into. A subscribe and save plan keeps a replacement arriving on schedule through the boating season.