Compare all 6 AquaFRESH RV water filter cartridges by micron rating and what they remove: rust, sediment, cysts, chlorine, VOCs, lead, mercury.
Chief Camper
2 min read
Six cartridges, six different jobs. Some strip out rust and sediment. Others go after cysts, chlorine, or heavy metals. Here’s exactly what each one does — straight from the manufacturer’s own filtration data — so you can pick by what’s actually in your water, not by guessing.
What “micron rating” actually means
The lower the micron number, the finer the filter — and the more it catches. But finer isn’t automatically “better”: a 0.05 micron cartridge alone will clog fast if it’s also catching the coarse dirt a pre-filter should handle first.
Cartridge
Micron Rating
GAC/KDF Ext. In-line
20 µm
GAC/KDF Int. In-line
20 µm
Sediment Pre-Filter
10 µm
Carbon Block
5 µm
Cyst / Sediment Filter
1 µm
Advanced Carbon Block
0.05 µm
Specs & contaminant reduction, side by side
Every cartridge in the AquaFRESH lineup, matched against what it actually filters out. Data per Valterra manufacturer specifications.
GAC/KDF Ext. In-line
GAC/KDF Int. In-line
Sediment Pre-Filter
Carbon Block
Cyst / Sediment
Adv. Carbon Block
Part #
A01-1131VP A01-1132VP
A01-1133
A01-1137
A01-1136
A01-1135
A01-1134
Filtration
20 µm
20 µm
10 µm
5 µm
1 µm
0.05 µm
Capacity*
3,000 gal/6mo
500 gal/6mo
As needed
500 gal/6mo
500 gal/6mo
1,200 gal/6mo
Operating pressure
20–100 psi (all cartridges)
Reduces the following contaminants
Rust
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Sediment
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Cysts (Crypto/Giardia)
✓
✓
Chlorine taste & odor
✓
✓
✓
✓
VOCs
✓
✓
✓
✓
Mercury
✓
Lead
✓
✓
Copper
✓
✓
* Results depend on water quality — replace when taste/odor appears or flow decreases. Caution: not for use with microbiologically unsafe or unknown-quality water without adequate disinfection.
Match the cartridge to your concern
No single cartridge does everything — pick based on what you’re actually worried about in your water source.
Just want basic taste & odor improvement → Carbon Block — handles chlorine and VOCs at a moderate 5 micron rating. Simple and effective for city water.
Filling from a well, lake fill, or unknown source → Cyst / Sediment Filter — the only mid-tier cartridge rated for cysts like Crypto and Giardia at 1 micron.
Want the most complete single cartridge → Advanced Carbon Block — covers cysts, chlorine, VOCs, and mercury at 0.05 micron, the widest coverage in the lineup.
Worried about lead or copper from old plumbing → GAC/KDF In-line (Ext. or Int.) — the only cartridges with KDF media rated to reduce lead and copper specifically.
High-volume or long-season use → GAC/KDF Exterior In-line — rated for 3,000 gallons per 6 months, by far the longest capacity in the lineup.
Protecting a downstream filter from clogging → Sediment Pre-Filter — catches rust and large particles first, extending the life of a finer cartridge behind it.
Shop RV water filter cartridges
All six cartridges from the AquaFRESH lineup, plus the housings that hold them:
