Community Forums

DoggieDaddy · 09-28-2013, 10:33 AM

I'm looking at getting a portable water softener for our new MH. Looking for any insight one might have on their use. There are several on the market. I'm assuming recharging might be an issue.

wmpbauer · 09-28-2013, 10:54 AM

This is something I am also interested in. I was talking to a guy who was selling RV water softeners, and I brought up reverse osmosis. He launched into a diatribe about how RO lowers the pH of water to the point that it eats up the plumbing systems. So I'm interested in any and all info.

wmpbauer · 09-28-2013, 10:56 AM

Doing a search in iRV2...there's lots of posts in here....will read all!

chuckinthebus · 09-28-2013, 11:09 AM

We got this one a few years ago and like it for the ease of using regular table salt to regenerate it.
On The Go RV Water Softener

Dr4Film · 09-28-2013, 11:14 AM

I've been using a RV1200 TravelSoft unit for over 10 years now.

Travelsoft Operating Instructions

I have since eliminated adding the salt through the small opening in the top-side of the tank. I used the extra space to add more resin beads to increase softening capacity. Now I recharge the resin beads using a clear house water filter housing from the outside.

Photos attached.

I never leave home without it. Many places including our present one has had terribly hard water. If not using the softener, calcium would buildup in a few days use.

How often you need to recharge is based on hardness of the local water and your daily consumption of the water.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

Cruzer · 09-28-2013, 02:50 PM

I've installed a softener into our coach that I got from A-1 Water Conditioning - www.rv-water-treatment.com that works excellent. I researched RV water treatment for an upcoming magazine article and found a number of issues with an RO system in an RV application. Softeners do the job but vary in performance. Every softener has the ability to treat up to xxx grains of hardness and aren't rated in gallons because that depends on how hard the water is.

Most small softeners are rated around 6,000 grains of hardness before regeneration is required. Some are a bit more but many are even less. The unit I got from A-1 is rated at 15,000 grains bt is still small enough to be mounted in the RV, although it can be set nesxt to the campground spigot as well. We travelled for 4 weeks out west and our test strips still show the water as being soft so the larger size is a plus. Also, the unit came with a prefilter, which helps extend the life of the softener considerably. You can use any kind of salt in them but using solar salt designed for softeners is the best choice. It's more effective, lasts longer, and costs less than table salt. A bag of this will last you forever.

To regenerate you just remove the inexpensive prefilter element, toss it away, and fill the container 2/3 full of salt. Then run a water faucet with a stream the size of a pencil until the water is no longer salty, which is most likely 20 minutes or so. Then unscrew the filter (the salt will be gone now), pop in a new $6 filter element, and you are good to go.

brobox · 09-28-2013, 02:58 PM

I have been using the Go RV softener for about 6 years and it is great. Recharge with a box of Walmart table salt for $.33, fast and easy. I wouldn't have a MH without one. No more water spot on the shower and faucets. Hooks up with quick disconnects making it a snap to hookup.

HDrider · 09-28-2013, 04:20 PM

We have the ON THE GO system as well and are very happy with it so far.

Flora · 09-28-2013, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

I have been using the Go RV softener for about 6 years and it is great. Recharge with a box of Walmart table salt for $.33, fast and easy. I wouldn't have a MH without one. No more water spot on the shower and faucets. Hooks up with quick disconnects making it a snap to hookup.

Do you somwhow bypass the drinking / refrig water?

DoggieDaddy · 09-28-2013, 04:54 PM

Don't think you want to bypass drinking and refrigerator water. Part of the reason to soften the water is to get rid of the iron which is common in most campground water. Also the sulfur that makes the water smell. Both elements make bad drinking water and ice.

The "on the go" unit is starting to look good to me now.

SPICoaster · 09-28-2013, 05:31 PM

We have been using a Flow-Pur RV Pro 10,000 the last couple of years and is excellent.

Uses plain table salt to clean and not for filtering the water (when in full time use it has to be cleaned about once a month) - thus water doesn't have a salty taste.

Good luck in your research!!

TXBart · 09-28-2013, 06:49 PM

The Flo-Pur and On the Go RV softeners look to be the same product with different labels. Am I missing something?

stearn · 09-28-2013, 07:01 PM

We bought ours at CW, will be using this winter.

hogdriver · 09-28-2013, 09:01 PM

I use the SoftCell water softener. They sell these at a lot of big RV shows. I talked to the owner extensively a last year's Tampa RV show and while I was talking to him about 4-5 previous purchasers walked by and said how much they liked theirs. Like most other units the water softener material is regenerated with ordinary water softener pellets. I hook the softener up everywhere we go. Last week in Santa Fe and Carlsbad the water was particularly hard and the unit had to be regenerated soon. In Colorado Springs the water was mild and the unit worked well for a long time. The unit costs about $299 and a 20 lb bag of pellets would last probably a year. I just haul a small bag of pellets from my home softener on trips. It's very easy. My wife loves the way it washes the clothes and washing in the shower.

The problem I have heard with other portable water softener s is either how hard they are to load salt into or some of the types from Camping World having their top blow off. This one seems bulletproof.

SoftCell Portable Water Softener