Water softener recommendations

[ssatkinson]

We have noticed quite a bit of iron staining coming through our water system even with a water filter where we camp for 2 months (COE camgrounds)in the fall. Would a portable water softener be a good solution? If so, which ones would you recommend? We plan to upgrade from the regular Camco filter to a 2 stage one also. We rarely shower in the camper, mainly do dishes, brush teeth, etc. Our camper is a 2015 Escape 21. Any advice on either a softener or filter is appreciated!

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by ssatkinson

Would a portable water softener be a good solution? If so, which ones would you recommend? !

https://www.rvweb.net/best-rv-water-softeners-reviewed/

[k0wtz]

I stay from trailer water for drinking I don't know which means most places!
otherwise I don't really care but a softner sure would add a lot of weight and water use in a trailer!

water conditions vary everywhere some are very hard some fairly soft. Our water comes from deep wells and its very very hard so we have a expensive water softner that consumes lots of salt and water to keep it conditioned.

In your case maybe a cartridge system could be added below your sink or in your case put it outside at the line coming in some way for easier changing of the filter.

bob

Originally Posted by ssatkinson

We have noticed quite a bit of iron staining coming through our water system even with a water filter where we camp for 2 months (COE camgrounds)in the fall. Would a portable water softener be a good solution? If so, which ones would you recommend? We plan to upgrade from the regular Camco filter to a 2 stage one also. We rarely shower in the camper, mainly do dishes, brush teeth, etc. Our camper is a 2015 Escape 21. Any advice on either a softener or filter is appreciated!

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by ssatkinson

We have noticed quite a bit of iron staining coming through our water system even with a water filter where we camp for 2 months (COE camgrounds)in the fall. Would a portable water softener be a good solution? If so, which ones would you recommend? We plan to upgrade from the regular Camco filter to a 2 stage one also. We rarely shower in the camper, mainly do dishes, brush teeth, etc. Our camper is a 2015 Escape 21. Any advice on either a softener or filter is appreciated!

Maybe a better filter instead of a water softener which puts salt into the water. I'd never use a water softener. We use an in line filter like a Camco but it is probably not enough for your situation. There are much better filters that take out iron, rust, chemicals, etc. You can get filters that you can make attach to a water hose. We ha one that had a drop in filter. We put it on a short hose from the faucet and then put our other hose on the outside port of the filter. We do drink our water out of our trailer all the time almost. Drink bottled water only in the worst places and try not to fill the trailer with the bad water.

[John in Santa Cruz]

indeed, I don't drink my trailer tank water, although I do use it to brush my teeth.

we generally bring 1-2 5 gallon carboys with purified water from a local water store, it tastes great, makes great coffee. if we're on the road long enough to use that up, we'll refill them from tap water if and only if it tastes good, if its got too much minerals or chlorine or whatall in it, we'll find somewhere else

[ssatkinson]

I will definitely check into a better filter. We had used Camco but it doesn’t handle the iron, which is staining the bathroom sink. We don’t drink trailer water but we do use it for brushing teeth.

[Wandering-NotLost]

Water filters will remove sediment, some chemicals dissolved in the water, and may improve the taste. However, filters will not remove dissolved minerals from the water source; a water softener will. The dissolved minerals are attracted and attach to the beads inside the water softener, thus removing them (mostly) from the water. Recharging the water softener with salt releases the minerals from the beads and flushes them down the drain, enabling the softener to absorb more dissolved minerals. There is a very small amount of residual salt that is released from the water softener as it does its job; can't be helped. There are a LOT of gimmicks on the market promising to all sorts of things to your water; most are complete scams. Water softeners have been proven over many years to remove dissolved minerals from water. We always travel with a portable water softener because we've found that most campground water is from wells and contains a lot of dissolved minerals. We use a 2-stage filter after our pressure reducer to remove sediment and improve taste, then the water goes through the softener and into the rig or our tanks. We carry jugs of water for drinking purposes but, have no problem drinking from the tap because we know the water is clean.

[ssatkinson]

Originally Posted by Wandering-NotLost

...We always travel with a portable water softener because we've found that most campground water is from wells and contains a lot of dissolved minerals. We use a 2-stage filter after our pressure reducer to remove sediment and improve taste, then the water goes through the softener and into the rig or our tanks. We carry jugs of water for drinking purposes but, have no problem drinking from the tap because we know the water is clean.

That is a set up I would be very interested in! Would you mind sharing which softener and filter set up has worked for you? I have seen several on line. We use a water softener on our well water at home and would love to be able to do so on the road as well.

[Carol and Mike]

We use this one. Small and lightweight.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Wandering-NotLost]

Water softener: https://www.portablewatersoftener.co...U=OTG4-DBLSOFT. Available on Amazon for about $275. Use the test strips to check water hardness and recharge when the hardness begins to increase.

Water filter: https://www.beech-lane.com/dual-water-filter. Available on Amazon for about $60.

[ssatkinson]

Thank you! I think that is exactly what we have been looking for!

[Carol and Mike]

Originally Posted by ssatkinson

Thank you! I think that is exactly what we have been looking for!

Hope it works for you. I bought a 16,000 grain softener a few years ago and found it to be way too heavy and large. This 3,200 grain softener is easy to handle and is small enough to fit in tight storage spots. One charge easily lasts a 4 to 6 week trip and recharges easily with regular Morton table salt. I use the big softener to wash my trailer and truck to reduce spots!

[ssatkinson]

I think this is the perfect size and seems to have the specs to take care of our water issues. I mainly want to eliminate iron stains and keep the water pump/plumbing in good shape, plus the added bonus of soft water for hair, teeth, etc. We don’t use lots of water so don’t need a big, bulky one!But we are so used to soft water at home that we miss the benefits of it when we travel.I like the size of this one and the price is reasonable as well. We have room to place it by the water pump without losing storage area! Thanks again!

[John in Santa Cruz]

phew, the recharge process for that softener is fairly involved, and requires dumping quite a bit of water. https://www.portablewatersoftener.co...p-instructions

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

phew, the recharge process for that softener is fairly involved, and requires dumping quite a bit of water. https://www.portablewatersoftener.co...p-instructions

That looks like something that should be done at your home. They treat a lot of water so they should last for a long trip.

[Carol and Mike]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

phew, the recharge process for that softener is fairly involved, and requires dumping quite a bit of water. https://www.portablewatersoftener.co...p-instructions

It’s actually pretty easy. The instructions at the web site are for the larger models so less water is used with the shorty model but the process is the same. You drain some water, add the salt, flush at a trickle for about 10 minutes, then flush with water turned up for a couple minutes and you’re done.

[Natalie21]

Some portable water softener like On The Go OTG4-DBLSOFT Portable RV Softener, ABC Waters 16,000-grain Portable Water Softener, Mobile Soft Water 16,000-grain Portable Water Softener,... that I have been read.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by ssatkinson

We have noticed quite a bit of iron staining coming through our water system even with a water filter where we camp for 2 months (COE camgrounds)in the fall. Would a portable water softener be a good solution? If so, which ones would you recommend? We plan to upgrade from the regular Camco filter to a 2 stage one also. We rarely shower in the camper, mainly do dishes, brush teeth, etc. Our camper is a 2015 Escape 21. Any advice on either a softener or filter is appreciated!

I wouldn't want a softener with salt in it. Just don't like the salt idea. There are some small home filters that do a good job. We had one but decided we just didn't need it since we move around a lot. If camped for a long period it would work. It is a small home filter and we retrofitted it with hose bibs to put between 2 small hoses. Worked real good.

[John in Santa Cruz]

filters won't remove dissolved calcium, magnesium, etc, the causes of hard water.

the salt based systems are ion exchange systems... salt is sodium chloride, and in solution is Na+ (sodium ions) and Cl- (chlorine ions). The Na+ exchanges itself for the Mg+ and Ca+, and the Cl- exchanges itself fro the CO3- (Carbonate). Mg CO3, Ca CO3, are relatively insoluble, so there will at most be a few parts per 1000, which is how much salt will be exchanged, a minuscule amount.