By Cheri Sicard
Are RV water softeners worth it? Here to answer the question is certified RV inspector Duane from the RV Inspection And Care YouTube channel.
Duane’s videos are always highly educational and this one is no exception. He starts by explaining exactly what a water softener does, which is the first step to determining if you need one.
Water from your hose goes in one side of the softener. Inside are resin particles that attract the hard water minerals from the water. The then “softened” water flows out the other side of the water softener and into your RV.
Why might you need an RV water softener?
Without a water softener, hard minerals in the water like calcium, magnesium, iron, etc., can build up in your RV’s water system.
Hmmmm, I shudder to think what my pipes might look like. After spending six months in Baja this winter I could see the mineral deposits building up in my RV’s toilet.
To be sure, you can be using hard water for a long time before it creates problems, but it can create issues.
Hard water can also have an off taste or odor. If it’s high in iron it can leave rust stains. It can make your skin dry. And worst of all, it can shorten the life of your appliances and RV plumbing system.
According to Duane, a whopping 85 percent of homes in the United States are dealing with hard water. So the problem is not uncommon.
How do you know if you need an RV water softener?
Duane recommends a small water testing kit that you can use in the places you like to camp. He thinks you’ll be surprised at how many of them have hard water.
Not to mention that campground water, in and of itself, can often be suspect. Duane has encountered it around the country, and I know I have, as well.
That’s why a lot of RVers have water filters (these are the ones Duane uses), which do get rid of larger particulates. But they, unfortunately, do not soften the water.
Duane says you will notice an immediate difference in the quality of the water when using a water softener. Not only that, there are more benefits, including:
- Soaps and shampoos will suds more and work better.
- You’ll no longer deal with clogged shower nozzles.
- Appliances will be cleaner, run better, and last longer.
How to use an RV water softener
Watch the video as Duane shows how he uses the water softener in his own rig. He actually sandwiches it between two different filters and claims they always have really great water. It works well but, of course, there are methods.
RV water softener maintenance
Using the method of doing some filtration before softening, Duane says you will need less water softener maintenance.
That said, there is always going to be some maintenance involved with this particular RV accessory. But it is not a lot and is both cheap and easy to do.
After a while, those resin beads in the water softener become saturated with hard minerals. You need to get those minerals off of the beads. Duane says regular old table salt does a great job of this. In the video, Duane demonstrates exactly how to do this simple task.
Because of the quality of the water, Duane counts his RV water softener as one of the best overall RV accessories they have in their rig. With 85 percent of U.S. water being full of hard minerals, it seems like most RVers could benefit too.
Do you use a water softener in your RV? Please share your experiences in the comments below.
Here are the water softeners Duane uses and recommends:
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##RVT1216
We use a full function water softener from US Water. It’s all automatic just like a house model just smaller. All I have to do for maintenance is add salt to the brine tank. It is only 25 inch’s tall so it fits in a storage bay perfectly. No more calcium or rust buildup in our coach and our clothes are so soft and clean. https://uswatersystems.com/products/us-water-systems-traxx-smart-mini-water-softener-3-4-flow-4-gpm
I have used a softener since I started wintering in the south 7 years ago. It makes all the difference in the world. I don’t haul it out for those 1 night stays though, and can sure tell the difference. Thankfully there aren’t many of those.
There’s no hard water ring in my porcelain potty, I do use much less shampoo and bath soap, also less dish soap, and less soap when washing my clothes. (I have a portable washing machine.)
But you also need to clean your hot water heater well after using. The softened water leaves a residue behind after months of use.
We purchased the same brand softener as Duane, larger capacity. There are two accessories that will make maintenance much easier: Lead free brass quick connects and 2nd short hose. The softener comes with 1 hose. You will need 3 quick connects.
Maintenance requires you to completely disconnect, invert and drain the softener before adding salt and reconnecting the input side. I prefer the regeneration water with all the salt, not dribble down the tank, so the 2nd hose. And I really want the full-stream final rinse to not flood the area around the tank. In fact, it may not burble out like the video but be a forceful stream I want to carefully aim. Make the process easier.
If like us, you use your RV in the winter where occasionally temps fall below freezing, give some thought as to how to protect your softener. We use a loop of our heated hose next to the side of the softener, inside a an emergency ‘space blanket’ wrap and cover top to ground with an inverted trash can.
We dry camp 99% of the time so we fill our 100 gal. fresh tank at home where we have a Neutralizer with by a softener.
Had one of those water softeners pictured in this article and it worked wonders for RV parks in the Southwest where water is barely drinkable at best. Maintenance is a learning curve, but once you get it down…a walk in the park.
We purchased an On-the-Go Double seven years ago when we got our first RV that had an On-Demand hot water/heat system…Oasis in our case. Those small tubes for heat transfer can be suscepitble to mineral buildup.
One of the best investments we made. We also filter before and after the softener. Much better for all the water systems in our MH including dishwasher & clothes washer.
I am the former owner of Premier Aqua Solutions, a small business originally from the Midwest selling RV water filtration and water softening equipment. I still use dual filters (sediment & carbon block) plus and ion exchange water softener in my Airstream trailer. I am a believer in water softening while on the road. I always ask campground personnel about the water source of the RV park. Even municipal systems can have hard water. For RV owners with a motorhome and laundry equipment on board, soft water is essential for cleaner clothes and, possibly, less water usage. I even had micro-photographs of fabric laundered in hard water and soft water. Soft water was a great improvement
We have a portable water softener that came with all hoses and quick connects that we purchased for a very reasonable price on Amazon. It is easy to use once you understand how to maintain it. We did this to protect our plumbing, but the water is so much better we wouldn’t go camping without it.
Is the salt part of the water softening process? Is it added to your water? If so isn’t it bad for people with high blood pressure?
Water softeners work by replacing the Calcium, Magnesium, etc. ions with Sodium, so if you are on a sodium restricted diet, you will need to be careful and maybe drink bottled water. Also, a carbon filter may remove the residual disinfectant added by many water systems so you need to be more conscientious about sanitizing your system periodically to avoid bacterial growth in your water tank and piping.
You rinse the salt out before using. Look at a instruction video from On The Go. The final step is the rinse to eliminate the salt.
The softener shown does a good job however I found in Arizona it needed serviced once a week. Not really difficult but sort of like having a milk cow. If your pass through compartment is 25″ high you can get a house unit (from most home improvement centers), get pipe to water hose fittings and plumb it in. First a good filter, then softener, then to city pressure fitting, could have another filter if you want. Then put in softener salt when it needs it, like at home. One less chore and more time for fun 😁.
Thank you for calling attention to Duane’s video, Cheri! I have not watched it, but will now. I am especially keen to see how he applies salt to “fix” the beads. I did buy a water softener to use in the RV (https://a.co/d/eIW8bh1) and we have an in-line water filter similar to Duane’s through which the water passes before reaching the softener. There is a second filter in the RV wet bay that further filters the softened water. The refrigerator has an additional filter through which water made into ice by the refrigerator passes. I guess our ice is pretty filtered. 😉 Have a great week and safe travels!