We have a 2007 27' Safari SE FB. During spring/summer/fall, we plan to camp on a lot we purchased in Wisconsin that has extremely hard water. Should we worry about corrosion? Are there water softeners available for RVs that do the trick, and would it be worthwhile?
Can't say I've shopped for RV water softeners, but for a fixed location like that you might be better off getting a stationary home-type one for the lot. Do you have a pumphouse, or any kind of piped water system on this lot? If so, you can probably get a better softener for a fraction of the price of something mobile. Make a decent semi-permanent installation and take it when you leave for the season. If you're dipping up stream water and funneling it into the trailer tank, never mind.
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It seems I love the mountains and deserts more than my friends do. I sure miss them!
1971 Streamline Imperial project "Silver Snausage", 1985 Coleman tent trailer, 1964 Little Dipper, 1975 Northwest "Proto Toyhauler", 2004 Harbor Freight folding, still seeking my Airstream.
We've been wondering about a water softener also.... Is there such a thing as an "in-line" softener that could be installed to use just for the shower??? Or is this a pipe dream?? We full time from October til June and run into some really hard water sometimes.
Any thoughts??
Thanks... Phil & Edee
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I have a water softener in my home (Phoenix has very hard water). I doubt it could be adapted well to a trailer. Periodicly (weekly for me) the resin tank must be rinsed with salt water to remove the "hardness" that it has collected. This requires many gallons of water and takes about an hour to complete. Most softeners use salt which then makes the water good to drink if you are on a low sodium diet. We use a reverse osmosis system for our drinking water.
We just bought an in-line softener today from our A/S dealer. Three models of varying capacities (before re-charging the salt) were available for $99-$389. We went with the smallest one, which can soften 75-200 gallons before needing to be re-charged. Re-charging sounds simple; table salt is mixed with water and left to sit in the softener for four hours using a 4' drinking water hose to cap both ends. The smallest unit is not a great deal larger than an in-line water filter.
I can't remember the brand off the top of my head, but I can look if anyone's interested. It's not A/S-specific, but a local A/S owner is a distributor, and our A/S dealer began carrying them through him.
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Ben & Molly (but Ben never types, so it's always Molly )
I wonder if those stainless steel water softeners would work that mobile detail shops use on their trailers. I see tham on little carts on car lots as well.
Where's my google link...
I went out to the storage building and checked. It's a Day-Trip 75 by Amerisoft Water. Their website is Amerisoft-Water Softeners
The other larger, more complex systems will not require regeneration as often as the Amerisoft unit, but we liked the portability, simplicity, and cost of the Amerisoft. And we figured if we can't find a few minutes every third or fourth day to regenerate it while we're camping, we're too busy while we're camping!
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Ben & Molly (but Ben never types, so it's always Molly )
Wow, I did not know that they made them that small, the one in my house is a monster. The resin tank is a hundred+ pounds and the brine tank (for regen) can hold up to 300 pounds of salt. It looks like you need to pull the unit to do a regen on it. Do you carry seperate water for drinking or do you drink the soft water?
We have a 2007 27' Safari SE FB. During spring/summer/fall, we plan to camp on a lot we purchased in Wisconsin that has extremely hard water. Should we worry about corrosion? Are there water softeners available for RVs that do the trick, and would it be worthwhile?
You don't need to worry about corrosion. Water wants to be hard and will pick up that hardness anywhere it can. From limestone or other mineral that it flows through or from your copper pipes if it can not get it elsewhere. Soft water is corrosive, hard water is not. However you may want to use a water softener for other reasons, soft water cleans better. I like the idea of one that you regenerate manually as listed in a previous post. Shouldn't have to worry about the sodium as the unit is rinsed after regeneration. BTW sodium is not the problem, lack of drinking enough water is the culprit. My 0.02
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